Welcome to Debtless Film School! Moving forward this community will be gamified, you'll earn points and level up for interacting in the community! With each new level you will unlock new modules of my film financing course (In development, but if you reach the desired level you will get access as they come out). If you haven't yet, book your onboarding call with me, so I can get to know you better and figure out the best way to help you: https://calendly.com/admin-debtlessfilmschool/30min Let's get you started withe earning points - post something to the group! Let us know: 1. Your Name 2. Your Goal 3. Main Gap in your knowledge 4. Favorite film/TV show (cliche I know) Lastly, this community is a place for filmmakers to share their interests. Post about industry news, recent films/shows, problems you're facing, spill the tea. Whatever you want, just so long as communication is respectful.

1. Personal Liability Protection: LLCs protect your personal assets (e.g., home, car, savings) from business-related liabilities, such as debts or legal claims. This is crucial in the film industry where lawsuits or financial risks can be significant​ 2. Tax Flexibility: LLCs offer flexible tax options. You can choose to be taxed as a sole proprietor, partnership, or corporation, depending on what's most beneficial. The default "pass-through" taxation allows profits and losses to be passed directly to the members without being taxed at the company level​. Investors can also be members, allowing them to enjoy the same benefits. 3. Simplicity and Less Paperwork: Compared to corporations, LLCs are simpler to form and maintain. They require fewer formalities, no annual meetings, and much less compliance paperwork​ 4. Credibility: Forming an LLC enhances your project’s credibility, making it more attractive to investors, distributors, and collaborators​ 5. Distribution of LLC Profits and Losses/ Special Allocations: One of the best features of a LLC is that partnership rules provide that members may divide the profits and losses in a flexible manner. This is a dramatic break from corporations whereby dividends are allocated according to percentage ownership. Investors can become members of your LLC. IMPORTANT: You must make sure you maintain strict compliance with all regulations. The LLC must have it's own bank accounts, and every transaction related to the film project must flow through the company's bank accounts. Don't use personal payment methods just because it's convenient. Document all financial transactions, contracts, meeting, business decisions etc. You would risk "piercing the corporate veil" which would open you up personally to liability. Disclaimer: This is for academic purposes only, any implementation of legal frameworks should be done after consultation with a licensed lawyer. A good CPA and Lawyer can help you dot your i's and cross your t's. There's no reason to skimp on their fees, especially with the financing methods you will learn in this community.

A common misconception filmmakers have when going the independent route is thinking that cheaper is always better. While there’s some truth to that, and it certainly trains your ability to be creative under tight constraints, relying on money from family/friends, crowdfunding, grants, and private equity investments are tough and often unreliable ways to fund a film—even a low-budget one. Why is a $3 million film the easiest to finance? - Senior Secured Financing doesn't even consider your project unless it hits the $3 million mark. Here’s why Senior Secured Financing changes everything: - You don’t need to have any successful features under your belt—just an airtight finance plan and attention to detail. - Senior Secured Financing is low-risk. Other types of film financiers take on performance risk (like box office returns), but Senior Secured Financing doesn’t. Done correctly, by the time you finish your film, senior secured financiers will have recouped 90% of their investment. - With Senior Secured Financing, you can attach better talent to your project, which unlocks pre-sales and a second round of Senior Secured Financing, plus Gap Financing. - Crowdfunding and private equity investment often feel like begging. Investors have no reason to trust you, and convincing them to risk their money is tough. But once you have Senior Secured Financing, and still need private equity to plug the gap, you now have proof that your project is worth investing in. Even better, private investors can invest through the bank for additional assurance. - Let’s say everything goes wrong, and you don’t even finish the film. What happens to you? The answer is simple: if you’ve made sure all your i’s are dotted and t’s are crossed (and you can afford a good lawyer with a $3 million budget), the Senior Secured Lenders now own the film, and you walk away debt-free. Very few filmmakers know this, and that’s a shame. That’s the main thing I’m going to teach at Debtless Film School. I want to give people the knowledge they need to make the films they want. You can bootstrap or refine your private investor pitch all you want, but the probability of success is still low. Why put yourself through that?