Going to movies 101. my rule (opinion) Stay for the credits. Hundreds of people made that film. The least you can do is read their names while the lights are still down.

Most people see the movie. They don’t see the eight years before it. This month, Blue Box hit #1 on Prime. Sundowning started shooting. Ruthless Bastards screened in Vancouver. Beyond the Frame is the part you don’t usually get to read. May issue is up: newsletter.habethyfilms.com/posts/beyond...

Get inside what a test screening really means for an independent filmmaker in our latest episode of Off the Lot: www.offthelotpodcast.com/episode/insi...

Working out what is interesting to me and figuring out a way to present it so it is interesting to an audience… That’s the fundamental job of the Director.

The 1% of indie films that make money build the audience before they build the film. Everyone else runs ads weeks before release and calls it strategy. Full breakdown in the new Greenlight Report: greenlightreport.substack.com/p/the-greenl...

cat is out of the bag. I am assistant directing this movie. deadline.com/2026/04/eliz...

The Greenlight report, aka “Moneyball for filmmakers”, is up on Substack: open.substack.com/pub/greenlig...

Blue Box is live on Prime Video. Habethy Films as Canadian co-producer alongside Mediapro, Infinity Hill and IP4. Directed by Martín Hodara, starring Luisana Lopilato. LATAM and US now. Canada still to come. www.primevideo.com/detail/Blue-...

I spent an episode of Off the Lot riffing on how to build a career you can control! www.offthelotpodcast.com/episode/buil...

Hiya all, I'm starting a little exercise called "The Greenlight Report". Check it out! greenlightreport.substack.com/subscribe?pa...

Most filmmakers can pitch their logline in 30 seconds. Ask how their investors get paid - silence. Episode 40 of Off The Lot fixes that. How Canadian film financing actually works: public funding stacks, tax credits, private equity, revenue waterfalls. 1/2

Happy Daylight Savings Time for those who celebrate. Oh the memories. I won't ever forget.

Some people read a newsletter like this and think: interesting. Others read it and think: that’s me. That’s my story. Those are my people. We wrote it for the second kind. Beyond the Frame - February 2026. Before the World is Watching. newsletter.habethyfilms.com/posts/beyond...

Remnant wrapped. 18 days. An 8-page exorcism sequence. 41 setups in one day. Fire gags. Stunts. A first-time feature director who stuck the landing. The clock always wins. The only way to beat it is to out-prepare it. Ken did the work before Day 1. That's why he's standing on the other side. 1/2

Don’t miss this week’s episode of Off the Lot, where we go through Ken’s first week on the set of Remnant. www.offthelotpodcast.com/episode/roll...

Join us in supporting Atomic Fondue on Kickstarter. I just wanna see another @danmirvish.bsky.social movie!!!

“What’s the worst that could happen?” You make the film and it’s messy. You raise the money and it’s terrifying. You put yourself out there and someone says no. Now ask the real question: What’s the worst that happens if you don’t?

Special episode of Off The Lot is available to listen to now… www.offthelotpodcast.com/episode/spec...

Go for it, @kenkabatoff.bsky.social !

The best shot is the one that makes you uncomfortable. Our 2025 year-in-review is live — including some great news with many of our projects, what we learned building in public, and why 2026 is the year we actually shoot this thing. newsletter.habethyfilms.com/posts/beyond...

Ken got his first-ever call sheet as a feature director this week. After 3 weeks of prep (insane for a feature), a house transformed entirely from Facebook Marketplace finds, and a production meeting on Zoom - he shoots Day 1 on Tuesday. 1/2

A major moment last night at Prime Time. Heated Rivalry star Hudson Williams sat down with PM Mark Carney to talk Canadian stories. The takeaway was simple: a show this bold, this unapologetically inclusive, could only be made here. Not Hollywood. Not streaming by committee. Canada. 1/3

