Scott Mosier: How Scrappy Productions Kick-Started His Long Hollywood Career

Welcome to the latest edition of One Moore Hollywood Podcast! On this episode, OMHP's hosts, Chris Moore, Katie Marpe, and Dennis De Nobile, chat with industry insider Scott Mosier all about how he got his start in the film industry, how the industry has changed over the years, and what mentality keeps him going these days. 

Let's dive in.

Starting Out Scrappy

Mosier, a man who wears many hats–including producer, director, editor, and writer–has experience in multiple facets of Hollywood filmmaking. 

Mosier met now-director Kevin Smith in film school, a man who became his longtime friend and collaborator. The scrappy film that got them both a foot in Hollywood's door was 1994's Clerks, one that Mosier co-produced with Smith. 

Mosier and Smith put everything they had (and more) into Clerks, betting on getting traction at IFFM (International Film Festival Manhattan). As luck would have it, Bob Hawk, who happened to consult with Sundance Film Festival at the time, was one of the few people who saw Clerks in New York the day it screened. His interest in the movie laid the groundwork for its premiere at Sundance and subsequent purchase and distribution by Miramax Films. This acquisition catapulted Clerks into mainstream theaters and ultimately launched Mosier's and Smith's careers. 

Changing Times

De Nobile wonders–would that series of events be possible today? Could an unknown film like Clerks still be discovered in a small screening by someone with influence and launched into mainstream circulation? Mosier thinks yes, on some level. "Things manage to get through the weird walls of this business somehow," he says. 

However, Mosier acknowledges that technology has drastically changed the filmmaking landscape, so a film gaining traction nowadays would be much more online than on the ground. "Now it feels like you're pushed to generate so much buzz on your own. Back then, it was just people talking," he explains.

Now vs. Then

How does Mosier think his journey as a young person in the industry would look today? As he says, we're all children of our time, so while the goal would remain the same, the process would be quite different. 

For starters, access to technology and equipment has shifted tremendously, meaning Clerks could probably be made for five thousand dollars instead of the twenty-eight thousand it took in the early 90s. If Mosier and Smith had grown up in this era, they'd have been making content for years in the form of TikToks and YouTube videos. "Creating content and videos is ubiquitous; it's just what you do," he says. 

So, what's the value of film school now? Is it still worth going? Since you can learn a lot on your own now, Mosier thinks it really depends on what you want to learn. It's essential to be clear about what you want from the experience and to choose classes based on that. For Mosier, the most valuable part of film school was his connections with the people he met (like Smith).

From Scrappy Productions to Big Productions

Clerks' success led Mosier to make movies like Mallrats and Chasing Amy, both much bigger productions than Clerks. Because of this shift, De Nobile is curious if he ever misses the scrappy productions that got him started. The answer is: not really. While Mosier loves the freedom of a scrappy production, he also appreciates a job well done and the resources to do that job well. "The thing I miss is when you just believe in something, and you go do it," he says. These days, Mosier alternates between doing bigger productions and smaller ones. As he phrases it, each acts as the antidote to the other, ultimately balancing each other out.

One of Mosier's favorite parts of his multifaceted job is film editing, which, according to him, is the biggest thing that's informed his writing. "All of us can learn filmmaking through editing," Mosier says. "It's a way to analyze all the choices made." He's often called in to help fix other people's movies because of his expertise in storytelling through editing. "That to me is more important than anything…how you fix something that sucks. A lot of what we do in this industry is about fixing problems and story issues," Mosier explains. 

Overall, Mosier loves his work. The advice he leaves us with is not to worry about what you can't control. In an industry like Hollywood, where success is heavily based on other people's opinions, it's easy to get in the habit of playing the waiting game. But for the good of your mental health, Mosier urges those in the industry not to do that. What this looks like for Mosier is immediately forgetting about a project as soon as he sends it out. He simply moves on to the next one.

"My policy is that you get up every day, and you have time and energy as your currency…there are things you have control over and things you have no control over," Mosier says. So, use that precious currency wisely. 

Listen to the entire episode here: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or iHeartRadio.