We were lucky to catch up with Jack Binder recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jack , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s jump into the story of starting your own firm – what should we know?

FilmBudget.com Worldwide was born out of inquires as a film and television producer for help with film finance, production, and creating a film budget. As a Producer for HBO, The Walt Disney Company, Columbia Pictures and many other Hollywood studios I had many colleagues asking for guidance.

As a working producer I managed to find the time to start FilmBudget.com as a vehicle to respond to the requests for film budgeting and scheduling services. This branched into Film Finance Plans as were similarly being asked for by associates in the industry.

As film tax credits and production incentives increased in importance and became a fundamental aspect of film financing, I added an analysis, estimation, calculation, and application service to my offerings.

Filmmakers were also looking for advice on matters of finance, production, distribution, etc. therefore I began a one-on-one Producer Consulting option.

https://FilmBudget.com Worldwide provides a connection to the filmmaking and entertainment community globally. It helps me to stay current on all aspects of filmmaking, film tax incentives worldwide.

The key to starting your own business is hard work, dedication, and perserverance.

Jack , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I started out in the entertainment business in Detroit producing live comedy concerts with my brother. We produced many live events and eventually raised independent film financing to shoot one on film. Eventually selling it to HBO, I moved to Los Angeles.

I worked on many HBO comedy specials and tv series and worked my way up to Assistant to the Producer of an Academy Award Winning Producer of The Sting, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Taxi Driver. Being promoted to Vice President of Creative Affairs for the company was an extreme honor as we made several films in a row.

I went onto producing on an indie film with my brother Mike, called ‘Crossing the Bridge’, which we sold to Disney. I became an on-the-lot producer and went on to producer many more films.

Returning to HBO I produced ‘The Mind of the Married Man’ TV series for two seasons.

Columbia Pictures then became a new home for a slate of additional films, before heading back into the independent film world for a slate of productions including ‘The Upside of Anger’ starring Kevin Costner, ‘Reign Over Me’ starring Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle.

Back in the indie film world I help finance and Produced ‘First Reformed’ starring Ethan Hawke and Amanda Seyfried, written and directed by Paul Schrader (Oscar Nominated Best Original Screenplay).

Additional credits included Kate Winslet narrated ‘Eating Our Way to Extinction’ with Richard Branson (Best Feature Documentary EMA Awards), The Comedy Store (Showtime) and many other film and television productions over the years.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

The film industry is constantly evolving and facing change and disruption. Perseverance is the key to the entertainment business and being able to adapt.

Digital disruption was a major change in the industry, requiring a rethinking and new education for filmmakers to adopt the new technology of digital cinema. This not only affected creative choices but financial considerations as well.

Hollywood has faced challenges, increasingly, over the years. From the pandemic, to labor strikes, and now to the Los Angeles fires, the threat to production is continuous. A resilient producer must always be working to stay on top of the headwinds and find methods of maintaining progress, film production, and dealmaking despite the impact of outside forces, tech advancements, and other impactful events upon the film and tv business.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

In Hollywood, reputation is key. It’s a small company town in a sense and you are know by your word and by the projects you are associated with.

As the founder of FilmBudget.com I have always worked to maintain a level of integrity in my work, both creatively, and financially. Being known as someone that delivers a production on-time, on budget, is fundamental to one’s credibility.

As an executive producer, producer, line producer, DGA UPM (Directors Guild of America Unit Production Manager), financier, and investor, it is critical to protect my brand and convey a level of quality and professionalism which I wish to be known for, and for which I work hard to maintain with integrity, honestly, and most importantly, customer satisfaction.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://FilmBudget.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/filmbudget
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/moviebudget
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/film-budget
• Twitter: https://x.com/filmbudget
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@filmbudgeting
• Other: https://tiktok.com/filmbudget