In 1998, I was on a panel with five filmmakers who had made $10,000 films. We were there to inspire filmmakers, but we did the opposite... we were cautionary tales, because our films had not done anything for our careers. Two years later, one of these six filmmakers got distribution for his film, "Following." The director's name was Christopher Nolan, who most recently made a $200 million movie. Nolan had the foresight to make his film when there were no apparent rewards. This true story illustrates that great storytellers always find a way -- and with short films, this way will only grow,...