<description>&lt;p&gt;This episode is brought to you by our e-book Mastering Film Marketing. Get your copy today at &lt;a href="https://themakeitpodcast.com/products/mastering-film-marketing" rel="nofollow"&gt;https://themakeitpodcast.com/products/mastering-film-marketing&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hello, Hello! &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this episode, we sit down with legendary audience research expert &lt;a href="https://kevingoetz360.com" rel="nofollow"&gt;Kevin Goetz&lt;/a&gt;, the CEO of Screen Engine, who has &lt;strong&gt;&lt;u&gt;tested over 5,000 film and television titles&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; for major studios over three decades. Kevin shares his journey from aspiring Broadway performer to becoming Hollywood&amp;#39;s most trusted voice on audience testing, discussing how filmmakers can use audience feedback to enhance rather than compromise their creative vision. The conversation explores the evolution of audience expectations in the streaming era, the importance of knowing your deficits as an entrepreneur, and Kevin&amp;#39;s philosophy on following passion over profit.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;We also talk about:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• Kevin&amp;#39;s childhood in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, and the family dynamics that shaped his drive for success &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• The misconceptions filmmakers have about audience testing and how it actually enhances creative vision &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• How streaming platforms have changed viewer behavior, and the need for compelling cold opens &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• The importance of self-awareness in leadership and surrounding yourself with people better than you at specific skills &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• Kevin&amp;#39;s approach to delegation, team building, and scaling a business with 320 employees&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;People, Places, Products, and Websites Mentioned:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.screenengineasi.com/" rel="nofollow"&gt;Screen Engine/ASI&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;BBMG Entertainment — &lt;a href="https://kevingoetz360.com/" rel="nofollow"&gt;kevingoetz360.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/How-to-Score-in-Hollywood/Kevin-Goetz/9781982189860" rel="nofollow"&gt;&lt;em&gt;How to Score in Hollywood&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.screenengineasi.com/audienceology/" rel="nofollow"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Audienceology&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.producersguild.org/" rel="nofollow"&gt;Producers Guild of America&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.americancinematheque.com/" rel="nofollow"&gt;American Cinematheque&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://nashvillefilmfestival.org/" rel="nofollow"&gt;Nashville Film Festival&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;News &amp;amp; Media Services&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://ground.news/" rel="nofollow"&gt;Ground News&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.semafor.com/" rel="nofollow"&gt;Semafor&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://themedialine.org/" rel="nofollow"&gt;The Media Line&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;People&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://dieworkwear.com/" rel="nofollow"&gt;Derek Guy&lt;/a&gt; (menswear writer)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_Rivers" rel="nofollow"&gt;Joan Rivers&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicole_Kidman" rel="nofollow"&gt;Nicole Kidman&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Roven" rel="nofollow"&gt;Charles Roven&lt;/a&gt; (producer)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lauren_Shuler_Donner" rel="nofollow"&gt;Lauren Shuler Donner&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Donner" rel="nofollow"&gt;Richard Donner&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephanie_Allain" rel="nofollow"&gt;Stephanie Allain&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_De_Line" rel="nofollow"&gt;Donald De Line&lt;/a&gt; (PGA)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.benfritz.net/" rel="nofollow"&gt;Ben Fritz&lt;/a&gt; (Wall Street Journal)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Barbara Jarrett&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooke_Shields" rel="nofollow"&gt;Brooke Shields&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jared_Leto" rel="nofollow"&gt;Jared Leto&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travis_Knight" rel="nofollow"&gt;Travis Knight&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Films &amp;amp; TV&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099653/" rel="nofollow"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ghost&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31193180/" rel="nofollow"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Sinners&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6710474/" rel="nofollow"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Everything Everywhere All at Once&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11815682/" rel="nofollow"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Hacks&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (HBO Max)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masters_of_the_Universe_(2026_film)" rel="nofollow"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Masters of the Universe&lt;/em&gt; (He-Man movie)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26657236/" rel="nofollow"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Backrooms&lt;/em&gt; (A24)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27564844/" rel="nofollow"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Iron Lung&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Places &amp;amp; Institutions&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bensonhurst,_Brooklyn" rel="nofollow"&gt;Bensonhurst, Brooklyn&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Brunswick,_New_Jersey" rel="nofollow"&gt;East Brunswick, New Jersey&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nashville,_Tennessee" rel="nofollow"&gt;Nashville, Tennessee&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.vanderbilt.edu/" rel="nofollow"&gt;Vanderbilt University&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;We are humbled to have a community of creatives who care deeply about our work. And your support makes our work possible. Every subscriber, rating, and review matters. &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;So, if you like what we&amp;#39;re doing, please consider subscribing, rating, or giving us a review. Cheers, and best of luck on your filmmaking journey. #MAKEIT&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.themakeitpodcast.store/shop/support" rel="nofollow"&gt;www.themakeitpodcast.store/shop/support&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Advertising Inquiries: &lt;a href='https://redcircle.com/brands'&gt;https://redcircle.com/brands&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Privacy &amp; Opt-Out: &lt;a href='https://redcircle.com/privacy'&gt;https://redcircle.com/privacy&lt;/a&gt;</description>

