Hrisheek Panchmatia, an accomplished film producer originally from Hong Kong and now based in Los Angeles, has made his mark on several high-profile feature films, including The Runner, Sir Ridley Scott’s House of Gucci, and Napoleon. Epic Lab had the privilege of sitting down with Hrisheek to discuss his impressive career journey and insights into the world of film production.

1. What is the most significant lesson you’ve learned from being on both large-scale productions such as ‘House of Gucci’ and ‘Napoleon’ and independent films like ‘Evergreens’? And how does their creative process differ?

The biggest thing I have learnt is that no matter the scale of a film, whether it has a $200 million budget or $1 million budget or even if it is sub 100K it all comes down to the people you are working with. Having the right team can make or break a project no matter how much money you have. You can have thousands of people working on a large scale film, so you might wonder how does a director keep track of everyone and everything going on? The answer is the right team! By having experienced people that they trust to be their heads of department, the director knows he/she only needs to coordinate with certain people to get their vision realized and then they can focus on the creative and working with the actors. Oftentimes, if a director or producer enjoys working with you, they will hire you for their other projects too. A great example of this is Sir Ridley Scott who has largely worked with the same crew over the years. His head of wardrobe Janty Yates has worked with him for over 20 years.

This is also the case for smaller independent features, having the right people at your side will make you feel limitless. The final film will look like it had a budget of 10 million versus the sub 1 million that it cost to make. An example of this is Evergreens, a film that I associate produced, directed by Jared Briley. It is his directorial debut but he has over twenty years of experience as an Assistant Director and because of this he was able to build an incredible team that could truly make the most of their resources and make an amazing film.

Creatively, the process of making a large-scale film and an independent film is very similar. It comes down to having the best script possible and getting the right team in place to be able to execute the director’s vision. These two things always remain at the core of making movies. Sure you can do more things with a larger budget but if your fundamentals are not sound then this will always be reflected in the quality of your film.

2. In a climate where studios are risk-averse, focusing on guaranteed success (often with metrics like followers and fanbases), how can filmmakers balance the desire to innovate with the pressure to cater to mainstream tastes?

Getting attachments from named talent can help filmmakers get their projects greenlit by studios even if the project does not have a pre-existing fan base. This is definitely one of the best ways because studios are always looking to strengthen their relationships with named talent so having them on board can be a great incentive for the studio. The studios would be inclined to do this as this can increase the odds of them landing that same talent for one of their blockbusters. Another way would be to pursue independent financing as this way you do not have to deal with pressure from the studio. This has definitely become more common in recent years as studios have drastically reduced the number of mid budget films (typically the more artistic driven projects) in favor of big budget tentpoles.

On set of a ‘Birdfy’ commercial. Hrisheek was an Associate Producer on this project.

3. You mentioned that your journey in Hollywood was unconventional, with a rapid rise in responsibilities. What are the top three skills that have helped you advance so quickly as a producer?

Networking is definitely one of them! You will often hear the expression in the Film Industry that it is not so much about what you know but rather who you know. It is very much a referral based industry and especially for Production jobs a lot of the time, all other things being equal, a producer would rather hire someone that they know and trust versus someone they don’t. Production is a high stress environment where people are working 12-14 hours so in most cases they would rather have someone that they know can handle it and keep a positive attitude versus someone that they are unsure about. Nothing kills a film set quicker than someone bringing the wrong attitude. The idea of networking might sound daunting but it gets easier the more you do it. Also, you would be surprised at how many people in the industry are willing to connect and give you advice when you are starting out.

Communication skills is another essential one! This ties in with networking as having strong communications skills will help forge meaningful connections with industry which can lead to more opportunities. Also, between creatives, execs and financiers, there are a lot of types of people in the industry and they all require different communication methods so a good producer will be able to adapt seamlessly depending on who they are speaking with.

The third I would say is just being diligent and having the right attitude. At the end of the day, nothing replaces hard work and effort. If you are consistently putting in the work and showing up with the desire to learn more and improve while keeping a positive attitude the sky’s the limit. These are the types of people that producers want so if you bring this energy to set, it will likely help get you noticed and get you more opportunities. As I said before it is a very intense job with long hours so producers want people that not only have technical knowledge to do the job at a high level but also that will make it fun and enjoyable for the rest of the team around them.

4. Securing financing is often one of the most difficult parts of the film production process. What strategies have you found to be most effective in attracting investors to your projects?

One way is by understanding what the investor wants out of the project. Film investments usually take a few years to recoup and while the standard is a 20% return, it is far from guaranteed so usually investors have some other reason as to why they want to do it. By understanding this and justifying how you would be able to provide this to them, it will greatly increase your odds of landing funding.

