Ep131: How Having a 'Side Hustle' Buys You the Freedom to Say 'No' | with Alex Ferrari

<hr /> <p><strong>» <a href="#transcript">Click to read the full transcript</a></strong></p> <hr /> <blockquote> <p>"In twenty years, do you want to be doing this? If the answer is no, you better figure some stuff out." - Alex Ferrari</p> </blockquote> <p>When the pandemic shut down Hollywood, many craftspeople in the industry came to the realization their livelihood was 100% dependent on other people having work for them. I too had this realization that in order to support my family someone had to hire me for their project - I had no way to support myself with my own projects (this acute realization came one fateful night when <a href="https://optimizeyourself.me/facetime" target= "_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>putting my kids to bed via FaceTime</strong></a> for the 1000th time in a row). I knew that I did not want to continue simply trading hours for dollars. I wanted to have freedom to say yes to projects that fulfilled me, and no to projects that weren’t a good fit (or even worse were a surefire path to burnout). This may sound like a pipe dream to many people, but it's not only possible to build a “side hustle” over time that can help to support you and fill the gap during lean times, it might be absolutely essential given the changing landscape of the entertainment industry.</p> <p>My guest today also had this realization, but at the early age of 21 years old.<strong><a href="http://alexferrari.com/" target= "_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Alex Ferrari</a></strong>, the founder of <strong><a href="https://indiefilmhustle.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Indie Film Hustle</a></strong>, is an author, blogger, speaker, serial entrepreneur, consultant, the host of the #1 filmmaking podcast on iTunes <strong><a href= "https://indiefilmhustle.com/ifh-podcast-network-filmmaking-and-screenwriting/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Indie Film Hustle Podcast</a></strong>, and an award-winning writer/director with 25 years of experience in the film industry. He has been “side h