Director Matthew Heineman thought financing a documentary about 20 time Grammy-nominee (and five time winner) Jon Batiste would be a breeze. He quickly learned that the winds were blowing in the wrong direction.
“We got some interest, but no one committed to anything at that point,” says Heineman. “And so we just had to continue to basically self-finance the project on credit cards. Eventually [we] got a financier to come in and help bridge the rest of the budget to allow us to finish the film, but we didn't end up selling it until it premiered at Telluride.”
The documentary filmmaker also shares how he managed to sneak into the Grammys to film Batiste’s big night on an iPhone. And he recalls getting notes on the project… from President Obama(!).