Raw Unfiltered Honey

Indie filmmakers Erika Arlee and Kristi Ray take a deep dive into the making of their award-winning debut feature film, A Song For Imogene.

How To Harness Your Creative Energy 02/13/2026

How To Harness Your Creative Energy Shedding your skin as the Year of the Snake comes to an end? This week, Erika and Kristi discuss what energy they're bringing to indie filmmaking in the new year, navigating script feedback, and finding your footing as the industry continues to shift and change. Like, follow, subscribe and if there’s a specific topic you’d like to hear us discuss, don’t hesitate to get in touch via our website: . p.s. You can now stream A Song For Imogene on ! Rate, review and interact with the film on IMDb, Letterboxd, Rotten Tomatoes, or wherever you get your cinema fix. /episode/index/show/rawunfilteredhoneyhead/id/40104305

A New Age for Indie Film 02/06/2026

A New Age for Indie Film What does a realistic future for indie film look like? This week, Erika and Kristi Ray breakdown news from Sundance, talk film incentives, and a new feature collaboration in development. Like, follow, subscribe and if there’s a specific topic you’d like to hear us discuss, don’t hesitate to get in touch via our website: . p.s. You can now stream A Song For Imogene on ! Rate, review and interact with the film on IMDb, Letterboxd, Rotten Tomatoes, or wherever you get your cinema fix. /episode/index/show/rawunfilteredhoneyhead/id/40018815

Name Talent and Plot Twists 01/27/2026

Name Talent and Plot Twists Are you considering A-list talent for your next project? This week, Erika and Kristi Ray dive into casting name actors, budgeting a large scale indie feature, and give a sneak peak into the plot of their next film. Like, follow, subscribe and if there’s a specific topic you’d like to hear us discuss, don’t hesitate to get in touch via our website: . p.s. You can now stream A Song For Imogene on ! Rate, review and interact with the film on IMDb, Letterboxd, Rotten Tomatoes, or wherever you get your cinema fix. /episode/index/show/rawunfilteredhoneyhead/id/39901560

Scaling Your Sophomore Feature 01/18/2026

Scaling Your Sophomore Feature It's a common goal to make your first feature for as little as possible with the hopes of scaling your next film to six figures. But how do you actually put that into practice? This week, Erika and Kristi Ray reflect on what set them up for success when making the jump from a micro budget to commercial viability: it all started with having their back-pocket pitch ready before meeting an EP at their world premiere (hint: it wasn't at Sundance). Like, follow, subscribe and if there’s a specific topic you’d like to hear us discuss, don’t hesitate to get in touch via our website: . p.s. You can now stream A Song For Imogene on ! Rate, review and interact with the film on IMDb, Letterboxd, Rotten Tomatoes, or wherever you get your cinema fix. /episode/index/show/rawunfilteredhoneyhead/id/39782090

Raw Unfiltered Director's Commentary 07/10/2025

Raw Unfiltered Director's Commentary Welcome to the Season 2 Finale of Raw Unfiltered Honey! As a bonus episode, we are excited to share a full-length director's commentary that you can pair with your viewing of A Song For Imogene. To get started, head over to to rent or buy the film, then cue up the podcast for a chance to deep-dive into all the directorial Easter eggs, anecdotes, and stylistic choices that made this award-winning indie darling. Stay tuned for Season 3, where Erika and Kristi Ray take you behind-the-scenes of working filmmakers in the Hive and beyond! Have a specific creative you'd like to hear on the pod? Hit us up on , , or shoot us an email: /episode/index/show/rawunfilteredhoneyhead/id/37361500

Festing and Distribution 06/27/2025

Festing and Distribution Erika and Kristi Ray wrap up Season 2 with an in-depth discssion of their festival strategy and inking their distribution deal with Buffalo 8. Stay on the lookout for Season 3, where the Honey Heads broaden the discussion of indie filmmaking and invite special guests to share their stories, all while keeping things grounded, raw, and unfiltered. You can now stream A Song For Imogene on ! Rate, review and interact with the film on IMDb, Letterboxd, Rotten Tomatoes, or wherever you get your cinema fix. Have a guest you'd like to see on the pod? Let us know on ! /episode/index/show/rawunfilteredhoneyhead/id/37185595

