About this episode

Filmmaker Alec Goldberg discusses his journey creating the micro-budget comedy pilot 'Soft Boil' and its acceptance into the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.

In this episode filmmaker Alec Goldberg joins the show to break down how his micro-budget comedy pilot Soft Boil went from a bootstrapped production to a blind submission acceptance at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. We talk about Alec’s path from documentary and commercial work into scripted narrative, how a key creative partnership with lead actor / co-writer Camille Wormser shaped the project, and what it took to pull off a festival-ready pilot on $30,000 across a handful of shoot days. Topics covered include: Why Alec believes casting + voice was the “X factor” (and how to recognize it) The tactical micro-budget choices that mattered most (locations, rehearsals, scheduling) How to direct comedy with improv-friendly actors without losing the spine of the scene The producer “role-splitting” approach that let Alec focus on directing How Alec thinks about finding your “voice” as a filmmaker, and why it's so critical The films and filmmakers shaping his taste (Kaufman, PTA, Von Trier, Aronofsky, Kubrick) Links from the show: Alec D. Goldberg - Instagram Camille Wormser - Instagram Madison Shamoun - Instagram Vivian Kerr - Instagram Patrick Tabari - Instagram John Gemberling…

People in this episode

Host: Noam Kroll

Guest: Alec Goldberg

Topics covered

• micro-budget filmmaking
• Sundance Film Festival
• comedy pilot production
• casting and voice
• directing actors
• filmmaker voice
• creative partnerships

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Soft Boil

More episodes of Show Don't Tell: Micro-Budget Filmmaking

• Making A $4000 Feature In 12 Days And Releasing Through Tubi · March 12, 2026 · 1h 2m
• Getting a $75K Feature On HBO & Selling a Video Agency For $17MM With Stefan van de Graaff · February 27, 2026 · 1h 1m
• How an Oscar-Nominated Filmmaker Shot a $60K Boxing Feature With Production Value · February 19, 2026 · 48 min
• TEACHER’S PET Feature Release - Q & A With Noam Kroll & Luke Barnett · February 6, 2026 · 52 min
• West Eldredge On Making An $80,000 Debut Feature Film · January 14, 2026 · 57 min
• Building Netflix Thrillers While Retaining IP With Filmmaker Anna Elizabeth James · January 7, 2026 · 1h 0m

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Show Don't Tell: Micro-Budget Filmmaking podcast page.