FILMMAKER JUNCTION
SPEAKERS:
ROB MILLIS, co-creator and CEO of Dynamo Player.
JEROME COURSHON, Creator/speaker The Secrets of Distribution
SHERI CANDLER, online film marketing and publicity strategist.
Date: Thursday, 15th December, 2011.
Where: Sacred Fools Theater, 660 North Heliotrope Drive, Los Angeles, CA90004. Free parking in lot next to theater.
Tel: (310) 281-8337
Time: 7.00pm - 9.00pm.
Price: $35 (seating is limited. If you have a discount code please click on the code box)
So you've made your independent film. It's involved incredible persistence and passion, a huge struggle over every line, every choice, cut, and every single element in order to get the best movie possible. And now you're in huge debt but don't worry, you're going to get a sales agent to come on board, sell your movie and make you a ton of money - right?
REALITY CHECK: 99% of movies made, end up languishing in nowhere land, having not been picked up by a sales agent. Those that have been picked up, are now facing a long suffering wait as the sales agent takes their film to festivals and markets, hoping on selling it domestically and overseas. The sales agent are taking 30% commission, have a high list of expenses (possibly not even capped), and you're relinquishing your control of your baby putting your faith in someone else who doesn't know your kid as well as you do. It's going to be a long wait until you recoup your investment - that is, if you ever do.
Depressing right? Well, FINALLY the world has caught up to be in favor of the filmmaker! With products such as Dynamo Player, finally we can remain in control of distribution. As soon as your movie is finished, you can pop it online and rent it directly to your target audience. Your own VOD.
Rob will discuss how Dynamo works and why it's the future for filmmakers in distributing their movies.
However, sales still depend on getting the word out about your film - your audience must know where to find you. PR and marketing strategist, Sheri Candler, will give you tips on how to maximize your visibility.
ROB MILLIS: Co-Founder and CEO of Dynamo Player
Rob Millis began his media career as a documentary producer. In 2006 he plunged into online video with the launch of a current affairs series, American Microphone. The first program of its kind online, American Microphone raised the bar for online video quality with long form interviews, crisply recorded in high definition. He teamed up with Will Coghlan in early 2007 to produce and host the election news program Political Lunch. Never playing favorites and always independent, Political Lunch was lauded by one reviewer as setting "a new standard for news commentary in the online world." In 2009, Rob Millis again partnered with Will Coghlan to solve the challenge of monetization without advertising. While traditional distribution allowed rentals, sales and subscriptions, online video was still far behind. Thus, the Dynamo Player was born. Rob now leads a small team dedicated to meeting the needs of content creators and viewers who understand that good content is worth paying for.
Sheri Candler: Marketing Strategist
Sheri Candler is an inbound marketing strategist who helps independent filmmakers build identities for themselves and their films. Through the use of online tools such as social networking, podcasts, blogs, online media publications and radio, she assists filmmakers in building an engaged and robust online community for their work that can be used to monetize effectively.She was involved with promoting 2010 Slamdance official selection “YELLOWBRICKROAD” and the feature documentary “Ride The Divide” which utilized a successful hybrid distribution strategy; social media and organizational outreach in the US for the feature film “Undertow (Contracorriente)” Peru’s official submission for Oscar consideration of Best Foreign Language Film 2011; festival publicity for Trevor Anderson’s short film “The High Level Bridge” which has screened at many prestige festivals such as Sundance and SXSW 2011. She collaborates with Jon Reiss, author of “Think Outside the Box Office” and has participated in his TOTBO workshop series teaching filmmakers and PMDs how to utilize social networks and build identities for themselves and their films. Sheri is also a co founder of #filmin140, a bi- monthly Twitter discussion panel exploring current issues and technology for independent filmmakers and providing a unique aggregation of resources for the independent film community.
JEROME COURSHON: Creator/Speaker: THE SECRETS TO DISTRIBUTION
Film Producer & Distribution Expert Jerome Courshon knows the ‘game’ of distribution as a Producer in the trenches. From his film festival journeys to self-releasing his first movie into theaters (God, Sex & Apple Pie) to securing distribution with Warner Bros., Courshon has faced innumerable obstacles. And it's this real world "what works, what doesn't" approach that he is able to share with fellow filmmakers to help them attain success. For over the past 5 years, Courshon has assisted hundreds of Producers & Directors with achieving real distribution through his classes, speaking engagements and consultations. Courshon has written primers and articles on distribution for MovieMaker Magazine, Indie Slate Magazine, Film Festival Today and many other film publications. You can view some of his latest articles here. He also has written a book called, "The Secrets to Distribution: Get your movie distributed now!" and offers a 2 day Distribution workshop here.
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“Andrew Zinnes is a terrific teacher, inspiration and support to writers who want to explore and learn the art and process of screenwriting. The time went by fast as his seminar is packed with specifics, many great examples from real film footage, and his clarity of important points. He motivated me to move forward on a project that languished in my computer, and as a result of his course I have made strides to realize the next steps. Bravo!”
Stevanne Auerbach
" Andrew delivered a powerful seminar that was jam packed with great information from the first hour to the closing night. Barely 3 months later I was in production directing my first feature length documentary and now I'm about to watch my film here in Canada on Superchannel. Thanks Andrew for your knowledge, guidance and wisdom."
Shane Harvey "PAPER PROMISES"
"Andrew's vast knowledge and unpretentious style make him an ideal consultant and teacher for those seeking to move their documentary projects forward. He gave me useful strategies and helped me prioritize my goals for fundraising, production, and marketing. He listens closely and encourages you to go after your vision, and helps you focus on the most compelling aspects of your subject's story. This workshop provides filmmakers of all experience levels a great background and targeted strategies in developing, funding, producing, editing, and marketing their projects. I strongly recommend it."
Lauren S. Denver
"Learn from filmmakers who have experienced the trials of indie filmmaking and walked away to tell the tale - and share that wealth with us who aspire to create our own work."
Sam M., Los Angeles
"As a first time producer/filmmaker, I am now ready to put my idea into motion! I fell confident to move forward in my quest as a documentary filmmaker."
Yennifer B., Los Angeles
"A Good Kick Up The Arse! Great to just sit down and have the chance to focus."
Mark Harris London
"I came with an off-lined documentary that had problems. I left with something that now worked!"
Matt Davis, London.
"Andrew is a shrewd and generous teacher. I can count on him to see the problems with my scripts, and to help me find original solutions. He's great to brainstorm with and doesn't hold back, always eager to give ideas and think through new story lines."
Amy Bandera, San Francisco
"DO IT!"