# 437 - Stephen Marinaccio DGA UPM & Line Producer - What It Really Takes to Make a $100M Film, Lessons from 80+ International Projects, and How to Budget Like a Pro

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-make-it-podcast-942195/437-stephen-marinaccio-dga-upm-line-producer-what-it-really-takes-to-make-a-100m-film-lessons-from-80-international-projects-and-how-to-budget-like-a-pro
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Podcast: [The MAKE IT Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-make-it-podcast-942195)
Published: 2026-05-29T09:30:16+00:00
Episode link: https://www.themakeitpodcast.com
Audio file: https://pdst.fm/e/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/pscrb.fm/rss/p/audio4.redcircle.com/episodes/513e26c1-7fd7-44dc-9089-cc7e5d3dcb66/stream.mp3
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Duration seconds: 7164

## Resource

This episode is brought to you by our e-book Mastering Film Marketing. Get your copy today at https://allthingsmakeit.com/collections/learn This episode is brought to you by Anthropic. Claude is the AI for minds that don’t stop at good enough—it's the collaborator that actually understands your entire workflow and thinks WITH you, not for you. Ready to tackle bigger problems? Sign up for Claude Pro when you use our link – www.claude.ai/makeit Hello, Hello! In this episode, veteran line producer Stephen Marinaccio shares his 35+ years of experience managing productions across 30+ countries, from working with James Cameron to developing Line Budgeter, a revolutionary budgeting platform created by actual line producers. He discusses the essential skills needed for production management, the art of problem-solving on complex international shoots, and how his military upbringing shaped his detail-oriented approach to filmmaking. Stephen reveals the reality of managing multi-million dollar budgets and provides invaluable advice for aspiring production managers. We also talk about: • The development of Line Budgeter and why existing production software falls short • How to read scripts like a line producer and identify all hidden costs • The importance of communication and relationship management on set • Breaking down scenes to understand the true scope of production requirements • The role of AI in future film production and maintaining human creativity People, Places, Products, and Websites Mentioned: People Stephen Marinaccio James Cameron Emily Best (Seed&Spark) Sarah Childress (NPT Creative Director) NPT itself is here Earl Woods Tiger Woods Ezekiel "Zeke" Emanuel (Rahm Emanuel's brother, author of Eat Your Ice Cream ) Rob Schneider Mark Magidson (producer of Samsar…

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