This weekend, the indie film world will descend on the beach in Santa Monica for the 41st annual Film Independent Spirit Awards. If you’ve been following the coverage, you know the drill: the ocean breeze, the day-drinking, and the casual chaos that makes this event the antidote to polished Hollywood affairs. From shoestring budgets to cursing on live TV, here is how the Spirit Awards have cemented their legacy as the "anti-Oscars" for 41 years running.

It’s no secret that Hollywood has always thrived on buzz.  There was a time, long before teaser trailers dropped on Instagram or influencers promoted new films on TikTok, when filmmakers experimented with new and exciting ways to catch audiences' attention (and get them into theatres).  Some of those experiments became legendary campaigns. Campaigns that forever changed the playbook for movie marketing. So let’s dive into some of the wildest and most influential examples of smart movie marketing magic and discover why they worked so well.

This being our third NAMM, it increasingly felt less like a trade show and more like a family reunion. People weren’t just bumping into each other-they were reconnecting. Some even joked about a “NAMM-Union” or calling each other “NAMM-ily,” underscoring the genuine camaraderie that pulses through the event. With the industry moving at breakneck speed, NAMM became a rare place for us to pause, catch up, and celebrate each other and the craft we share.