How this indie movie used psychology to beat Hollywood

97% of independent films fail. Boiling Point did not. Today, I chat with executive producer Paul Mellor to learn how this movie applied psychological principles to outperform its peers and compete against blockbusters like James Bond.

---

Join the Nudge Vaults waiting list: nudgepodcast.com/vaults

Paul’s 13.5 ways to grow an underdog: mellorandsmith.com/13-ways-to-grow-your-underd…

Paul’s agency: mellorandsmith.com

Subscribe to the (free) Nudge Newsletter: nudge.ck.page/profile

Connect on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/phill-agnew-22213187

Watch Nudge on YouTube: youtube.com/@nudgepodcast

---

Binet, L., & Carter, S. (2018). How Not to Plan: 66 ways to screw it up. APG/Matador.

Cialdini, R. B. (2016). Pre‑suasion: A revolutionary way to influence and persuade. Simon & Schuster.

Ryan, J. D., & Cohen, N. J. (2004). The nature of change detection and online representations of scenes. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 30(5), 988–1015.

Trott, D. (2019). Creative Blindness (and How to Cure It): Real‑life stories of remarkable creative vision. Harriman House.

van den Broek, E., & den Heijer, T. (2024). The Housefly Effect: How nudge psychology steers your everyday behaviour. Bedford Square Publishers.