Joel Pilger - Forum®

Forum

Build Your Studio On Purpose™.

Who It's For

Ambitious studio and production company leaders in motion, animation, VFX, live action, experiential, and sound.

What You’ll Gain

Build a business, win better clients (with bigger budgets), pivot through disruption, and produce your greatest creative work.

How It Works

Join the next Invitation Session, get oriented, meet your peers, and unleash the next chapter of your thriving studio.

It's a board of directors made up of the brightest minds in the industry. Truly a priceless resource.

Eric Singer, Partner at Coupe Studios

A support system and playground for ideas—unfiltered, unbiased camaraderie.

Ricardo Roberts, Co-Founder and EP at BIEN

Forum isn’t just a community — it’s a lifeline for founders who are serious about growing.

Ronny Young, Founder at OddBeast

If you have not done Jumpstart… it is the single most beneficial program I have ever done for my business.

Ed Rhine, Founder & ECD at Spillt

Applying Derail the Pitch, we doubled the client’s production budget… and completely flipped the relationship.

Christian Darais, Co-Founder at The Fold

We landed a $275K campaign by applying the language we gained in Brand Direct. The client literally told us that’s why we won.

Danny Robashkin, Founder at MAKE

This is your cheat code for being just as exceptional at the business side as you are at the creative side.

Garus Booth, Founder & ECD at The Booth

What Is Forum

Not another class. Not another Slack group.

A curated network of the world’s most ambitious studios and production companies — names like Already Been Chewed, Form Play, MAKE, Nocaut, Polyester, Spillt, VERSUS, Zookeeper, and a hundred more — who aren’t here to “manage” a business. They’re here to master it.

Founders inside Forum raise their fees, win better clients with bigger budgets, and build resilient, high-performing studios… together.

This is where serious creative leaders gain uncommon support, think sharper, and move faster.

Not sure if you're a fit?

Take the "What's Really Holding Your Studio Back?" diagnostic for access to Free Resources inside Forum. Make one better decision this quarter.

Take the Diagnostic

Infrastructure for the modern studio.

Tired of Being an Order-Taker?

Shift into the expert seat and never go back. Join 200+ founders who’ve crossed over.

Learn about Jumpstart®

Struggling to Break Into Brands?

Bypass middlemen… speak the brand-direct dialect… and get to the decision-making table.

Learn about Brand Direct™

Lost Yet Another Pitch?

Never again be the dreaded third bid. Flip the relationship and win from a position of power.

Learn about Derail the Pitch™

Stuck in Feast-or-Famine?

Create a predictable sales engine that steadies revenue.

Learn about Saleskeeping®

Overwhelmed? In the Weeds?

Lead your studio with clarity while your team handles the rest—profitably.

Learn about Studio Flight Deck™

New for Q1 2026

NEW: Sales Scout™

Your nonstop sales EP expert. Beta tested by 40 studios inside Forum.

Sales Scout surfaces buyers and brands that need your expertise... and that are buying, right now. Stop guessing, start selling.

Learn about Sales Scout

FAQ

Who is Forum for?

Ambitious founders in motion, animation, VFX, live action, experiential, and sound—typically 2–40 person teams doing $300K–$10M+ annually. Example member studios include Already Been Chewed, BIEN, Blit, Cream, MAKE, Nocaut, Panoply, Plural, Polyester, Spillt, Vascolo, VERSUS, and many more.

How do I join Forum?

1. Attend an Invitation Session with Joel
2. Complete the Start Here course and unlock a 14-day free trial
3. Choose your lane: Foundation or Momentum

What are the membership options?

Forum Foundation
‍Forum Momentum
‍Forum Reserve (invite-only)

What is the return on investment?

Forum isn’t about consuming content. It’s about changing how you lead, sell, price, and position your studio. For founders serious about momentum, the ROI is consistently strong.

If you want specifics, book a call and we’ll talk through real outcomes peers are experiencing.

Do you offer annual pricing?

Forum runs on a quarterly rhythm to match accelerators and execution cycles, but annual pricing is available.

What’s the difference between Foundation and Momentum?

Forum Foundation
Async access for founders who want flexibility and self-paced progress. Includes resources, selected accelerators, replays, discussions, and Forum AI™.
No live sessions.

Forum Momentum
The primary path for founders who want speed, accountability, and results.
Includes everything in Foundation plus live accelerators, Weekly Roundtables, Office Hours with Joel, peer Circles, and Sales Scout™.

Most founders choose Momentum.

Is there a free tier?

Qualified applicants can join for free to access limited discussions, free resources, and Weekly Memo updates.

Do you offer discounts?

Yes, in specific cases:
• Annual pricing
• Partner seats
• International adjustments
• Forum scholarships

What is Forum Reserve?

Forum Reserve is Joel’s invite-only incubator for founders building beyond traditional client services. This includes IP, products, platforms, or new ventures, with Joel involved as an advisor, investor, or partner. Reserve includes full Momentum access for you and your leadership team.

Can my leadership team join?

Yes. Add discounted seats for producers, EPs, strategists, or partners.

What if I need to cancel?

Cancel any time; your access continues through the end of your current term.