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I'll admit it. It feels a little awkward to write about Taylor Swift.

I’m an independent filmmaker. I make movies with names like The Quiet Canadians—not Speak Now (Taylor’s Version). Like I should be drafting a gritty script about espionage instead of analyzing pastel albums and glitter-filled fandoms. But stay with me—because if you’re serious about being an indie filmmaker, you need to study the moves of the greatest self-marketer alive.

And that person? Isn’t Scorsese. Isn’t Nolan. It’s Taylor freaking Swift.

She’s doing what every indie filmmaker should be doing.

I know. That sentence alone just made at least one of my film school instructors clutch their chest.

But look—if Scott Galloway can call out tech bros while quoting Taylor lyrics, I can pull lessons from the Eras Tour to help you sell your indie drama.

The strategy? The playbook? The way she owns her audience, understands demand, and leverages her brand across platforms?

That’s the game.

And we should be paying attention.

So here are several things Taylor Swift can teach us about building a sustainable, independent filmmaking career—without selling out or trying to copy the studios.

Lesson 1: Make the movie you want to see (…and your audience wants to see too)

Even though Taylor writes about her own breakups… she knows her audience needs to see themselves as the main character.

This is the golden rule.

Filmmakers often mistake personal for relatable.

Your job?

Tell your truth in a way that makes them feel seen.

Your film isn’t about you. It’s about what your audience feels through you.

✅ Tip: Hyper-focus on ONE audience avatar.

• What keeps them up at night?

• What movie do they wish existed?

• Be ready to alienate everyone else. That’s how you get 100% resonance with your person.

🧠 Head vs. ❤️ Heart

Make your audience feel your film, not analyze it.

Be sensory. Be specific.

And don’t generalize. General is forgettable.

It sounds obvious. But the deeper truth is this:

We spend way too much time thinking about what “the market” wants, what genre is hot, what might please a sales agent, or how to reverse-engineer a film into an algorithm-friendly, streamable product.

The real play? Make the story you actually want to see on screen.

But here’s the twist: it’s not just about you.

When you make the story you want to see, you’re also speaking directly to the audience who sees the world like you do—people who’ve lived your truth, felt your fears, carried your questions.

As a Canadian filmmaker, I get to do this in a country that’s a mosaic—full of distinctions, identities, and a variety of lived experiences. It’s not about melting into a monoculture, it’s about adding your unique tile to the bigger picture. Your story doesn’t need to appeal to everyone—it just needs to resonate with your corner of the mosaic.

If you’re from an underrepresented community, or your story comes from a unique perspective, guess what?

That’s your advantage.

The more specific and honest your story is, the more it has the power to connect.

Not with everyone. But with the people who’ve been waiting to see themselves onscreen.

And in a world flooded with same-same content, those are the films that break through.

So make the story that represents your part of the mosaic.

The story that doesn’t try to be everything to everyone… but everything to someone.

That’s how you build trust. That’s how you build an audience. That’s how you build a career.

Lesson 2: Tell a Damn Good Story

Taylor doesn’t just write songs. She writes mini-movies.

Taylor’s music = story-first. She doesn’t write vague feelings. She writes visceral moments:

She doesn’t say “we broke up.”

She says:

“Flashback when you met me, your buzz cut and my hair bleached.”

She doesn’t say “he was bad for me.”

She says:

“Loving him was like driving a new Maserati down a dead-end street.”

Your screenplay, your pitch deck, your BTS content—it all needs to be wrapped in story.

• Tell stories that move the heart, not just ideas for the head.
• Use sensory-specific visuals and emotional stakes.
• Be vulnerable. Get to the good stuff. Dig deep.

The brain remembers stories 22x more than facts.

So ditch the bullet points and make a story that sticks.

How do you become a better storyteller as a filmmaker? Practice. Make small films. Show them around. Get feedback and, better yet, WATCH the people watching your stuff if you can.

Don't have resources? You do. You have a camera in your pocket and you can film a scene tomorrow. You need to learn how to use filmmaking to tell a story. And you can't do that in isolation.

Lesson 3: You don’t need a million fans. You need 1,000 believers.

One of the biggest myths in indie film is that success comes from a huge splash.

But most careers are built from small, steady ripples.

Taylor Swift didn’t start out filling stadiums. She started out playing cafes and fairs. Meeting fans. Signing autographs. Building trust. One person at a time.

You don’t need millions of followers or a giant PR campaign.

You need a few hundred to a thousand people who believe in you.

Not just fans. Believers.

People who will buy your movie. Share your campaign. Tell their friends. Show up at your screening. Back your next project.

If you get 1,000 of those? You’ve got a filmmaking career.

Your audience is not everyone

Hollywood wants blockbusters. Netflix wants mass appeal. The whole system is built around trying to make movies that appeal to the broadest possible audience.

