Write to Your Budget episode artwork

EPISODE · Nov 26, 2025 · 13 MIN

Write to Your Budget

from Excelsior Journeys: Behind the Scenes

Years after I graduated from college, I heard how writer/director Robert Rodriguez declared indie filmmakers need to write to their budgets. When he wrote El Mariachi, he had a bus, a guitar case, and a turtle, so he knew all of that would be in his movie. However, in 1994-1995, I saw this strategy used to its fullest by filmmakers B. Anthony Gibson, Jay Atkins, and Nathan Perry with their studio Tatum Pictures. And their tactics inspired me to write a no-budget short film of my own, which would become Phoenix Rising. Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity exists primarily as a platform for creatives of all kinds (authors, filmmakers, stand-up comics, musicians, voice artists, painters, podcasters, etc) to share their journeys to personal success. It is very important to celebrate those voices as much as possible to not only provide encouragement to up-and-coming talent, but to say thank you to the established men & women for inspiring the current generation of artists.If you agree that the Excelsior Journeys podcast serves a positive purpose and would like to show your appreciation, you can give back to the show by clicking HERE.Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity is now a proud member of the Podmatch Podcast Network, and you can access all shows in the network by clicking HERE.

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Write to Your Budget

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How long is this episode of Excelsior Journeys: Behind the Scenes?

This episode is 13 minutes long.

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This episode was published on November 26, 2025.

What is this episode about?

Years after I graduated from college, I heard how writer/director Robert Rodriguez declared indie filmmakers need to write to their budgets. When he wrote El Mariachi, he had a bus, a guitar case, and a turtle, so he knew all of that would be in his...

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