Shows / A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
With 20+ years in the entertainment industry at the top level, I’m Phil Svitek. Join me as I pay it forward, sharing insights from my journey as a filmmaker, author, podcaster, and even high-level executive. Get a 360-degree view of the digital artist’s path to success, blending technical theory, practical wisdom, and personal development. Your smoother journey awaits.
Episodes
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
Discipline Will Take You Where Motivation Can’t
We love talking about motivation. The inspiration.The spark.The late-night surge of “this is it.” But motivation is unreliable.It comes and goes.It depends on…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
Concert Art Workflow Overview: Our Process for The Arbiters (Why We Go Chronologically)
When it comes to concept art, there are a lot of ways to do it. You can design by theme.You can isolate characters first.You can tackle environments in…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
The Work Isn’t Hard — It Just Takes Time
There’s a phrase I come back to constantly: The work isn’t hard — it just takes time. And internalizing that truth changes everything.In this episode, I break…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
How to Get Adobe Cheaper Every Year (Just Ask) | The Wanger Show Clip
This is a clip from The Wanger Show #285 — “She-Hulk & House of the Dragon Both Premiere + The Last of Us Looks Cool” — originally streamed live on August 22…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
I’m Waiting for You and Other Stories by Kim Bo-young | Book Club: Love, Free Will & the Cosmos
This month in book club, Marisa Serafini (@serafinitv) and I dive into one of the most quietly mind-bending works of speculative fiction we’ve read: I’m…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
Scream 7, Melissa Barrera & Free Palestine: Is Boycotting Enough?
The debate around Scream 7 has become much bigger than a horror franchise. After Melissa Barrera was fired following her public support of Gaza, many fans…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
AI CEOs: What Problem Are You Actually Solving?
Phil Svitek reframes the AI hype through a Shark Tank lens: successful products solve specific real-world problems—or build a clearly better mousetrap. He…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
The Fastest Way to Get Fired: Messing Up Objective Requirements
Phil Svitek draws a hard line between subjective taste and objective deliverables. Whether it’s a 30-second commercial, character limits, missing required text…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
Cinando’s Website Got a Much-Needed Upgrade (And Why It Matters For Filmmakers)
Phil Svitek highlights Cinando as a film/TV industry database similar to IMDbPro but geared toward producers, investors, distributors, and co-productions. He…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
MIFA Online: A New Way to Plug Into Annecy Festival Without the Travel
Phil Svitek flags a practical option for animators and filmmakers: MIFA (the market/information side of the Annecy Festival ecosystem) now has an online…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
Stop Ruining Podcasts: Record Clean Audio (It’s 2026)
Phil Svitek calls out a growing trend: as tech improves, podcast audio quality somehow gets worse. He breaks down why “fix it in post” is a trap, how bad audio…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
Why I Don’t Keep “Multiple Irons in the Fire” & Instead Self-Fund The Arbiters Progress
In an industry that constantly tells creatives to keep “multiple irons in the fire,” Phil Svitek explains why he’s choosing the opposite approach.Rather than…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
Business Side No One Sees & The Creator Rant I Didn’t Plan to Go On - 2/16/2026: Vlog
Phil Svitek checks in after a busy January in LA—sharing a big progress update on The Arbiters (storyboards through Act 1, concept design ramp-up, and how he’s…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
The Making of The Arbiters' Proof of Concept (For More Exclusives Visit Patreon.com/PhilSvitek)
👉 Visit patreon.com/philsvitek to be part of the journey.We’re excited to finally share this. This 20-minute behind-the-scenes video offers a rare look at how…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
Star Forest: Building a Transmedia Animated Band (and Staying Human in the Algorithm)
Emmy-winning producer, songwriter, and transmedia creator Genevieve LeDoux joins the show after we met at the World Animation Summit panel “How We Got Our Show…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
The Honeytraps Artists Fall Into (And Why They Feel Like Smart Choices)
Not all traps look like mistakes. Some offer good money, attention, or the relief of certainty when you’re exhausted and just trying to survive.I break down…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
Worldbuilding Backwards (On Purpose): How Story, Script, and Design Evolved Together
Worldbuilding doesn’t have to start with an encyclopedia—and in fact, sometimes it shouldn’t.I break down how I approached worldbuilding for my animated…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
The Arbiters: Help Us Bring This Anime-Inspired Film to Life (Patreon.com/PhilSvitek)
👉 Join the Patreon: patreon.com/philsvitekThis video is an invitation! The Arbiters is an original, hand-drawn, anime-inspired sci-fi/fantasy feature film…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
What I’ve Been Reading Lately — Cozy Mysteries, Fantasy, Re-Reads & Why Reading Still Matters
With the holiday season slowing things down, this episode turns into a relaxed check-in on what we’ve been reading lately—for fun, for comfort, and for…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