But indie filmmakers? We don’t need everyone.

We need the right ones.

Taylor Swift isn’t for everyone. She’s polarizing. Some people love her. Some people roll their eyes.

But the people who love her? Obsess over her.

Don’t try to water down your story for “marketability.” Don’t erase the sharp edges to try and make it more palatable.

Go deeper into the thing you care about.

Because the more personal, honest, and specific your film is, the more powerful it becomes.

When you resonate with a niche audience, you don’t need to compete with the studios. You’ve already won.

Practice Strategic (and Fearless) Innovation

Taylor has eras for a reason.

Strategic Innovation: Soft Pivots, Same Core

Taylor doesn’t abandon what works—she evolves it. She moves between eras (Lover, Reputation, Folklore), but the audience stays with her.

Filmmakers, take note:

• Evolve your genre, tone, or medium, but stay consistent with your voice.
• Don’t cling to one “successful” idea. Make strategic pivots that reflect where your audience is now.
• Keep your themes timeless but your style fresh.

Innovation is survival. And your audience isn’t static.

Each one is a soft pivot: new vibe, same core.

She’s not reinventing herself—she’s evolving.

Ask yourself:

• How can I reflect the world today through my film?
• What emotional need does this project answer right now?

Whether it’s political paranoia, generational angst, or dating-app dread—tap into something current. This doesn't mean you can't do a period piece or a science fiction future drama, but make it RELEVANT. Star Trek reflected the era it was in, but set it in space. Even Titanic is more a reflection of 90's gender and class ideologies than the era it was set in.

Audience Journey + The Fan Ladder

Taylor doesn’t just have fans. She levels them up:

1. Casual listener
2. Repeat concertgoer
3. Clue hunter (Easter eggs!)
4. Hardcore evangelist

Filmmaker strategy:

• Use exclusives: early screenings, director’s commentary, BTS.
• Gamify engagement: Easter eggs, cryptic trailers, layered storytelling.
• Highlight your superfans. Make them part of your mythology.

Community isn’t when the audience talks to you. It’s when they talk to each other.

Scarcity Creates Demand

Taylor didn’t announce 50 shows.

Swift creates scarcity on purpose.

• One concert date per city. Waitlist panic. THEN she opened more.
• Waited to release hints and got signals from the market.

Your filmmaking equivalent:

• Limited access to crowdfunding perks
• Early backer exclusives
• VIP-only sneak peeks
• “Coming soon” with no date to stir curiousity

Don’t overshare. Tease, test, and build tension.

That’s called oversubscription.

Let demand lead supply.

For your film:

• Cap early supporter slots
• Reward early birds
• Waitlist people for exclusives
• Make your premiere feel like an event, not an obligation

Tip: Get signals from the market before investing everything. That’s the smart indie way. Test it out with a mockup poster and a simple log line.

Another Tip: Re-establish "windowing" for your film. Do a theatrical release but limit the theatres your movie will be in (better to have a few full theatres than many empty ones). Wait 4-5 months after it's theatrical run to release it on a TVOD platform. Save Netlflix and YouTube for later.

Show the Behind-the-Scenes

Taylor’s documentary didn’t just tell us what happened—it invited us into the room.

Let your audience in on your process.

• The script rewrite.
• The casting near-misses.
• The location that fell through but somehow ended up better.
• Table Reads
• Stunt Rehearsals

Everybody loves those B&W photos of the original Star Wars cast gathering for the first read through of the J.J. Abrams Trilogy. It created mystery and anticipation, but also peeled back the curtain one who was going to be in the movie.

Transparency builds trust.

Taylor turns her real-life battles (Scooter Braun, re-recordings) into fan-backed causes.

For indie filmmakers?

• Be honest about your obstacles.
• Tell your audience what you’re fighting for.
• Document the journey, not just the outcome.

Vulnerability is a feature, not a flaw.

It also builds emotional investment in your outcome.

🎤 “It’s not just your film anymore. It’s our film.”

Lesson 4: Ownership is the most underrated power move

One of the most baller moves in music history?

Taylor Swift re-recording her entire catalogue and releasing it as Taylor’s Version to reclaim her masters.

She didn’t complain. She didn’t whine. She just went out and rebuilt the whole damn castle.

Ownership is everything.

If you’re an indie filmmaker, own as much as you can. Own your IP. Own your audience. Own your distribution plan.

Don’t build your business on someone else’s platform.

Yes, you can work with streamers or distributors. Yes, you can use platforms like YouTube or Substack or Seed&Spark.

But if you’re not building your own list, growing your own brand, and protecting your own rights, you’re just a tenant in someone else’s house.

Independence means building the house yourself. Even if it starts with a tent and a tarp.

You’re building a business, not just a film

This one hurts a little.

