Episodes

  • THE UPS AND DOWNS OF USING AI IN A CREATIVE WORKFLOW #190

    THE UPS AND DOWNS OF USING AI IN A CREATIVE WORKFLOW #190
    Apr 12 2026
    AI is everywhere right now, but most of the conversation sits at the extremes.This episode looks at what actually happens when you try to use AI inside a real creative workflow.Based on a year of daily use, this is a practical report on where AI genuinely saves time, where it actively damages creative momentum, and why judgement, process, and human oversight still matter more than efficiency.“AI doesn’t fix incompetence. It amplifies it.” Carter FergusonLINKSOfficial website: https://www.filmproproductivity.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/filmproproductivityContact: https://www.filmproproductivity.com/contactIndie Film Hustle: https://indiefilmhustle.com/ifh-podcast-network-filmmaking-and-screenwriting/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqo0Zld2Lm2lJDpDh3GsuZgQUOTES“ChatGPT is incredibly limited, but good enough at some things to create a misleading impression of greatness.” – Sam Altman“The model will confidently state things as if they were facts that are entirely made up.” – Sam Altman“A system that cannot reliably explain or justify its behaviour cannot be trusted.” – Judea Pearl“What computers cannot do is understand the meaning of what they manipulate.” – Joseph Weizenbaum“The danger isn’t that machines will start thinking like people. It’s that people will start thinking like machines.” – Jaron Lanier“The best way to predict the future is to invent it – not to automate yourself out of it.” – Alan KayThis episode is sponsored by GBM Castingwho have been supplying SAs to the screen and media industry throughout Scotland for over 20 years. We know our people and we know when they’ll fit for you. gbmcasting.co.ukREFERENCESChatGPTClaudeGenerative Pre-trained TransformersContext windowAI hallucinationsWilly’s Chocolate ExperienceCreative workflow automation Please check out my friends shows:FILM FIGHTS WITH FRIENDS PODCAST with Stephen Koepfer and Paul Varacchi (etc)THE FILMMAKERS PODCAST with Giles Alderson (etc.)THE HORROR CUT with Stephen Kerr and Gary HewittWILDE WORLD with David WildeFILMMAKING CONVERSATIONS with Damian SwabyMUSIC & CREDITSA Himitsu Music: Adventures by A HimitsuCommons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...Music released by Argofox https://www.youtu.be/8BXNwnxaVQEMusic provided by Audio Library https://www.youtu.be/MkNeIUgNPQ8Contact the artist: x.jonaz@gmail.comhttps://www.facebook.com/ahimitsuhttps://www.twitter.com/ahimitsu1https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgFwu-j5-xNJml2FtTrrB3A
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    56 mins
  • HOW TO STOP WASTING TIME ON UNCLEAR THINKING #189

    HOW TO STOP WASTING TIME ON UNCLEAR THINKING #189
    Apr 5 2026
    Hard work isn’t usually the problem. Unclear thinking is.When ideas are vague, assumptions go unchallenged, and decisions drift, effort multiplies and momentum leaks away. In this episode, I break down five questions that cut through unclear thinking and stop creative work stalling.These aren’t techniques or hacks. They’re tools for pressure-testing ideas, tightening decisions, and reclaiming time that gets burned on confusion.“One clear question, asked at the right moment, can save weeks of wasted work.” Carter FergusonLINKSOfficial website: https://www.filmproproductivity.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/filmproproductivityContact: https://www.filmproproductivity.com/contactIndie Film Hustle: https://indiefilmhustle.com/ifh-podcast-network-filmmaking-and-screenwriting/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqo0Zld2Lm2lJDpDh3GsuZgQUOTES“The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool.” – Richard Feynman“Confidence is a feeling, not a measure of accuracy.” – Daniel Kahneman“When you have to prove the value of your ideas by persuading other people to pay for them, it clears out an awful lot of woolly thinking.” – Tim O’Reilly“When the next step is unclear, the best way to figure it out is to take action.” – Scott Belsky“There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.” – Peter DruckerThis episode is sponsored by GBM Castingwho have been supplying SAs to the screen and media industry throughout Scotland for over 20 years. We know our people and we know when they’ll fit for you. gbmcasting.co.ukREFERENCESSocratic questioningClear thinkingDecision makingCreative productivityCognitive biasFour Thousand Weeks – Oliver BurkemanPlease check out my friends shows:FILM FIGHTS WITH FRIENDS PODCAST with Stephen Koepfer and Paul Varacchi (etc)THE FILMMAKERS PODCAST with Giles Alderson (etc.)THE HORROR CUT with Stephen Kerr and Gary HewittWILDE WORLD with David WildeFILMMAKING CONVERSATIONS with Damian SwabyMUSIC & CREDITSA Himitsu Music: Adventures by A HimitsuCommons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...Music released by Argofox https://www.youtu.be/8BXNwnxaVQEMusic provided by Audio Library https://www.youtu.be/MkNeIUgNPQ8Contact the artist: x.jonaz@gmail.comhttps://www.facebook.com/ahimitsuhttps://www.twitter.com/ahimitsu1https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgFwu-j5-xNJml2FtTrrB3AThis episode includes AI-generated content.
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    15 mins
  • THE BRUTAL TRUTH ABOUT TIME #188

