iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Anthony @anthonyepp.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

In the department of “Things to Be Excited About”, it’s officially hockey season.

Anthony @anthonyepp.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

I'm going to document it here as it happens. The prep, the calls, the lessons I stole from every director I ever worked for... and the ones I'm about to learn the hard way. So tell me - what do you want to know?

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Anthony @anthonyepp.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Filmmaker’s on BlueSky, hello. I've spent twenty years as a script coordinator, 1st AD and producer - running other people's sets. Now I'm prepping to direct The Quiet Canadians - a Canadian spy thriller.

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Anthony @anthonyepp.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

greenlightreport.substack.com/p/finishing-...

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Anthony @anthonyepp.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

The most dangerous word in crowdfunding is "launch." Across 47,809 Kickstarter film campaigns, people who launched within a week of joining failed 74% of the time. People who'd been around over a year succeeded 49% of the time.

greenlightreport.substack.com

The Most Dangerous Word in Crowdfunding Is "Launch"

The Greenlight Report: non-de filmmaking, continued: crowdfunding as the non-de presale, the audience you own, and why greenlighting is self-determination*

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Anthony @anthonyepp.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Watching Swingers again for what is an embarrassingly N-teenth time… and the story and pacing and filmmaking is severely underrated. The setups and payoffs are, as they say, money.

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Anthony @anthonyepp.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

If you're building a career in film, the trap is thinking you have to pick one field. You don't. You have to work all three and know which one you're standing in.

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Anthony @anthonyepp.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

The DGC card upgrades the cash crop: more opportunities to work, bigger shows, new rooms. And a stronger cash crop means I can afford to be patient with the orchard.

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Anthony @anthonyepp.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

3. Developing my own IP. The orchard. That's 13 Miles and The Quiet Canadians, the spy thriller I've been building at Habethy. Slowest field on the farm. Also the only one I actually own.

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Anthony @anthonyepp.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

2. Producing with other filmmakers. The rotation crop. Shorts and features with people whose projects I believe in. More harvests per year, more reps, and the soil - the relationships, the craft - gets richer every cycle.

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Anthony @anthonyepp.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

1. 1st AD work. The cash crop. It pays the bills, but it's more than that - every show is new department heads, new producers, new problems solved under pressure. It funds the farm and grows the network at the same time.

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Anthony @anthonyepp.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

And an orchard - trees that take years before they give you anything, but once they do, they produce for decades. A filmmaking career works the same way. Mine runs on three fields:

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Anthony @anthonyepp.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Farmers figured this out a long time ago: a farm that grows one crop is one bad season away from losing everything. So they mix it. A cash crop that pays this year's bills. Rotation crops that keep the soil productive.

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Anthony @anthonyepp.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

What does joining the Directors Guild of Canada as a full 1st AD mean to me? This is mixed farming approach to a career.

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Anthony @anthonyepp.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

On this Sept 11, here’s a wonderful movie by my friend Mike Johnston and Studio 104 Entertainment on the heroism and trauma faced by first responders from Vancouver who went to New York to help. youtu.be/wS6onvtFwk0?...

youtu.be

The Day No Birds Sang | TVO Docs

YouTube video by TVO Docs

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Anthony @anthonyepp.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Hey all! If you are in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Phoenix, San Diego, Orange County, San Francisco, or Portland, in the next week, then check out this fantastic movie from my friend Daren Smith! brotherhoodmovie.com/tour

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Anthony @anthonyepp.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Part 1 of 2 from The Greenlight Report. This week’s article is about making a movie the way @markiplier @markduplass, @jimmycthatsme @hope.ted and others are saying we need to make them… Link to Greenlight Report in bio, or go to this link greenlightreport.substack.com/p/make-a-fil...

greenlightreport.substack.com

Make a Film Like Markiplier.

Step 1: Be Markiplier. (Part 1 of 2)

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Anthony @anthonyepp.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

To go to work, to come home from work, to meet a friend, etc. It’s helpful to remember as I complain about the traffic, that I AM the traffic.

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Anthony @anthonyepp.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

One of the more salient examples of shared experience is sitting in rush hour traffic. Thousands of cars all moving in the same direction with similar goals and hopes.

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Anthony @anthonyepp.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Coppola’s bet on Godfather II wasn’t the dual timeline. It was the commitment behind it. When you break convention, you don’t get to hedge: you put everything into the picture, hold nothing back, leave nothing unexplored.

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Anthony @anthonyepp.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

That’s how we’re building The Quiet Canadians. Not just for Canada. With Canada. If this film existing means something to you, your business, or your community - come see what we’re building. quietcanadiansmovie.com

quietcanadiansmovie.com

The Quiet Canadians — A Canadian Spy Thriller | Habethy Films

A Canadian spy thriller, shooting 2027 built in the open. Adapted from Warren Thompson's novel. Request access for weekly Field Briefings from the field.

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Anthony @anthonyepp.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

The Canadian brands on screen win. The Ian Fleming readers who’ve waited years to see a story like this win. You don’t make something for everyone. You make it for the people who would miss it if it never existed - and, if you’re smart, you make it with them.

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Anthony @anthonyepp.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Nobody has a vested interest in the 4,000th superhero movie. But a Canadian spy thriller, shot on Canadian streets, adapted from a Canadian novel - that’s different. The city where we film wins when it gets made.

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Anthony @anthonyepp.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

This has been what I would call a summer of normal. I have enjoyed it very much.

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Anthony @anthonyepp.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

If that's the question you'd ask too, let's connect. Canada has been in the spy game since before there was a Cold War. You never hear about it, which is rather the point. Get read in about my Canadian spy movie at quietcanadiansmovie.com.

quietcanadiansmovie.com

The Quiet Canadians — A Canadian Spy Thriller | Habethy Films

A Canadian spy thriller, shooting 2027 built in the open. Adapted from Warren Thompson's novel. Request access for weekly Field Briefings from the field.

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Anthony @anthonyepp.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

I asked a friend who invests in real estate what he'd need to hear from a film producer. "Tell me how I get my money back before you tell me about the movie." That's the whole business plan, in one sentence.

quietcanadiansmovie.com

The Quiet Canadians — A Canadian Spy Thriller | Habethy Films

A Canadian spy thriller, shooting 2027 built in the open. Adapted from Warren Thompson's novel. Request access for weekly Field Briefings from the field.

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Anthony @anthonyepp.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

In case you missed this week's episode of Off the Lot, Ken broke down his 5 lessons from directing Remnant. If you're getting ready for your first feature, you'll want to watch this: www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Tky...

youtube.com

5 Things I Learned Making My First Feature Film | Off The Lot Podcast

YouTube video by Off The Lot | The Indie Filmmaking Podcast

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Anthony @anthonyepp.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Read Part 5 of the Greenlight Method on The Greenlight Report. greenlightreport.substack.com/p/you-are-th...

greenlightreport.substack.com

You Are the Franchise

The Greenlight Method, Part 5. The final stage.

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Anthony @anthonyepp.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

In 1973 George Lucas traded a bigger fee for the toys and the sequels. He wasn't betting on a movie. He was betting on what came after, which is the only bet an independent filmmaker can afford to make. The franchise isn't your IP. It's you.

greenlightreport.substack.com

You Are the Franchise

The Greenlight Method, Part 5. The final stage.

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Anthony @anthonyepp.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

… and how to define what success means for your film before anyone else defines it for you. If a first feature is on your horizon, start here. Listen: www.offthelotpodcast.com/episode/5-le... Watch: youtu.be/-TkyYfSNZ_E Or find Off The Lot in your podcast app.

offthelotpodcast.com

5 Lessons From Making My First Feature Film | Ken Kabatoff | Remnant - Off The Lot: The Indie Filmmaking Podcast

I finally made my first feature film.After years of working in film and television, raising the money, assembling the team, shooting Remnant, going thro...

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Anthony @anthonyepp.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Ken finally made his first feature film. Today on Off The Lot he sits down with me and lays out five lessons from getting Remnant financed, cast, shot, tested, and into distribution: what actually happens when the plan breaks on set, why nobody will ever care about your movie as much as you do…

offthelotpodcast.com

5 Lessons From Making My First Feature Film | Ken Kabatoff | Remnant - Off The Lot: The Indie Filmmaking Podcast

I finally made my first feature film.After years of working in film and television, raising the money, assembling the team, shooting Remnant, going thro...

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Anthony @anthonyepp.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Anyway. Grateful for the advocacy work the CMPA does, because most of it happens where nobody's watching and it matters more than people realize. Full statement here: cmpa.ca/pressrelease...

cmpa.ca

CMPA responds to federal government announcement on trade | CMPA

OTTAWA, August 22, 2026 — Today, the CMPA released the following statement from its President and CEO, Reynolds Mastin, regarding Canada-US trade negotiations.

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Anthony @anthonyepp.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

And here's the thing... this is exactly why we're making The Quiet Canadians. A spy thriller about Canadian intelligence, written by Canadians, shot in Canada. The whole premise is that nobody suspects a Canadian. That's the point. You can't make that film in Burbank.

cmpa.ca

CMPA responds to federal government announcement on trade | CMPA

OTTAWA, August 22, 2026 — Today, the CMPA released the following statement from its President and CEO, Reynolds Mastin, regarding Canada-US trade negotiations.

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Anthony @anthonyepp.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

I've been in this industry twenty years and I can tell you what happens when we're not. We become a service town. Great crews, great tax credits, somebody else's stories. There's honest work in that (I've done plenty of it), but it's not the same as building something of our own.

cmpa.ca

CMPA responds to federal government announcement on trade | CMPA

OTTAWA, August 22, 2026 — Today, the CMPA released the following statement from its President and CEO, Reynolds Mastin, regarding Canada-US trade negotiations.

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Anthony @anthonyepp.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

And the CMPA (we're members, and proud of it) came out swinging behind that decision. Reynolds Mastin's statement lands on one line I keep coming back to: Canadians must remain in control of their own stories.

cmpa.ca

CMPA responds to federal government announcement on trade | CMPA

OTTAWA, August 22, 2026 — Today, the CMPA released the following statement from its President and CEO, Reynolds Mastin, regarding Canada-US trade negotiations.

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Anthony @anthonyepp.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

So the CMPA put out a statement yesterday that I am sharing below. Quick backstory: the federal government walked away from a trade deal Thursday night rather than give up the Online Streaming Act.

cmpa.ca

CMPA responds to federal government announcement on trade | CMPA

OTTAWA, August 22, 2026 — Today, the CMPA released the following statement from its President and CEO, Reynolds Mastin, regarding Canada-US trade negotiations.

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Anthony @anthonyepp.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Proud of Canada. Our consumer habits and Canada-strong attitude as Canadians is showing its influence… Ps It’s why a movie like The Quiet Canadians will be a success… quietcanadiansmovie.com

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Anthony @anthonyepp.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Most Canadians have driven past it without knowing. This country has been quietly good at this for eighty years. THE QUIET CANADIANS is a contemporary story, but it stands on that ground. Get read in. quietcanadiansmovie.com 2/2

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Anthony @anthonyepp.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Join the mission: quietcanadiansmovie.com Special Training School 103. On farmland by the lake between ▮▮▮▮▮▮ and ▮▮▮▮▮▮ — Whitby and Oshawa, if you want to go look. Sabotage, silent killing, wireless, forgery. Taught in Ontario, to operatives headed for occupied Europe. 1/2

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