Because we got into this to make art. To tell stories. To say something meaningful.

But if you want to do that for the rest of your life?

You need to treat it like a business.

Taylor Swift is an artist, yes. But she’s also the CEO of her own empire. Every move she makes—from the way she releases music to how she builds anticipation for tour dates—is rooted in strategy.

You don’t need to be a corporation.

But you do need a system.

A way to find your audience, build your list, nurture relationships, fund your projects, and release your work into the world without relying on someone to “pick you.”

That’s what indie film really means.

Not just low budget.

But complete independence.

The more you think like a creative entrepreneur, the more art you’ll get to make.

Overdeliver Always

Taylor could play a 90-minute show. She plays 3.5 hours, every night, with surprise songs.

Filmmaker translation:

• Offer more value than expected.
• Surprise your audience post-screening.
• Make your premiere feel like an event, not a transaction.

The experience of giving you money should feel amazing.

Play the Long Game

Taylor doesn’t react—she reinvents.

• Got dragged? She turned it into Reputation.
• Lost her masters? She made it a cultural movement.
• She turned a massive PR nightmare into a triumphant comeback.
• She made "snake emojis" work for her.

Filmmaker reality:

• You will face rejection, flops, burnout.
• Turn failure into mythology.
• Be patient. Stay relevant by staying true.

🎙️Lesson from This Week’s Podcast: Indie Film Isn’t a Solo Tour

Okay, so maybe you raised an eyebrow when I opened this post with a Taylor Swift reference. Fair. But if you made it this far, you know it wasn’t just a fangirl flex—I genuinely think there are lessons there for indie filmmakers.

And speaking of powerful strategies for independent creators…

This week on the Off the Lot podcast, we sat down with producer, strategist, and fundraiser-extraordinaire Daren Smith, and the overlap between what he said and what we just covered is uncanny.

Here are a few key takeaways from the interview that echo the lessons above:

• True independence means full ownership. Daren talks about how filmmakers often abdicate responsibility for distribution and marketing—only to find themselves disappointed. If you’re not thinking about how your film reaches an audience, someone else is, and they’re probably not doing it for you. Sound familiar?
• Build the demand before you build the supply. Daren’s entire model is rooted in the idea of finding demand first—whether that’s a mailing list of 10,000 true fans or a city full of eager theater-goers—before overspending on screens or deliverables. Swift doesn’t hope people will show up. She knows they will.
• Market like it matters (because it does). One of Daren’s hardest-won lessons was this: if you start marketing only when the project is finished, it’s already too late. The parallel here to Taylor Swift’s meticulous, fan-first brand building is crystal clear. Whether you’re a pop icon or a filmmaker with a $50K feature, attention is earned early.

🧠 Bottom line: Independent film isn’t just about scrappy production—it’s about strategy, audience, and long-term thinking.

🎧 Want more? Listen to our full conversation with Daren Smith on the Off the Lot podcast, wherever you get your shows. It’s full of gold for filmmakers looking to level up—not just creatively, but as independent entrepreneurs.

TL;DR – Filmmaker Takeaways From the Taylor Swift Business Formula:

• Audience > Ego – Make them the main character
• Go Deep, Not Wide – One person, fully seen
• Story Over Stats – Facts tell, stories sell
• Strategic Innovation – Evolve, don’t whiplash
• Community Ladder – Reward fans for climbing
• Scarcity Sells – Create urgency with honesty
• Behind-the-Scenes Matters – Vulnerability builds loyalty
• Hardship Is Material – Use it
• Longevity Is the Move – Think careers, not projects

Final Thought

You don’t need to be Taylor Swift to build like Taylor Swift. You need:

• A film that moves people
• A story that invites connection
• A marketing strategy that rewards attention
• A community that climbs with you

Show up. Keep making. Keep iterating.

The art is the spark. The strategy is the oxygen.

Build your fire.

YOUR Version.

Cheers,

Anthony (He/Him)

P.S. Love these emails? Buy me a coffee to say "thanks"!

Listen to Off The Lot Via Spotify:

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Ways to Work With Me

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Resources I Like That Could Help You

1. 🎬 If you’re looking for a no-fluff, boots-on-the-ground kind of course to actually make your film this year, check out Make It Now Filmmaking by my friend Tyler Reid. It’s launching May 12, and there is a pre-launch sale on right now. I've see a sneak peak and it will be super practical and designed to get you moving right now — no waiting, no wishing.
2. 🎬 6K Filmmaker – A practical guide for indie filmmakers on how to make movies with low-budget, high-quality production techniques. Check it out here.​
3. 📝 Idea to Outline Workshop (by Naomi Beatty) – A step-by-step system to take your film idea and turn it into a structured, compelling outline. Perfect for screenwriters at any stage. Join the workshop here.​

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