In this episode of the No Film School Podcast, Director John-Michael Powell joins host GG Hawkins to talk about his gritty Southern crime thriller Violent Ends, which hits theaters October 31. Powell shares the winding journey that led to the film’s production—from being dropped from a college art program, to cutting indie films that made it to festivals like Sundance and SXSW, to editing the Emmy-winning Netflix series American Manhunt. Remarkably, he crafted a feature starring Billy Magnussen and Alexandra Shipp—without agents, managers, or festival support. This episode offers a raw, inspiring, and tactical look at building a career from the ground up, how to forge meaningful creative collaborations, and why the cavalry might never come.In this episode, we discuss: How Powell transitioned from music and graphic design to filmmakingWhy getting cut from a college program helped shape his resilienceThe long road from writing Violent Ends in 2013 to securing funding a decade laterThe strategy behind securing name actors without traditional representationHow he used relationships and resourcefulness to get a bidding warWhat filmmakers should know about real-money offers and escrowWhy adaptability and microbudget thinking still matter—on any scaleHow not having representation can actually work in your favorBuilding a production company (Midnight Road) and what’s coming nextGuests:John-Michael PowellSubscribe to the No Film School Podcast on:Apple PodcastsSpotifyGoogleGet your question answered on the podcast by emailing podcast@nofilmschool.com Listen to more episodes of the No Film School podcast right here: This episode of The No Film School Podcast was produced by Ryan Koo....
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Yesterday