Tom's Top 3: November 18, 2025
Values and Ventures
Hi everyone! Welcome to this week’s installment of Tom’s Top 3 Tuesdays, where I highlight three pieces of content (Podcasts/Shows/Songs/Articles/etc.) that I found interesting or noteworthy from the prior week.
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[Podcast] The Producer’s Guide - AFM Week: Independent International Filmmaking w/ Tom Butterfield
This episode provides a very tactical primer on independent film financing, especially for foreign markets. I found it interesting how the international buyers value three aspects in decreasing importance: familiar faces, genre, and logline.
To sell your film to international distributors, they rely on bankable stars that can be recognized on a poster. These don’t have to be top-level actors, but they should be familiar in the theatrical world—not TV or streaming. Beyond that, genres like horror, action, and thriller sell the best overseas, whereas comedies and dramas do not translate.
Covering these bases can make it easier to sign deals with foreign distributors, who pay an upfront sum (pre-sale) for the right to show the film in their territories. In addition to pre-sales, filmmakers can raise money for their film through gap financing (loans) and equity financing. Tax incentives for filming in a particular state or country can go a long way in getting an independent film made.
The podcast host, Todd Garner, laments how buyers wanting to reduce their risk by focusing on the same stars and genres leads to the same type of movie getting made over and over again. Audiences are tired of seeing familiar, safe movies, but at the end of the day, indie filmmakers have to do what they can to get their films financed and shot.
[Movie] NEON - Sentimental Value
This is such a beautiful film on generational family trauma. The logline reads:
Sisters Nora and Agnes reunite with their estranged father, the charismatic Gustav, a once-renowned director who offers stage actress Nora a role in what he hopes will be his comeback film. When Nora turns it down, she soon discovers he has given her part to an eager young Hollywood star. Suddenly, the two sisters must navigate their complicated relationship with their father—and deal with an American star dropped right into the middle of their complex family dynamics.
Directed by Joachim Trier and filled with wonderful performances, including those by Renate Reinsve and Stellan Skarsgård, Sentimental Value has won the Grand Prix at Cannes and has a real shot at multiple Oscars. Variety predicts it will win best International Feature, as well as garner nominations for Best Picture, Actress, Supporting Actor, and Original Screenplay.
The Venture X is one of my favorite credit cards in my wallet. When I signed up for the card a few years back, I was only able to get the standard 75K miles sign up offer. Now, Capital One is offering 100K miles for signing up for their top-tier credit card… for a limited time.
As the article points out, this is the highest offer for the Venture X since its launch in 2021. At a conservative valuation of 1.5 cents per point, this offer is worth $1,500 in travel redemptions. I think the Venture X is the most approachable entry into the premium credit card game, as its spending categories and credits are very straightforward, making it very easy to get positive value from the card, even beyond the sign up bonus.
In my mind, there are three main benefits of the card that justify its $395 annual fee:
A $300 annual credit for travel booked in the Capital One Portal
A 2x catch-all multiplier on any purchase (higher than any other rewards credit card)
A 10K mile anniversary bonus after each year holding the card
Even better, the card gets you access to the Capital One Lounges and Priority Pass Lounges. I’ve really enjoyed my experiences in Capital One Lounges, so those are always a priority for me if I am in an airport with one handy.
If you are interested in signing up for the card, please take a look at my referral link here. Make sure that you get the highest bonus you can, but if you sign up using my link, I get some miles back as a bonus, so I appreciate the support. 🙂
That wraps up this edition of Tom’s Top 3 Tuesdays. If you made it to this point, please drop a 1️⃣, 2️⃣, or 3️⃣ in the comments to let me know what you found most interesting/useful. And as always, please like and consider sharing with a friend who you think would enjoy! I’ll be back next week. ✌️