Episode Description
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…
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The origin of the episodic pilot category at Sundance and its importance for indie creators
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How the Turner Brothers’ musical upbringing led to an early love of filmmaking
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Their decision to self-fund FreeLance instead of attending Sundance in 2023
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Turning real-life freelance filmmaking experiences (like wedding videography chaos) into episodic comedy
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Casting comedians, athletes, and non-actors from social media and commercial work
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Building a 150-page show bible and planning a multi-season vision
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The four-day shoot that captured 41 minutes of content, including an improvised scene in a thrifted basement
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How making content in Ohio allowed the show to break traditional industry molds
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Advice for filmmakers: choose a date, build your team, and just shoot
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The surreal moment of getting the Sundance acceptance call (via their mom!)
Memorable Quotes:
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“We kind of realized that the only people we were waiting on was ourselves.”
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“The more specific we were, the more universal it was.”
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“We shot a 41-minute pilot in four days.”
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“This is getting done, and it’s going to be done like this.”
Guests:
Resources:
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📩 Send us an email with questions or feedback: podcast@nofilmschool.com
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