Have you ever wanted to know what it's really like to produce and direct a feature? This season on Off The Lot we're taking you behind the curtain of Ken’s horror feature debut, Remnant, and getting into the nuts and bolts of indie filmmaking AS IT HAPPENS. 1/2

The old model says wait until you’re ready. The new model is simpler: pick yourself, build in public, and let the work prove what’s possible. That’s what we’re doing with The Quiet Canadians - raising funding and documenting every step along the way. 1/2

Big news: Blue Box (La Caja Azul) has officially been announced in Variety. Habethy Films is proud to be a producer on this psychological thriller alongside The Mediapro Studio, Infinity Hill, and IP4. Coming in 2026. variety.com/2026/film/gl...

I loved @danmirvish.bsky.social 18.5 movie and I am both excited and enthusiastically supporting his next film, Atomic Fondue: www.kickstarter.com/projects/ato... I am also selfishly curious and cheerleading Dan's approach as a framework to make independent films from.

Make the film. Trust the process will teach you how to make the next one better.

Had a great time chatting all things Remnant with Ken Kabatoff this week on Episode 2, Season 2 of Off the Lot! www.offthelotpodcast.com/listen

I do enjoy productive weeks. We released Episode 1 of Season 2 of Off the Lot, and just taped Episode 2 this morning, which will be released on Monday :). player.captivate.fm/episode/0b2b... December and January have seen some really positive momentum. 1/3

So I'm making a $2M Canadian spy thriller without waiting for permission. $30k raised. 9 months to do it. Documenting every step. If you've ever wondered what it REALLY takes to make an indie film—this is it. Week 1 of 39: insiderintel.quietcanadiansmovie.com

Running YouTube is my favourite YouTube niche :)

In the U.S. today! Ruthless Bastards! tv.apple.com/us/movie/rut...

Week 1/19 of half marathon training complete. 8 miles/13 km in the log book.

Movies are expensive to make because the system was built to be expensive.

Heartbreaking loss, but it was a fun community to be a part of and share with you all! #gobluejays

It's been a year of learning. From entering the ever evolving "vertical" filmmaking universe, producing a studio feature, and slowly developing The Quiet Canadians, I feel like I learned more this year than in the past 18 years of being in the movie "biz". 1/2

Our new episode is out now! What do you need to make a movie? We answer your questions! Listen now: www.offthelotpodcast.com/listen

Blue Jays… 7 game winning streak.

This is why billionaires hate Zohran Mamdani. They are afraid working class New Yorkers might actually get a fair shake. 😳👇

This was cool. 🎤 Our first-ever LIVE SHOW! Episode 25 of Off The Lot features Final Destination: Bloodlines co-director Zach Lipovsky and DP Stirling Bancroft as they return to their indie roots to talk all things *Freaks Underground.* 🎧 Watch or listen now: www.offthelotpodcast.com/listen

Check out our latest podcast with Final Destination co-director Zach Lipovsky and Cinematographer Stirling Bancroft: youtu.be/06Hk70UytMo?...

My most recent Filmmaker's Notebook article on originality in filmmaking: newsletter.habethyfilms.com/posts/filmma...

I don’t know if I have ever been so happy with a Vancouver Canucks signing than I am with Brock Boesser’s signing. Heart and soul a Canuck.

Check out my interview with the wonderful Dan Mirvish youtu.be/0uN1Tqw-8sc?...

What are we up to with The Quiet Canadians? I break it down here: youtu.be/GHJC9Mvhw4Y?...

The first movie ever shown to a paying audience (in 1895) was basically a 50-second TikTok of workers leaving a factory.

Have you caught our latest episode of Off the Lot, where I chat about getting into the movie business at 35 yrs old? youtu.be/4ttnmMllQ3U?...

This week it's all about me! Ken interviewed me on Off the Lot, where I talked about my origin story in movie making and my journey to making 13 Miles and now, The Quiet Canadians! Listen to it here: www.offthelotpodcast.com/episode/from...

Stanley Cup Playoff Hockey sure is fun to watch