The MAKE IT Podcast

Chris Barkley & Nicholas Buggs

438 - Kevin Goetz - On Audience Testing 5,000+ Films, How He Became Hollywood's Most Powerful Audience Whisperer, and How to Use Audience Testing to Enhance Your Film (Not Destroy Your Vision)

JUN 12, 202686 MIN
The MAKE IT Podcast

438 - Kevin Goetz - On Audience Testing 5,000+ Films, How He Became Hollywood's Most Powerful Audience Whisperer, and How to Use Audience Testing to Enhance Your Film (Not Destroy Your Vision)

JUN 12, 202686 MIN

Description

This episode is brought to you by our e-book Mastering Film Marketing. Get your copy today at https://themakeitpodcast.com/products/mastering-film-marketingHello, Hello! In this episode, we sit down with legendary audience research expert Kevin Goetz, the CEO of Screen Engine, who has tested over 5,000 film and television titles for major studios over three decades. Kevin shares his journey from aspiring Broadway performer to becoming Hollywood's most trusted voice on audience testing, discussing how filmmakers can use audience feedback to enhance rather than compromise their creative vision. The conversation explores the evolution of audience expectations in the streaming era, the importance of knowing your deficits as an entrepreneur, and Kevin's philosophy on following passion over profit.We also talk about:• Kevin's childhood in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, and the family dynamics that shaped his drive for success • The misconceptions filmmakers have about audience testing and how it actually enhances creative vision • How streaming platforms have changed viewer behavior, and the need for compelling cold opens • The importance of self-awareness in leadership and surrounding yourself with people better than you at specific skills • Kevin's approach to delegation, team building, and scaling a business with 320 employeesPeople, Places, Products, and Websites Mentioned:Screen Engine/ASIBBMG Entertainment — kevingoetz360.comHow to Score in HollywoodAudienceologyProducers Guild of AmericaAmerican CinemathequeNashville Film FestivalNews & Media ServicesGround NewsSemafor The Media LinePeopleDerek Guy (menswear writer)Joan RiversNicole KidmanCharles Roven (producer)Lauren Shuler Donner  Richard DonnerStephanie Allain Donald De Line (PGA)Ben Fritz (Wall Street Journal)Barbara JarrettBrooke ShieldsJared LetoTravis KnightFilms & TVGhostSinnersEverything Everywhere All at OnceHacks (HBO Max)Masters of the Universe (He-Man movie)Backrooms (A24)Iron LungPlaces & InstitutionsBensonhurst, BrooklynEast Brunswick, New JerseyNashville, TennesseeVanderbilt UniversityWe are humbled to have a community of creatives who care deeply about our work. And your support makes our work possible. Every subscriber, rating, and review matters. So, if you like what we're doing, please consider subscribing, rating, or giving us a review. Cheers, and best of luck on your filmmaking journey. #MAKEITwww.themakeitpodcast.store/shop/supportAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy