In this special episode of the No Film School Podcast, GG Hawkins sits down with filmmaker duo Talia Shea Levin and Kara Grace Miller to discuss the journey behind their short film Make Me a Pizza—a provocative, hilarious, and genre-blurring short that’s become a viral sensation.
Fresh off a big win at the Fantasia Festival’s Frontières ‘Short to Feature’ competition, Levin and Miller open up about their pitch experience, the creation of their film, the strategic path to building an audience, and what it really takes to turn a short into a feature in today’s film industry.
In this episode, we discuss:
- How Make Me a Pizza evolved from a bit into a film that resonated with audiences and trolls alike
- The strategy behind their pitch at Fantasia’s Frontières market—and how they clinched the win
- How building a dedicated fanbase (even with age restrictions on YouTube) became key to their success
- The value of showing up in person to festivals and pitching events
- Why going viral with a controversial short can be a career launchpad, not a setback
- Using limitations (like budget and film stock) as creative tools
- The importance of community over water bottle tours and industry gatekeeping
- What’s next after winning the pitch competition—and how they’re navigating the post-Festival whirlwind
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This episode of The No Film School Podcast was produced by GG Hawkins.
