Building a Film Festival from Scratch | Allyson West | On The Fly!

What happens when you see something missing in your community and decide to build it yourself? For Allyson West, it started with a question: Why didn't Cincinnati have an all-genre film festival focused on independent filmmakers? In 2018, she took the risk and launched the Cindependent Film Festival. In this episode of On The Fly!, Joey Scarillo talks with Allyson about building Cindependent from the ground up, learning to lead through mistakes, finding the right people to fill the gaps, and creating a community around independent film. They also talk about: • Why Allyson decided to start Cindependent • The risks of launching something that didn't yet exist • What she learned through Flywheel's 2025 cohort • Why she chose financial sustainability as her focus with her Flywheel coach • Building a working board and a 34-person festival planning team • The story behind Cindependent's mascots, Crunchy and Bub's • Why grassroots marketing still matters in a digital world • Cindependent's plans for the Marymount Theatre • What it takes to bring a historic community cinema back to life • Allyson's approach to leadership: “Somebody's gotta do the work” • Why community is ultimately what sustains a big idea Cindependent Film Festival Cindependent Film Festival returns to Memorial Hall September 17–19, 2026, with films, parties, education, artist talks, and more. 🎬 Cindependent: cindependentfilmfest.org Get Involved with Flywheel At Flywheel Social Enterprise Hub, we pair experienced professionals with purpose-driven founders to make a real difference in our communities. Interested in coaching, mentoring, or starting your own social venture? Visit flywheelcincinnati.org to learn how you can get involved. About On The Fly! On The Fly! puts a spotlight on social enterprises with the double bottom line—making a positive impact in the world while building sustainable businesses and organizations. Produced by Joan Kaup and Joey Scarillo, with support from Gianna DiMona. Music by Ben Hammer. Recorded at 1819 Innovation Hub, courtesy of the University of Cincinnati.