Howdy Storytellers 🤠!
Most creators don’t fail because they are bad at writing stories or making films.
They fail because they spend years making something before they learn whether anyone actually wants it.
I know this because I’ve done this myself. It’s painful.
For decades, Hollywood gatekeepers decided which stories were “worth” funding. You wrote the script, pitched the deck, crossed your fingers, and hoped someone else said yes.
That world is gone.
Today, storytellers don’t need permission to make films. Tools like the Movie Machine make it radically cheaper and faster to turn your story into a real movie or show.
But that shift comes with responsibility.
You now have to know which stories are worth making before you invest serious time and money.
That’s exactly what this week’s podcast episode is about.
Not “how to come up with story ideas,” but how to identify which story idea is actually valuable before you commit your time, money, and energy.
Here’s the core insight:
You don’t need to finish producing a movie or show to know if it has potential.
You need a pilot.
A pilot lets you answer three questions early:
Can you get people to click?
Will they actually watch?
Do they stay past the retention point where momentum kicks in?
If you can’t answer those, finishing a full film is just guessing.
In the episode, I break down:
How to find story gaps viewers already want
Why pilots beat full-length films for validation
How real audience data beats opinions every time
The three viewer growth engines that actually scale
You can listen to the full episode here:
Now here’s the important part.
If you want help actually doing this, not just learning it, this is why we created Creatorwood VIP Production.
Our team helps authors, screenwriters, filmmakers, studios, and investors:
Turn an idea, book, or script into a pilot
Test it with real viewers using paid distribution
Learn what’s working before doubling down
Scale into a full film or series with confidence
You cover the production cost and own 100 percent of the rights and IP.
Our AI Directors handle adaptation, production, creative execution, testing, and optimization using the Movie Machine — so you don’t have to learn the tools or burn money experimenting.
If the pilot works, you invest with confidence.
If it doesn’t, you learn early and still get to see your story brought to life professionally.
We start every project with a free 30-minute consultation to see if this approach makes sense for your goals.
You can schedule that HERE.
No pressure. No pitch deck required. We’re on your team.
Just a clear conversation about whether your idea is worth scaling and how we can help.
Storytellers Rule the World,
Michael and the Creatorwood Team
PS: If you’re not ready for full VIP production, I’ll be sharing a free advanced guide to AI filmmaking soon. More on that later this week 😊.