101. Marc Iserlis: From Fans to Investors - Rethinking Film Finance

For decades, film finance has relied on a familiar model: studios, distributors and a relatively small pool of investors deciding which stories get made. But what happens when audiences themselves become part of the equation? In this episode, Alex sits down with producer and Republic Film founder Marc Iserlis to explore a new approach to financing screen stories, one that allows fans to invest in film and entertainment projects and participate in their potential success. The conversation explores how film finance is changing, why creator communities may be becoming as valuable as traditional industry gatekeepers, and what recent successes such as Backrooms, Obsession and Markiplier's Iron Lung reveal about the future of audience-driven storytelling. Along the way, Marc shares lessons from his journey as a producer, discusses the rise of creator-led IP, and explains why he believes the next generation of breakthrough stories may emerge from communities rather than traditional development pipelines. It's a conversation about ownership, participation and what happens when fans become stakeholders in the stories they want to see in the world. Topics include: • Why film finance needs new models • The difference between crowdfunding and crowd investing • Creator-led IP and the rise of audience-first storytelling • What Backrooms, Obsession and Markiplier tell us about the future • Why creators may be becoming the new celebrities • How communities can help de-risk creative projects • The future of film finance, ownership and audience participation About Marc Iserlis Marc Iserlis leads Republic Film--an SEC-regulated investment platform enabling global accredited and unaccredited investors to invest directly in film projects and share in their financial success. Officially launched in late 2024, Republic Film has raised more than $32 million from over 40,000 everyday film fans into premium projects from Eli Roth, Robert Rodriguez, Skybound Entertainment, Pressman Film, and Ron Perlman. Marc is also a film and television producer whose credits include Hotel Mumbai (2019), Gone in the Night (2022), Dalíland (2023), and The Testament of Ann Lee (2026).