    THE BRUTAL TRUTH ABOUT TIME #188
    Mar 29 2026
    Time isn’t something you manage. It’s something you run out of.And most productivity advice avoids that truth because it’s uncomfortable. In this episode, I break down nine lessons from Oliver Burkeman’s Four Thousand Weeks and look at what finite time really means for creative people.This isn’t about doing more. It’s about choosing better, accepting limits, and focusing on what actually matters while you still can.“You can’t do it all. The real work is deciding what not to do.” Carter FergusonLINKSOfficial website: https://www.filmproproductivity.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/filmproproductivityContact: https://www.filmproproductivity.com/contactIndie Film Hustle: https://indiefilmhustle.com/ifh-podcast-network-filmmaking-and-screenwriting/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqo0Zld2Lm2lJDpDh3GsuZgQUOTES“You can’t do it all. But you can do what matters.” – Oliver Burkeman“Don’t count the days, make the days count.” – Muhammad Ali“The really important kind of freedom involves attention, and awareness, and discipline, and effort, and being able truly to care about other people.” – David Foster Wallace“You can do anything, but not everything.” – David Allen“It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it.” – Seneca“The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything.” – Warren Buffett“Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus.” – Alexander Graham Bell“Procrastination is the fear of success.” – Denis Waitley“Rest when you’re weary. Refresh and renew yourself.” – Ralph Marston“I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.” – Pablo Picasso“Wherever you are, be all there.” – Jim Elliot“The key to a good life is not the absence of negativity. It is the ability to navigate it.” – Oliver BurkemanThis episode is sponsored by GBM Castingwho have been supplying SAs to the screen and media industry throughout Scotland for over 20 years. We know our people and we know when they’ll fit for you. gbmcasting.co.ukREFERENCESFour Thousand Weeks – Oliver BurkemanTime management for mortalsFinite timeCreative prioritisationAttention and focusPlease check out my friends shows:FILM FIGHTS WITH FRIENDS PODCAST with Stephen Koepfer and Paul Varacchi (etc)THE FILMMAKERS PODCAST with Giles Alderson (etc.)THE HORROR CUT with Stephen Kerr and Gary HewittWILDE WORLD with David WildeFILMMAKING CONVERSATIONS with Damian SwabyMUSIC & CREDITSA Himitsu Music: Adventures by A HimitsuCommons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...Music released by Argofox https://www.youtu.be/8BXNwnxaVQEMusic provided by Audio Library https://www.youtu.be/MkNeIUgNPQ8Contact the artist: x.jonaz@gmail.comhttps://www.facebook.com/ahimitsuhttps://www.twitter.com/ahimitsu1https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgFwu-j5-xNJml2FtTrrB3A
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    20 mins
  • BEAN SOUP THEORY: WHAT BATGIRL TEACHES ABOUT QUITTING PROJECTS #187

