In this episode, I'm joined by actor, filmmaker, and musician Nathan Xia to talk about his unconventional path into the industry - from making YouTube sketches with a flip camera to acting in studio projects, getting repped as both an actor and writer-director, and developing his deeply personal feature Adam's Song.

Throughout the conversation Nathan shares how he fell into acting out of necessity while co-directing a scrappy COVID road trip feature with his roommates, and how that unexpected pivot eventually led to representation, festival success, and a role in Danny Madden's Downbeat.

He also breaks down the relentless hustle behind landing his producer at Vanishing Angle, getting into the Blacklist Project Lab after 14 rejections, and signing with management company M88 - all before turning 26.

Topics covered include:

How Nathan discovered filmmaking through a flip camera and YouTube sketches
Making a $2,000 road trip feature across six states during COVID
Falling into acting out of necessity - and finding it on the festival circuit
Cold-emailing his way to representation at Momentum Talent Agency
How attending festivals (not just submitting) changed his career
Landing veteran indie producer Benjamin Wiesner through responsiveness and rewrites
Going 0-for-14 on labs and fellowships before getting into the Blacklist Project Lab
Developing the feature version of Adam's Song and scouting in West Texas
Why being a writer-director-actor gives him a unique advantage in attaching talent
Much more!

Follow Nathan on Instagram

Sign up for my newsletter for exclusive filmmaking insight each Sunday