How to Self-Produce an Indie TV Pilot in Your Hometown… and Premiere at Sundance

In this episode recorded live at the Sundance Film Festival, No Film School founder Ryan Koo sits down with Julien and Justen Turner—real-life brothers and co-creators of FreeLance, an indie TV pilot that debuted in the festival’s Episodic Pilot Showcase. The Turner Brothers walk through their journey of building a creative career outside of New York or LA, self-funding their show in Columbus, Ohio, and pulling off a high-production-value pilot in just four days. They talk about their process, influences, and how their authentic, relatable characters came to life through personal experience and community-driven production.

In this episode, No Film School’s Ryan Koo and guests discuss…

• The origin of the episodic pilot category at Sundance and its importance for indie creators

• How the Turner Brothers’ musical upbringing led to an early love of filmmaking

• Their decision to self-fund FreeLance instead of attending Sundance in 2023

• Turning real-life freelance filmmaking experiences (like wedding videography chaos) into episodic comedy

• Casting comedians, athletes, and non-actors from social media and commercial work

• Building a 150-page show bible and planning a multi-season vision

• The four-day shoot that captured 41 minutes of content, including an improvised scene in a thrifted basement

• How making content in Ohio allowed the show to break traditional industry molds

• Advice for filmmakers: choose a date, build your team, and just shoot

• The surreal moment of getting the Sundance acceptance call (via their mom!)

Memorable Quotes:

• “We kind of realized that the only people we were waiting on was ourselves.”

• “The more specific we were, the more universal it was.”

• “We shot a 41-minute pilot in four days.”

• “This is getting done, and it’s going to be done like this.”

Guests:

• Julien Turner

• Justen Turner

Resources:

• Dreadhead Films on Instagram

• dreadheadfilms.com

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