    BEAN SOUP THEORY: WHAT BATGIRL TEACHES ABOUT QUITTING PROJECTS #187
    Mar 22 2026
    When should you push through, and when is quitting the smarter move?This episode looks at Bean Soup Theory, a simple metaphor for why capable people stay stuck in projects that stopped making sense long ago. Using Batgirl as a real-world example, I unpack sunk cost thinking, drift, and why finishing something that’s wrong doesn’t make it right.This is about judgement, not grit, and learning to stop without turning effort into obligation.Finishing something that’s wrong doesn’t make it right. It just makes it finished. Carter FergusonLINKSOfficial website: https://www.filmproproductivity.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/filmproproductivityContact: https://www.filmproproductivity.com/contactIndie Film Hustle: https://indiefilmhustle.com/ifh-podcast-network-filmmaking-and-screenwriting/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqo0Zld2Lm2lJDpDh3GsuZgQUOTES“Sometimes strength isn’t about perseverance. Sometimes it’s about knowing when to quit.” – Jennifer Donnelly“In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” – Theodore Roosevelt“The cost of a thing is the amount of what I will call life which is required to be exchanged for it.” – Henry David Thoreau“When it comes to quitting, the most painful thing to quit is who you are.” – Annie Duke“The sunk cost fallacy is a hell of a drug.” – Dan Olson“In writing, you must kill all your darlings.” – William FaulknerThis episode is sponsored by GBM Castingwho have been supplying SAs to the screen and media industry throughout Scotland for over 20 years. We know our people and we know when they’ll fit for you. gbmcasting.co.ukREFERENCESSunk cost fallacyEscalation of commitmentLoss aversionBean Soup TheoryBatgirl film cancellationPeter Jacobsen – The Daily EconomyPlease check out my friends shows:FILM FIGHTS WITH FRIENDS PODCAST with Stephen Koepfer and Paul Varacchi (etc)THE FILMMAKERS PODCAST with Giles Alderson (etc.)THE HORROR CUT with Stephen Kerr and Gary HewittWILDE WORLD with David WildeFILMMAKING CONVERSATIONS with Damian SwabyMUSIC & CREDITSA Himitsu Music: Adventures by A HimitsuCommons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...Music released by Argofox https://www.youtu.be/8BXNwnxaVQEMusic provided by Audio Library https://www.youtu.be/MkNeIUgNPQ8Contact the artist: x.jonaz@gmail.comhttps://www.facebook.com/ahimitsuhttps://www.twitter.com/ahimitsu1https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgFwu-j5-xNJml2FtTrrB3A
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    28 mins
  • STOP OVERSHARING & KEEP YOUR POWDER DRY #186

    STOP OVERSHARING & KEEP YOUR POWDER DRY #186
    Mar 15 2026
    Oversharing can feel like honesty, progress, even connection. But more often than not, it trades short-term relief for long-term problems we don’t see coming.In this episode, I look at why creatives talk too soon, how oversharing leaks power, creates professional risk, and undermines momentum, and why learning to keep your powder dry is one of the most important skills for staying effective long term. “Oversharing isn’t honesty. It’s often anxiety looking for relief.” Carter FergusonLINKSOfficial website: https://www.filmproproductivity.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/filmproproductivityContact: https://www.filmproproductivity.com/contactIndie Film Hustle Network: https://indiefilmhustle.com/ifh-podcast-network-filmmaking-and-screenwriting/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqo0Zld2Lm2lJDpDh3GsuZgQUOTES“Say less than you think.” – Baltasar Gracián“Let thy speech be better than silence, or be silent.” – Dionysius the Elder“We suffer more often in imagination than in reality.” – Seneca“Never miss a good chance to shut up.” – Will Rogers“He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.” – Sun Tzu“The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed silence.” – Mark Twain“Silence is a true friend who never betrays.” – ConfuciusTHIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY Christina at SAMHScottish Action for Mental Health, Scotland’s largest mental health organisation. Now offering walk-in support seven days a week.Find out more at https://www.samh.org.uk/about-us/the-nookREFERENCESWarren BuffettEmotional disclosure researchSocial sharing of emotionCo-ruminationAffect labellingThe Art of WarPlease check out my friends shows:FILM FIGHTS WITH FRIENDS PODCAST with Stephen Koepfer and Paul Varacchi (etc)THE FILMMAKERS PODCAST with Giles Alderson (etc.)THE HORROR CUT with Stephen Kerr and Gary HewittWILDE WORLD with David WildeFILMMAKING CONVERSATIONS with Damian SwabyThanks:A Himitsu Music: Adventures by A HimitsuCommons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...Music released by Argofox https://www.youtu.be/8BXNwnxaVQEMusic provided by Audio Library https://www.youtu.be/MkNeIUgNPQ8 –––Contact the artist: x.jonaz@gmail.comhttps://www.facebook.com/ahimitsuhttps://www.twitter.com/ahimitsu1https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgFwu-j5-xNJml2FtTrrB3A
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    26 mins
  • WHY BUSY CREATIVES SHOULD STUDY WARREN BUFFETT #185

