Tim Tortora, Hollywood CFO and Movie Producer
Your World of Creativity
Mark Stinson
5.0 • 45 Ratings
🗓️ 7 September 2021
⏱️ 24 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Our guest is Tim Tortora, Hollywood CFO and Movie Producer with 30+ years of experience in the financing and physical logistics of filmmaking.
In our interview, Tim shares:
"I have countless stories from the road. Living and working all over the world - basically on the road for 13 years of my career. Running Oprah Winfrey's film and long-form TV unit, the Benji franchise, producing at Mandalay Sports Entertainment, working on Jackass: The Movie, The Burton Movie, and countless TV & film projects. I stopped traveling and working in the trenches of film production when I knew I wanted a family -- and not just in name.
"I continue to work in my dream business, but now from the desk of a CFO. Producing movies from 8 to 6 and advising investors in my consulting practice before and after my day as a CFO.
"I wrote a book last year and I create content to help investors and young movie business entrepreneurs find their way through Hollywood - without getting conned. My book is not a tell-all. I could have written something that was sleazy, named many names, and told the inside stories of people who sometimes behave very badly, but instead, I chose to write a book about how not to get hosed by the Hollywood Con Man.
"Working in Film Production is tantamount to being an entrepreneur. You are running a business you are creating a brand and that brand is yourself - all the time. You're constantly selling, you're constantly networking and you're constantly staying engaged looking for work or opportunity.
"And I'm here to tell you it does not matter what your education is or the background you came from. In Entertainment you walk in with a clean slate and create the career you want."
Topics We Discuss:
-- Entertainment Investor guidance and future investment strategies
-- Film & TV production
-- Being an entrepreneur in Hollywood
-- Film and TV financing packages
-- How to identify and avoid the Hollywood Con Man
Questions Answered in This Interview:
- How is film and TV financing put together and managed?
- What stupid things do movie investors do when choosing a movie to invest in?
- When did you first encounter/discover "The Hollywood Con Man" and how can you avoid them?
- What do investors or bankers want to know when you are asking for money?
- What do development or acquisition executives want to know when you're asking them to buy your movie?
- How long will it typically take to see a return on investment.
- What are the changes that you have seen in film production over the past 10 years and what does the future of film production and distribution look like?
- What's the best advice you could give to someone looking to get an investor "sponsor" in business?
Tim offers mentorships going from fantastic webinars, 4-week courses online, Q&As directly with him, and anything you need to actually make it in this business of content creation.
Contact Tim
Website
LinkedIn URL
http://linkedin.com/company/timtortora-com
Facebook URL
https://www.facebook.com/timtortora.blog
Twitter URL
https://twitter.com/timtortora
YouTube URL
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWdOnQHk3kH4K9XXkFRtisw
https://www.instagram.com/timtortora/
Thanks to our new sponsor Designhill -- the world’s # 1 creative marketplace that caters to the creative needs of businesses and individuals alike. You can source high-quality designs from professional designers and unique products created by independent artists.
Exclusive Offer for listeners of the podcast:
Get Exclusive 25% Off on the Designhill Logo Maker Service
Use this link and discount code: WF25
Validity: Offer valid Nov 30 2021
Link: Link: https://www.designhill.com/tools/logo-maker
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | A mock in your world of creativity, with best-selling author and brand-innovator Mark Stinson. |
| 0:13.6 | Mark introduces you to some of the world's leading creative talent from publishing, film, |
| 0:18.8 | music, restaurants, medical research, and more. |
| 0:22.6 | You'll discover how to tap into your most original thinking, how to organize your ideas, |
| 0:27.8 | and, most of all, how to make the connections and create the opportunities to launch your creative work. |
| 0:34.2 | Unlocking your world of creativity. |
| 0:38.2 | Hi everyone, it's Mark Stinson. Our podcast is supported by Design Hill. |
| 0:42.8 | Design Hill is the world's number one creative marketplace that caters to the creative needs of businesses and individuals alike. |
| 0:49.6 | You can source high-quality designs from professional designers and unique products created by independent artists. |
| 0:55.8 | Listen later in the episode for a special offer and a discount code. |
| 1:00.8 | Today we're stamping our creative travel passport at LAX and we're talking with Hollywood, |
| 1:06.8 | CFO and movie producer Tim Totora. Tim, welcome to the program. |
| 1:11.8 | Thank you very much. Thanks for having me. |
| 1:13.8 | We're going to explore a couple of different angles of this business. |
| 1:16.8 | One is how to organize the filmmaking and actually make money. |
| 1:20.8 | Tim is an outsource and independent contract CFO for filmmakers. |
| 1:25.8 | But we're going to talk about another subject too and that's young and up and coming artists and filmmakers. |
| 1:30.8 | How they can get into the business, some of the areas of financing and logistics they need to know to be successful. |
| 1:36.8 | Tim, it's great that you're going to help us in both areas. |
| 1:39.8 | Yeah, I'm glad to do it. It's something I'm passionate about and I love this industry. |
| 1:42.8 | It's made my career for 35 years and I want to see people come here and succeed and not go home feeling like a failure. |
| 1:49.8 | Yes, and listeners after more than three decades now, as Tim has described working from like Oprah's film and TV and long form unit to the Benji franchise and Mandalay sports entertainment and movies like Jack asked the movie and more. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Mark Stinson, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Mark Stinson and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.