DISTRIBUTION / SALES / MARKETING
"There is an inherent drama in every product. Our job is to dig for it and capitalize on it."
~ Leo Burnett
A curation of articles, podcasts, videos, and courses to help with your distribution, marketing, and sales adventure.
What are you struggling with?
Distribution • Sales • Marketing
DOWNLOADS
A collection of FREE forms, templates, and questionnaires:
Before you can start marketing, selling, and distributing your film, you'll need to "really" know what you're selling. And you'll be surprised it's not actually the film.
Here is a simple template for writing a press release in both Word Doc and Apple Pages.
Nigel R. Smith, over at Raindance has put together this helpful visual guide to distributing your short film.
SMALL BUSINESS ONLINE MARKETING GUIDE
Google created this FREE PDF download of everything you need to get started with marketing anything online ... including your film.
BOOKS
A collection of books on film distribution, general sales and marketing principles. (*These are affiliate links)
How to Make and Sell Your Film Online and Survive the Hollywood Implosion While Doing It
This book will help outline a new way of looking at your film, especially when it comes time to sell it online.
The Insider's Guide to Independent Film Distribution
If you want to play in the world of international film sales, then I can't think of anyone better than Stacey Parks to guide you and your film.
Jon Reiss has been a leader in the space of helping filmmakers transition into the digital era, adding to the concept coined by Peter Broderick, called, "Hybrid Distribution".
The Business of Media Distribution: Monetizing Film, TV, and Video Content in an Online World
The American Film Market (AFM) presents this book on the business of media distribution in terms of working in an online world.
An Internet Millionaire's Secret Formula To Sell Almost Anything Online, Build A Business You Love, And Live The Life Of Your Dreams. This book is a playbook on how to launch any product, including your film.
A fun look into the original "MadMen" on how, why, and what they dod to make effective advertisements for almost everything.
Trust Me, I'm Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator
If you want the honest truth of how and why anyone - including yourself - is easily swayed by information online, then look no further than this book by Ryan Holiday. Eye opening!
How to Win Friends & Influence People
If you want to win the game of influence and business success ... but in a way that doesn't sacrifice your moral and ethical beliefs, then this classic book is for you.
SOFTWARE
A collection of software and tools to help you, market your movie.
Twitter is the easiest and quickest way to build an audience for your film project. Utilize #hastags to locate your desired audience.
The easiest way to build your Twitter following is to use this tool. Quickly find people who may like your film's subject matter.
Use Bitly to shorten the links you want to share on Twitter and other social media platforms. Bitly also keeps track of how well each link performs online.
PODCASTS
A collection of podcasts and podcast episodes that cover different aspects of film distribution, sales and marketing process.
Stacey Parks of Film Specific has created this short series of case studies from her member's stories on film distribution.
How Amazon Prime Has Changed Indie Filmmaking & Much More with Linda Nelson of Indie Rights. This episode is full of useful tips to understanding film sales and distribution.
Alex Ferrari over at Indie Film Hustle always delivers the goods. Here is a collection of podcast episodes all on the topic of film distribution.
Craft Truck presents, Business of Film podcast. Sheri Candler, Digital Marketing Strategist shares tips on how best to market your film in today's digital landscape.
Richard Matson is the vice president of theatrical distribution at The Orchard, the distribution company behind the Oscar-nominated films Cartel Land and Life, Animated. The Orchard’s commitment to transparency stands in stark contrast to an industry-wide inclination to obscure distribution numbers, and they demonstrated that commitment by making the revenue streams for Cartel Land publicly available. Recently The Orchard made entertainment headlines again by spending $5 million to purchase Louis C.K.’s latest film, I Love You, Daddy, at the Toronto International Film Festival.
VIDEOS
A collection of videos to help with film sales, marketing, and distribution needs.
In this Film Marketing Friday session, we pull back the curtain to reveal the secret of who is really making money in the film business.
Selling is simple. Just be able to communicate it clearly on one page. Your your sales sheet is your movie poster.
In this Film Marketing Friday, I’ll illustrate how other indie filmmakers are properly using online marketing skills to sell their films … and the secret to what we really should be marketing.
This is one of my favorite Film Marketing Friday sessions. In this episode we expose how selling to one person clarifies how you need to market your film.
Film Courage has assembled 147 videos on the topic of film distribution. 147!
Focused on the oft-shifting landscape of independent film distribution, SAG special panel will explore several important topics.
How much is your film worth? Meet the industrious developers of these new online services to empower producers and directors. These interactive tools tap into social and public databases, from financing to marketing and direct audience engagement.
Technology has changed the game. Consumers can ignore advertising and marketing at will. To break through the clutter, brands need to tell remarkable stories worth listening to and become the media in the process.
COURSES
A collection of online courses that you can take right now to help with film sales, marketing, and distribution. (*Affiliate links)
- Understand the things they need to do before they start their film so that they will be able to make a distribution deal.
- Get an idea of the key documents and video files they will need to give to distribution companies.
- Understand the fastest and most effective way for building a fan base.
- Learn the best launch sequence for a film from Film Festivals to Theatrical to VOD Release.
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*AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE:
In most cases, I may be an affiliate for products that I recommend within any of my blog posts, video blogs, and audio podcasts.
What does this mean?
If you purchase items through my links I will earn a commission. You will not pay more when buying a product through my link. This is the way a lot of bloggers make little bits of money.
So, if you feel inclined to purchase any of the goods or services that I provide links to, then you can say to yourself, "Hey, I know that by using this affiliate link when making my purchase, it'll help Scott out."
This helps me to continue to offer you lots of free stuff. 🙂 Thank you, in advance for your support!