    WHY BUSY CREATIVES SHOULD STUDY WARREN BUFFETT #185
    Mar 8 2026
    Busyness feels productive. It isn’t. Most of the time it’s just noise, distraction, and bad yeses stacking up over years.In this episode, I look at why doing more is often the thing that quietly kills creative momentum. Using Warren Buffett as an unlikely guide, I break down six practical lessons about time, restraint, and long-term survivability. This isn’t about money or hustle. It’s about protecting attention, avoiding self-inflicted mistakes, and building a creative life that still works a decade from now. Busyness often hides uncertainty, not effectiveness. Carter FergusonLINKSOfficial website: https://www.filmproproductivity.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/filmproproductivityContact: https://www.filmproproductivity.com/contactIndie Film Hustle: https://indiefilmhustle.com/ifh-podcast-network-filmmaking-and-screenwriting/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqo0Zld2Lm2lJDpDh3GsuZgQUOTES“The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything.” - Warren Buffett“Lost time is never found again.” – Benjamin Franklin“The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do.” – Michael Porter“Risk comes from not knowing what you’re doing.” – Warren Buffett“Never confuse motion with action.” – Benjamin Franklin“Somebody once said that in looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy. And if you don’t have the first, the other two will kill you.” – Warren Buffett“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” – Warren BuffettTHIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY The McCommitments - The Scottish Saviours of Soul.A celebration of the classic soul music from and Inspired by the iconic movie The Commitments. Totally Live by an 11 piece band.On tour across Scotland in 2026www.themccommitments.co.ukhttps://www.facebook.com/themccommitmentsREFERENCESWarren BuffettBerkshire HathawayBenjamin FranklinMichael Porter FRIENDS OF THE SHOWPlease check out my friends shows:FILM FIGHTS WITH FRIENDS PODCAST with Stephen Koepfer and Paul Varacchi (etc)THE FILMMAKERS PODCAST with Giles Alderson (etc.)THE HORROR CUT with Stephen Kerr and Gary HewittWILDE WORLD with David WildeFILMMAKING CONVERSATIONS with Damian SwabyMUSIC & CREDITSA Himitsu Music: Adventures by A HimitsuCommons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...Music released by Argofox https://www.youtu.be/8BXNwnxaVQEMusic provided by Audio Library https://www.youtu.be/MkNeIUgNPQ8Contact the artist: x.jonaz@gmail.comhttps://www.facebook.com/ahimitsuhttps://www.twitter.com/ahimitsu1https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgFwu-j5-xNJml2FtTrrB3A
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    21 mins
  • UNFINISHED BUSINESS: WHY NOT FINISHING THINGS IS COSTING YOU MORE THAN YOU THINK #184