Depending on the subject of the film, you may be able to find investors that naturally connect to the material. This would definitely make them more inclined to want to invest. Attaching named talent on a project helps tremendously in getting investment too. Also, if you know that the potential investor has a list of talent that they want to work with, you could ask them for contingent funding which is essentially funding that would get unlocked once you get commitment from a certain actor/actress and then use that to try to land that talent.

5. How does the funding process differ between indie films and major blockbusters?

It can get complicated but to keep things simple for major blockbusters the studios provide the funding while for indie films the filmmakers have to come up with it. For studio movies, the filmmakers just have to focus on making the movie in line with what they have agreed upon with the studio whereas for indie movies, the filmmakers are completely involved in fundraising but usually have the freedom to make exactly the kind of movie they want.

Screening of ‘The Runner’ at the Fort Myers Film Festival in 2022. Hrisheek was an Associate Producer on the film.

6. What role do distributor deals play early on in securing funding for a film?

Having a distributor deal in place is huge early on to help secure funding for a film. It can be used to show potential investors that there is already strong interest in the project and that there is a higher chance of making a return on it. This deal could also increase the likelihood of Entertainment Banks lending you money as it shows that you already have some sort of tangible return guaranteed that they can base the loan on. Of course, a factor it will depend on is how big the distribution deal is in comparison to the budget. If the deal hardly covers the budget then the effect may be minimal and vice versa.

In addition to these points, nowadays distribution deals usually require that a key piece of talent (actor or director) is attached before closing the deal. What this means is that in theory if you have the distribution deal, you probably have a named talent too, which in itself significantly increases the likelihood of securing investment for the project.

7. When pitching a film to potential investors, what key elements do you emphasize to convince them that the project will be financially successful?

There are a lot of them! But to name a few, the team and their track record. Who they are, what they have worked and how successful those projects have been. Who is attached talent wise; having a named talent can increase the likelihood of a film doing well financially. What genre the film is. There are centre genres that sell better than others e.g. action, thrillers and horror are known to be more sellable on average across the world in comparison to a drama. Are the actors that are being considered/casted known for this genre and have they shown that they can carry such a film. The story plays a huge role too, if an investor likes a story he/she may feel that it can be appealing to a wide audience and that may increase the likelihood of their investment. What the film’s budget is and how does it compare to similar films in terms of genre/talent and how well those films have done. These are just some of the many factors that are used to show investors that a project can be financially successful.

BTS talking about the impact of ‘The Runner’ in terms of raising awareness for drug addiction for a documentary.

8. If an aspiring filmmaker or writer has an idea they believe in but doesn’t have industry connections, how can they break through the barrier of unsolicited submissions to get noticed?

Networking! Like I said before, the entertainment industry heavily relies on referrals. The more people you know, the more likely you are to find someone that really resonates with your script and wants to take a chance on it. Also, knowing and building a relationship with someone increases the likelihood of them actually reading it and giving it the proper time and attention.

A great way to meet people is industry events, conferences, festivals or even LinkedIn. You would be surprised at how many people on LinkedIn are willing to connect with you over a zoom meeting or a coffee. And then of course after that it’s about how well you click and if you are able to build a relationship from it. It sounds scary but it is definitely something that gets easier the more you do it.

9. Given that many producers are inundated with pitches and scripts, what steps do you take to ensure you’re exposed to unique or innovative ideas?

That’s a very interesting question! I don’t think there is a way to ensure that you are only exposed to unique or innovative ideas. For me I like to read a lot of scripts and watch as much Film/TV as possible because I feel like this helps refine my taste so that I can do my best to pick something that is unique or innovative. But by doing this, I naturally run into a lot of material that is not for me too. One thing you could do is ask to read a logline and synopsis before reading the script just because that can save you time especially if you are able to quickly discern that the project may not be for you. But as your career progresses you will of course develop a network of writers that you typically work with and that may help you be exposed to largely unique/innovative ideas. But I would also recommend looking at projects outside of this network too as you never know what you may find.

On set of the Netflix film ‘Uglies’

10. Last but not least: What’s the most valuable piece of advice you’d give to someone starting out as a producer today?

I know I sound like a broken record but the most valuable piece of advice I have is networking. I cannot stress it enough. It is absolutely essential for this industry. To name a few of the benefits that networking can have: it can lead to you landing jobs, finding scripts, finding financiers, forging relationships with talent and having your project be taken more seriously and read by higher ups/decision makers. I know the idea of it can be intimidating but it gets easier with practice. Also, everyone remembers what it was like starting out and so more often than not people are willing to take time out of their day to help and connect with you. And so my parting note is to just go for it and put yourself out there!

Hrisheek Panchmatia, thank you for the interview!

Learn more about Hrisheek Panchmatia on his official IMDb page.