The king of the pushback -- it's a great title to have.

In today's podcast, I talk with filmmaker Adam Neuhaus, who helped put together possibly the best brand in documentary, 30 for 30, and then bet on himself, founding Neuhaus Ideas and then The Nonfiction Hotlist. The latter project has continued to grow. March 6th, 2026 is the deadline for the Yahoo x The Nonfiction Hotlist partnership, which helps give a home to short docs.

He is also involved in numerous nonprofits that help people get started in filmmaking, a sorely-needed boost when people need it to the most. That's the through-line of his career -- helping others. And much to his credit, pushing back on podcast hosts. That's my favorite type of guest.

In this episode, Adam and I discuss:

why extending a ladder -- or an elevator -- to people starting their careers is important to him;
how he practically makes it work running his own company as well as companies like Nonfiction Hotlist;
his start in filmmaking and journey from William Morris to creating puzzles;
30 for 30's brand and what makes a great sports documentary;
the issue of access in documentaries, especially sports;
founding an "ideas" company versus running a production company;
the amazing story of founding The Nonfiction Hotlist from a post on LinkedIn;
why people were more amenable to accepting feedback as part of the application process of The Nonfiction Hotlist;
sports films as part of the Hotlist and the importance of expanding your aperture about what a sports doc is;
how film festivals actually work; Adam pushes back on the notion that a lot of it is determined by friends and pitching the programmers;
why the Yahoo x The Nonfiction Hotlist partnership is such an important platform for short docs;
what's next for him and The Nonfiction Hotlist.

Adam's Indie Film Highlight: The 2025 Nonfiction Hotlist

Memorable Quotes:

"If you're feeling bad for yourself, give to somebody else, be of service to somebody else."

"I decided to leave a...corporate job that I worked at ESPN for many years to give this a shot."

"You need to find something that works between projects."

"How do we find more durable systems for ourselves so that we stay accountable to ourselves, to the work we're doing? The only thing that I've ever seen really work in that way is consistency."

"We're building a puzzle community. We're trying to build a large community, and then we don't need corporate dollars. We then could be able to sustain ourselves as an independent company."

"I'm certainly entrepreneurial-minded. But it's certainly not easy."

"A great sports documentary goes beyond who won and lost the game."

"The projects that I'm less interested in are just the pure follow docs."

"I call it an ideas company because primarily I am not necessarily looking to run production services for my company."

"The challenge of a development company versus a production company is that development only gets paid when the project really comes to fruition."

"When did we all start believing that everything has to take forever in this business? It's actually not true."

"Fish your barrel before you start looking for generalized storytelling fans."

Links:

Follow The Nonfiction Hotlist On Instagram

Neuhaus Ideas

Yahoo x The Nonfiction Hotlist

The Nonfiction Hotlist

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