    UNFINISHED BUSINESS: WHY NOT FINISHING THINGS IS COSTING YOU MORE THAN YOU THINK #184
    Mar 1 2026
    Unfinished business rarely looks dramatic. It looks sensible, cautious, even responsible. But beneath the surface, it quietly drains energy, attention, and belief. In this episode, I unpack why half-finished projects, unresolved endings, and drifting commitments cost far more than we realise. This isn’t about laziness or motivation. It’s about self-protection, disappointment, and how unfinished work reshapes how we think, decide, and create.Trying less isn’t laziness. It’s often a response to being burned too many times. Carter FergusonLINKSOfficial website: https://www.filmproproductivity.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/filmproproductivityContact: https://www.filmproproductivity.com/contactIndie Film Hustle: https://indiefilmhustle.com/ifh-podcast-network-filmmaking-and-screenwriting/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqo0Zld2Lm2lJDpDh3GsuZgQUOTES“Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task.” William James“Making a movie is like building a house of cards in a wind tunnel.” Terry Gilliam “Movies don’t get made by inspiration. They get made by solving problems, one after another.”David Fincher“If you want an easy life, don’t make films.” Ken Loach“The chains of habit are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken.” Samuel Johnson “Where there is distraction, there is diminished power.” James Clear“The world breaks everyone, and afterward many are strong at the broken places.” Ernest HemingwayTHIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY The McCommitments – The Scottish Saviours of Soul.A celebration of the classic soul music from and inspired by the iconic movie The Commitments. Totally live by an 11-piece band. On tour across Scotland in 2026. www.themccommitments.co.ukhttps://www.facebook.com/themccommitmentsREFERENCESThe TraitorsYour Best Year Yet – Jinny DitzlerThe Zeigarnik Effect Please check out my friends shows:FILM FIGHTS WITH FRIENDS PODCAST with Stephen Koepfer and Paul Varacchi (etc)THE FILMMAKERS PODCAST with Giles Alderson (etc.)THE HORROR CUT with Stephen Kerr and Gary HewittWILDE WORLD with David WildeFILMMAKING CONVERSATIONS with Damian SwabyMUSIC & CREDITSA Himitsu Music: Adventures by A HimitsuCommons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...Music released by Argofox https://www.youtu.be/8BXNwnxaVQEMusic provided by Audio Library https://www.youtu.be/MkNeIUgNPQ8Contact the artist: x.jonaz@gmail.comhttps://www.facebook.com/ahimitsuhttps://www.twitter.com/ahimitsu1https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgFwu-j5-xNJml2FtTrrB3A
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    24 mins
  • FIVE LESSONS ABOUT LIFE AND TRUST WE CAN LEARN FROM THE TRAITORS #183

    FIVE LESSONS ABOUT LIFE AND TRUST WE CAN LEARN FROM THE TRAITORS #183
    Feb 22 2026
    Why do groups make bad decisions even when everyone involved is intelligent and well-intentioned?This episode uses The Traitors as a pressure test for real human behaviour. By stripping away politeness and certainty, it reveals how trust forms, how beliefs harden, and why productivity often collapses in groups under pressure.The focus isn’t the TV show itself, but what it exposes about information, bias, emotional control, and short-term thinking – and how misunderstanding these patterns quietly drains energy at work and in life. QUOTE “Productivity collapses when attention shifts from truth to comfort.” Carter Ferguson (Host) LINKSOfficial website: https://www.filmproproductivity.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/filmproproductivityContact: https://www.filmproproductivity.com/contactIndie Film Hustle Network: https://indiefilmhustle.com/ifh-podcast-network-filmmaking-and-screenwriting/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqo0Zld2Lm2lJDpDh3GsuZgQUOTES“The trust of the innocent is the liar’s most useful tool.” Stephen King“The one who controls the narrative controls the group.” Marshall McLuhan“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” Aristotle“Where there is fear, there is haste.” Seneca“He who conquers himself is the mightiest warrior.” Confucius“What is avoided is rarely escaped.” Baltasar Gracián“It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness. That is life.” Jean-Luc PicardTHIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BYFraser Coull of Silly Wee Filmswww.copsandmonsters.ukhttps://www.instagram.com/copsandmonsters?igsh=YWdlaHh4dGczb2s2&utm_source=qrhttps://www.instagram.com/sillyweefilms?igsh=aGFmNHpudjFnMHBh&utm_source=qrREFERENCESThe Traitors (UK & US)Information asymmetryConfirmation biasGroup decision-making under uncertaintyEmotional regulation and perceived credibilityShort-term safety vs long-term trustPlease check out my friends shows:FILM FIGHTS WITH FRIENDS PODCAST with Stephen Koepfer and Paul Varacchi (etc)THE FILMMAKERS PODCAST with Giles Alderson (etc.)THE HORROR CUT with Stephen Kerr and Gary HewittWILDE WORLD with David WildeFILMMAKING CONVERSATIONS with Damian SwabyMUSIC & CREDITSA Himitsu Music: Adventures by A HimitsuCommons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...Music released by Argofox https://www.youtu.be/8BXNwnxaVQEMusic provided by Audio Library https://www.youtu.be/MkNeIUgNPQ8Contact the artist: x.jonaz@gmail.comhttps://www.facebook.com/ahimitsuhttps://www.twitter.com/ahimitsu1https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgFwu-j5-xNJml2FtTrrB3A
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    19 mins