The Post Sprint 06/07/2025

The Post Sprint Erika and Kristi Ray talk through the post process of A Song For Imogene - the scenes that hit the cutting room floor, how to problem-solve on zero budget, all the auditory Easter Eggs, crafting an original song, and share some serious raw unfiltered honey about one of their favorite baby bees. Listen to River Running (feat. Rebz River, Jack Oberkirsch, Erik Nordgren) on and . Add A Song For Imogene to your wachlist prior to the release on June 27th! /episode/index/show/rawunfilteredhoneyhead/id/36901085

That Day 01 Energy: Production 05/30/2025

That Day 01 Energy: Production This week, Erika and Kristi Ray dig into their non-traditional, indie grits production model and how they made it work for their debut micro-budget feature. Listen in for the details on casting, camera package, lenses, lighting, production design, catering... and more. Pre-save A Song For Imogene on ! The film goes live on June 27th. /episode/index/show/rawunfilteredhoneyhead/id/36785665

The Raw Unfiltered Revival 05/23/2025

The Raw Unfiltered Revival We did it! It's been a wild three years since we left off on the journey of making our debut, micro-budget feature film, A Song For Imogene. *Spoiler: we secured worldwide distribution!* This season, learn the in's and out's of production, post, festivals, and distribution as Erika and Kristi Ray reverse engineer their calling card film. Bonus: add A Song For Imogene to your watchlist on so you can be first to hit "play" on June 27th! /episode/index/show/rawunfilteredhoneyhead/id/36687265

That's A Wrap (For Now) 02/16/2022

That's A Wrap (For Now) Erika and Kristi Ray tie up the Imogene journey with the closing of their successful crowd-funding campaign and a visit from Norse Santa. Stay tuned for future episodes on indie filmmaking, special industry guests, and more! /episode/index/show/rawunfilteredhoneyhead/id/22141391

That Pay-It-Forward Energy 02/02/2022

That Pay-It-Forward Energy Erika and Kristi Ray talk about how to set yourself up for success with a crowd-funding campaign, paying it forward, and dish advice for those first-time indie filmmakers getting ready to choose a market. /episode/index/show/rawunfilteredhoneyhead/id/21999341

Now Hiring: CNFTO 01/26/2022

Now Hiring: CNFTO Erika and Kristi Ray run through their crowd-funding campaign, crewing up, and reveal a special casting annoucement! /episode/index/show/rawunfilteredhoneyhead/id/21899405

Pitch Perfect 01/19/2022

Pitch Perfect Erika and Kristi Ray talk about their first pitch experience with a studio executive, the launch of their Seed&Spark campaign, and why emails can wait. /episode/index/show/rawunfilteredhoneyhead/id/21823055

What's a POC? (Part 2) 01/12/2022

What's a POC? (Part 2) In Part Two of this dual episode series, Erika and Kristi Ray continue the discussion on the making of their proof-of-concept trailer, from casting to post production. Plus a special announcement! /episode/index/show/rawunfilteredhoneyhead/id/21749294

What's a POC? (Part 1) 01/05/2022

What's a POC? (Part 1) In Part One of this two episode series, Erika and Kristi Ray breakdown the process of making their proof-of-concept trailer and the small-footprint filmmaking model that helped them achieve high production value on a shoestring budget. /episode/index/show/rawunfilteredhoneyhead/id/21681758

Honey Head Goes West 12/29/2021

Honey Head Goes West This week, Erika and Kristi Ray recount the synchronicities that defined their indie film tribe and completing the first draft of the 'Imogene' feature film. /episode/index/show/rawunfilteredhoneyhead/id/21615962

One Hot Day In August 12/22/2021

One Hot Day In August Erika and Kristi Ray discuss the making of their no-budget short film, Lorelei, which eventually became the feature film, A Song For Imogene. Plus a surprise gift from renowned photographer, Alex Harris! /episode/index/show/rawunfilteredhoneyhead/id/21561506

A Craigslist Audition 12/17/2021

A Craigslist Audition Erika and Kristi Ray dive into their origin story, the short film that became their first feature, and the Craigslist love story that started it all. /episode/index/show/rawunfilteredhoneyhead/id/21486485

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