Why Creating Art (and Choosing Joy) Is a Form of Resistance
What is the role of an artist during turbulent times? When the world feels loud, chaotic, and overwhelming, creating art—or even choosing joy—can feel…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
The Phantom Tollbooth — Curiosity, Language & Escaping the Doldrums (Book Club)
Phil Svitek and Marisa Serafini (@serafinitv) dive into The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, with iconic illustrations by Jules Feiffer—a timeless…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
Unreal on Netflix — What WWE’s Doc Reveals About Art, Illusion & Sacrifice (Season 2 Spoilers)
Netflix’s Unreal pulls back the curtain on how WWE builds its weekly spectacle—from live storylines to nonstop deadlines and the physical and emotional toll on…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
The Real Problem With the Oscars Isn’t Snubs — It’s Consensus
Every Oscar season turns into a debate about snubs, surprises, and who got robbed—but that conversation often misses the point. In this episode, I break down…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
What the Gym Taught Me About Setting Better Goals
In fitness, no one expects you to start at the hardest version of an exercise. A good trainer shows you the base movement first—then offers a modification to…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
Welcome to The Arbiters (2D Animated Feature): Join the Journey At Patreon.com/PhilSvitek
👉 Join the Patreon: patreon.com/philsvitekThis video is an invitation! The Arbiters is an original, hand-drawn, anime-inspired sci-fi/fantasy feature film…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
Why I Love Documentaries About Process (And the Ones That Shaped Me)
I’ve always believed that if you want to make better work, you have to study the process, not just the finished product. In this episode, I share some of my…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
Back to Work on The Arbiters: Doubt, Momentum, and Designing a Life Without Limits - 1/19/2026: Vlog
With the holidays behind us, it’s time to get back to creative work on The Arbiters—my original, hand-drawn animated feature.In this vlog, I share where the…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
Why Your StreamYard Local Recording Never Finishes Uploading (And How to Fix It)
If your StreamYard local recording takes forever to upload—or never finishes at all—there’s a simple reason most people overlook: disk space.In this episode, I…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
Originality Takes Endurance — AI Tempts Us to Skip It
AI doesn’t threaten creativity because it imitates. It threatens creativity because it lets us skip the hard part. There’s a concept called the Helsinki Bus…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
Justice Without Barbarism: The Quiet Lesson of Nuremberg
One of the most haunting moments in Nuremberg isn’t about the verdict—it’s about restraint. In a quiet execution scene, a condemned Nazi breaks down. He…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
Be the Author of Your Life (Not the Editor)
“Be the author of your life, not the editor” sounds like a platitude—until you actually try to live it.In this episode, I unpack what that phrase really means…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
Monetized Dysfunction: Why Broken Systems Keep Profiting (Zohran Mamdani Term)
Sometimes you hear a phrase and everything suddenly makes sense. In this episode, I explore the idea of “monetized dysfunction”—a term that instantly reframed…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
What a Netflix–Warner Bros Deal Could Mean for Physical Media
There’s been no shortage of think pieces about a potential Netflix acquisition of Warner Bros., but one angle feels surprisingly under-discussed: what this…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
Seeing People at Their Highest: A Socratic Practice for Divided Times
Socrates believed it was better to be criticized than to criticize—because honest challenge reveals flaws in our thinking and helps us become wiser, more…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
Two Questions That Create Better Conversations (For Kids and Adults) - Advice From Dr. Organic Mommy
“What did you help with today?” and “How did you fail?” These two simple questions—shared by Natasha Beck, also known as Dr. Organic Mommy—are meant for kids…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
What 2025 Taught Me And How I’m Approaching 2026 - 1/1/2026: Vlog
2025 was a year of perseverance, recalibration, and quiet progress — not just for me, but for many people I know. In this vlog, I take time to honestly reflect…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
Films of 2025 I Can’t Stop Thinking About
Every year, we see endless “Top 10” lists — but art isn’t a sport, and ranking films as the best has always felt arbitrary to me. So instead, this episode is…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
Annecy FAQ: Answers for First-Timers (Badges, MIFA, Travel, Lodging, Etc)
If you’re going to the Annecy Festival for the first time (or you already bought your ticket and you’re realizing how huge it is), this video is the FAQ…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
Annecy Festival for First-Timers: What to Expect (Day-by-Day Guide + MIFA Tips)
I went to the Annecy Festival for the first time and recorded a full day-by-day recap so you know what it actually feels like on the ground—especially if…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
“I Am Wrong” Is One Of The Most Liberating Sentences Ever
