Sue Collins
122 episodes listed below
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🌒 Welcome to The Documentary Filmmaker Podcast - great to have you here!Join us every week as we dive into untouched areas of filmmaking that go above and beyond conventional film school teachings.Your host, Sue Collins, will navigate you through the independent filmmaking industry, guiding you to amplify your craft and foster sustainable careers. With over 15 years of experience in documentary and impact films, Sue's expertise has resonated globally, captivating audiences through various platforms from Cinema releases, VOD, broadcast television and everything in between.Get ready to explore the constantly evolving landscape of indie filmmaking as Sue shares invaluable insig...
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Sue Collins makes documentary craft and audience-building legible through detailed questions, practical examples and advice grounded in production decisions.
Sue Collins turns documentary production into practical, process-minded conversation. Her subjects reach beyond directing itself to on-screen interviewing, career choices, video descriptions, film marketing and early audience development.
Index cards cannot watch your documentary; Sue Collins helps you think about who will.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A grounded case for equity that reaches into distribution, outreach, and impact work.
Sue Collins treats women in film as a practical entry point into a larger argument: if filmmaking is meant to matter, access, distribution, and audience action have to matter too.
Practical interview prep centered on organization, research, and backup power.
The episode stays firmly in practical territory, treating documentary interview prep as a matter of showing up ready, arriving on time, and bringing the gear and backup power to match.
A practical roadmap for indie filmmakers built around a lived 12-step workflow.
This film-production guide offers a clear 12-step path for making an indie film, then broadens into the basics of crew, funding, and production.
A practical case for giving a documentary a life beyond its first release.
The episode makes a strong case that a documentary does not end when the credits roll. Using Conquering Cancer as a concrete example, it shows how a film can keep moving through a French-language version, support from a group out of France, wider outreach, and a longer run…
A plainspoken reminder that motivation usually shows up after the work starts.
The piece treats motivation as something that follows motion, not the other way around. It stays close to the mess of making film work when someone is tired, unsure, or already behind, and that grounded focus gives it more force than a generic pep talk would.
A practical reminder that audience work is part of the filmmaking craft.
Sue Collins treats audience definition as part of the work of making films that matter. She lays out a plain sequence: decide who the film is for, then check that assumption against market research, existing communities, social media, conversations, and organizations already…
A practical guide to music decisions for filmmakers.
The piece treats music as one more job to solve in getting a film made. It keeps the focus on the real choices: licensing music, hiring a composer, bringing in a music supervisor, or mixing those paths.
Audience building is treated as practical filmmaking work, with relationships doing the slow build.
The episode treats audience building as part of the filmmaking job, which keeps the discussion practical. Sue Collins and Mike Hill move from trust and alignment to the small, necessary steps: claiming handles, building a landing page, and starting an email list.
Creative origin stories with sharper edges.
Indie film, minus the fantasy fog.
Screenwriting craft, career reality, and working process.
Practical craft talks for working creators.
Host Sue Collins outlines a framework for documentary filmmakers to transition from freelance work (Stage One) to running a sustainable production business (Stage Two).
This episode discusses applying simplicity and a five-step process to filmmaking for sustainable success, efficient planning, and creating meaningful impact films.
This episode discusses how to make stories impactful in filmmaking by emphasizing elements like audience connection and call to action, contrasting entertainment films with impact films that drive real-world change.
This episode explores the importance of consistency for independent filmmakers, questioning whether following others' rules is necessary for success and sharing personal experiences with inconsistency in podcasting.
Sue Collins welcomes her partner and co-producer, director Mike Hill.
Host Sue Collins addresses struggling filmmakers who feel hopeless about turning their passion into a sustainable career, offering practical strategies for balancing day jobs with film projects, treating filmmaking as a business, and exploring alternative distribution models beyond traditional festivals.
Sue Collins frames episode 92 around women in film and the approach of International Women’s Day.
Sue Collins uses this episode of The Documentary Filmmaker Podcast to explain how she markets films and YouTube videos through networks, not passive posting.
Host Sue Collins uses the analogy of 'Mr.
Sue Collins lays out two steps for figuring out a film's ideal audience.
The episode focuses on music choices for films.
The host talks directly about how indie filmmakers can make money from selling their films.
She starts by widening the frame.
Host and documentary producer Sue Collins uses her film 'Conquering Cancer' as a case study to argue against the 'one-and-done' model of filmmaking.
Host Sue Collins outlines a comprehensive 12-step plan for producing an independent documentary film, drawing from her 15 years of experience running a production company.
Documentary filmmaker Sue Collins shares the business realities of filmmaking that aren't taught in film school, using examples from her own career including an eight-year breast cancer prevention project, filming during her own medical procedure, and insights on direct distribution strategies.
Sue Collins shares her origin story as a filmmaker and entrepreneur, discussing her journey from theatre production through freelancing to founding Moonshine Agency 14 years ago.
Host Sue Collins shares a behind-the-scenes look at a productive week of documentary filmmaking, detailing work on two projects: one following a man with younger-onset Alzheimer's and his assistance dog, and another about skin cancer prevention.
Documentary filmmaker Sue Collins, feeling exhausted after a production trip, explores practical strategies for finding and sustaining motivation in creative work.
Sue Collins welcomes Mike Hill back and shifts the conversation to building an audience for film work.
Sue Collins interviews Mike Hill on The Documentary Filmmaker Podcast episode 86, where Hill says he has done “well over a thousand” on-camera and off-camera interviews and built a course called Mastering the Art of Interviewing for Media Production.
Sue Collins of The Moonshine Moonshot Podcast argues that YouTube descriptions matter because they help short films get found, watched, and kept alive for years.