How to Indie (5 Tips from Andrew Peterson)

By Abdi Mohamed

When it comes to independent filmmaking, Andrew Peterson is an expert. Having produced several films and worked alongside today’s top directors and actors at the start of their careers, Andrew’s experiences have given him a lot of perspective when it comes to telling stories on the silver screen.

After an internship with the state's film board, Andrew worked his way into the industry as a locations manager and worked on several productions in the 90s alongside filmmakers such as David Lynch and Alan Rudolph. He described this experience as a great training ground to becoming a producer due to how privy he was to conversations about scheduling and budgets. Attending grad school at New York University, he then went on to produce his first film with Julie Hartley and directed by Eric Mueller, titled World and Time Enough.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.

Andrew’s career oscillated between the festival circuit and producing films as he was hired as the director of programming at the Provincetown Film Festival in 2006, where he continues to work. Two years later, he began working as a producer at Werc Werk Works, which was founded by Elizabeth Redleaf and Christine Walker. He stayed with the company for four years.

Andrew then took on the role of Executive Director at FilmNorth, formerly known as Independent Filmmaker Project Minnesota, where he has been for 11 years.

These are tips from Andrew’s decades-long experience as a producer and festival programmer for filmmakers setting out to produce their first independent feature film.