Most of us can admit we were wrong—yesterday, last year, “back then.” But Agnes Callard’s Open Socrates points to something far more confronting (and far more…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
Living the Examined Life: A Socratic Inquiry into Agnes Callard’s Open Socrates with Chuck McCaughan
Chuck McCaughan and I use Open Socrates: The Case for a Philosophical Life by Agnes Callard as a jumping-off point to explore what it actually means to live an…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
Between Worlds: Soukaina Alaoui El Hassani on Craft, Culture & Creative Agency
I chat with filmmaker and producer Soukaina Alaoui El Hassani (https://www.saelhassani.com/portfolio & https://www.instagram.com/saelhassani/?hl=en) to explore…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
Cozy Fantasy 101 — Emily Krempholtz on the Genre’s Magic
Author Emily Krempholtz explains what cozy fantasy really means—why the genre is comforting, character-driven, community-centered, and focused on emotional…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
How to Start a Book Club — Emily Krempholtz’s Simple, Fun Approach
Author Emily Krempholtz shares her practical, down-to-earth advice on how to begin your own book club—from choosing the right group and setting expectations to…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
The AI Hype Cycle: Why I’m Not Rushing to Adopt (And Maybe You Don’t Need To Either)
I unpack my growing frustration with AI—not from a place of fear, but from lived creative experience. Everyone keeps insisting AI is the future and that we all…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
Ghostwriter to Novelist: Emily Krempholtz on Crafting Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore
In this inspiring and joy-filled conversation, Marisa Serafini (@serafinitv) and I sit down with author Emily Krempholtz to discuss her debut cozy fantasy…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore — Redemption, Romance & Cozy Fantasy (Book Club)
Phil Svitek and Marisa Serafini (@serafinitv) dive into Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore by debut author Emily Krempholtz, a warm, whimsical cozy…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
A Full November: Summits, Celebrations, Seattle, and The Arbiters’ Next Steps - 12/8/2025: Vlog
In this vlog, I recap everything that made November such a full and meaningful stretch.I start with the Film Finance Summit, sharing the biggest takeaways on…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
Stop Sharing Folders Before They’re Uploaded: A Small Habit That Saves Big Headaches
In this episode, I tackle a deceptively simple workflow issue that has major consequences: sharing a Google Drive or Dropbox folder before the files finish…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
The Hidden Costs of Development: What Filmmakers Don’t See Coming
Most filmmakers think development is just “writing the script.” In reality, it’s the quiet money pit no one warns you about — from lawyer fees and talent…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
Exile and the Kingdom by Albert Camus: Isolation, Revolt, Search for Meaning (Bookmarked: Book Club)
Phil Svitek and Marisa Serafini (@serafinitv) dive into Albert Camus’ Exile and the Kingdom, a collection of six vivid, unsettling, and deeply human short…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
The #1 Thing Ruining Panels & How To Fix It
Panels are supposed to deliver insights, inspiration, and real value… but too often, a huge chunk of the time gets eaten by long, bloated introductions. Some…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
Easiest Way to Password Protect a WordPress Page
In this episode, I show you the quickest and easiest way to password-protect a page in WordPress — no plugins, no coding, no complicated settings. If you’re…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
How I Finally Cleaned Up My Messy Google Drive (Step-By-Step Method)
My Google Drive had gotten messy — duplicate folders, random uploads, files mislabeled, and years’ worth of assets scattered everywhere. And with limited local…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
Inside the World Animation Summit: Why It’s One of the Best Events for Creators
The World Animation Summit is one of my favorite industry events — and not because I’m paid to say so. In this episode, I share why this intimate three-day…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
The Real Key to Growth Podcast Growth: Stop Overthinking Small Details
When it comes to podcasting, most creators waste time tweaking the wrong things — obsessing over intro music, rearranging episode order, or chasing the…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
Keep Going: The Quiet Power of Perseverance When Progress Feels Invisible
In this reflective episode, I expand on my Substack essay “Keep Going: The Quiet Power of Perseverance When Progress Feels Invisible”…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
What I Really Want for My Birthday (and How You Can Help Make It Happen)
It’s my birthday! 🎉 Instead of gifts or a night out, I’m focusing on something more meaningful — supporting independent art and pushing The Arbiters, my…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
Money & Momentum: From Film Financing to Real-World Frustrations - 11/3/2025: Vlog
This week’s vlog is all about money — in filmmaking and in life.On the creative front, I share major updates on The Arbiters: our budget is finalized, the…
- A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach
Animal Farm by George Orwell - Power, Propaganda, and Why It Still Hits Today (Bookmarked: Book Club)
Phil Svitek and Marisa Serafini (@serafinitv) do a bonus Bookmarked episode on George Orwell’s Animal Farm—a quick-hit companion to our 1984 episode. We share…