Distribution

Thanks for sharing, Jack Binder. Oh, Hi sounds interesting. I'm looking forward to seeing it! Glad it's getting a theater release!

Pavel Starikin, so many filmmakers think the hardest part is making the film, but getting people to care, connect, and choose to watch it is a whole different challenge. Visibility without clarity won’t get you far. I’d love to hear more about your approach, especially around identifying the hook and reaching the right audience. Do you have a favorite success story from a film you’ve worked on that really cracked the code?

Maurice Vaughan Absolutely, Maurice! A strong hook is the difference between getting noticed and getting ignored. And posters, trailers, and promo materials set the emotional tone before the viewer even presses play. Have you seen a recent indie film that nailed the hook and promo?

Ashley Renee Smith You’re spot on, Ashley. The hardest part isn’t just making a great film—it’s making people care enough to watch it. Identifying the hook and matching it to the right audience is key.

As for me, my favorite success stories is our first film Cheers, Maestro!—a 25-minute short we shot back in 2007. It did great on the festival circuit, won multiple awards, and even screened at Cannes Short Film Corner. But in terms of revenue? Zero. We haven't received any distributing deals so we had to start self-distributing.

For years, I struggled with finding the right strategy—until we started applying think we called later the Audience Engineering. Instead of just putting it out there and hoping for the best, we tested different hooks for different audiences. We set up a paid link on our own site and ran targeted campaigns, adjusting messaging to what resonated most.

Today, the film is still generating revenue, and we’ve refined our approach down to 6-7 specific audience segments, each with a tailored hook. It’s proof that with the right strategy, even an indie short can have a long and profitable life.

Curious—what’s a film that really grabbed you with its hook?

The Substance, Pavel Starikin. They nailed the hook and promo. Did you see the movie?

From the internet: "Some estimates suggest that from announcement to release, the average time for a Hollywood movie is around 871 days (just under 2 and a half years)"

If you release just a 2 minute video showing behind the scenes or interviews with cast and crew, you're giving out 1,742 minutes of information about your movie for literally free given what social media you use. Set up a website with daily updates and direct the audience to the material. If you divide that into 30 seconds commercials, that's 58 commercials spread over 30 months. That's literally a commercial every two weeks whether it's a trailer, a teaser, or BTS video.

Now some distribution companies won't distribute you because "You gave away too much of the movie." That's a lot of crap. They just can't overcharge you for marketing ploys that don't work anymore. From the first day of shooting to the wrap party, if the entire world doesn't know about your movie, you have failed your own project. There's still time during post production to correct that.

The bottom line is if you can create your own buzz, distribution companies will come to you and you'll be in a better position to get a fair deal. If they block you out or try and force you into making a terrible deal, make a video about it. The American audience is tired of corruption. They are tired of corruption in our politics and they are tired of corruption in Hollywood. Their disapproval over a small campaign for a beer product completely created massive losses for that company. Disney's Snow White is a literal black hole sucking profit into the void before it's release.

Don't be the victim. Make a great product that audiences will be entertained by and you can hold the cards. It's all about crafting a masterpiece that people will find escape in watching before they have to go back to work.

$2B+ at the box office! That's phenomenal, Sam Sokolow! I didn't see any promo for this movie on social media or streaming. I think this means more Chinese blockbusters will get made worldwide (including Hollywood), but there are some factors and obstacles that studios and companies have to consider.

Great topic, Ashley Renee Smith. I've heard of filmmakers planning for distribution during development. I think that's smart because they're planning ahead and if the distribution plan falls through, a filmmaker will have time before the film is done to find another distribution option.

I'd like to know if a single filmmaker here has conversations with a distributor before the film is done.

I suspect most people at our level, if they've completed a feature, just submit when it's done and hope they find a distro who can offer them the best deal.

I'm excited for The Last of Us Season 2, Squid Game Season 3, and Alien: Earth, Sam Sokolow!

Sam Sokolow, I'm particularly pumped for Daredevil, The Last of Us season 2, Ginny & Georgia season 3, and Squid Game season 3. I already watched XO Kitty season 2, and it was great. And I'm LOVING the new seasons of Yellowjackets and White Lotus, which I'm watching week to week right now.

Sam Sokolow Of course, Handmaid's Tale is what I'm waiting for.

Great strategies for indie filmmakers, Ashley Renee Smith! I'm not on TikTok, but I've seen filmmakers use YouTube Shorts. Movie clips, behind-the-scenes clips, teaser trailers, and interview clips.

You know I fricking love this Ashley Renee Smith. TikTok is my absolute happy place.

I have used FilmHub before, and they are reputable. Using FilmHub for Prime has some advantages depending on your film and the genre. If you definitely want your film to be considered in foreign markets, then pick 3-4 languages upfront and complete the captions beforehand, especially the languages that align with Prime. ( ie, Spanish, German, Japanese, French, Portuguese) If you pass QC you should be good. Best of luck.

Thanks Joe. Do you know this from experience? Someone else told me Filmhub doesn’t handle foreign captions well (doesn’t submit or screws it up).

I think this is a great distribution opinion for creatives, Debbie Elicksen! I've seen a lot of people on Twitch, so there's definitely opportunity for creatives to get eyes on their movies, shows, games, scripts, etc. Thanks for the idea and advice!

I have a friend in LA who produces a top rated show for Twitch Sports and its a business. They have eyeballs and sponsors and the production is pretty robust (they'll shoot a ton of episodes in a day but they do 3 a day on Wheel of Fortune). There are options out there for creatives that just didn't exist only a few years ago. Really great share, Debbie Elicksen.

This is such a valuable discussion, Debbie Elicksen! The landscape of distribution has shifted so much, and non-traditional platforms are creating incredible opportunities for independent creators. I love the idea of influencer partnering. So many filmmakers focus on traditional marketing methods, but tapping into engaged niche communities through collaboration could be a game-changer.

Twitch is a great example of an underutilized platform for film and storytelling. The live engagement aspect alone allows for real-time interaction with audiences, which is something that traditional streaming services can’t offer in the same way. I’ve also seen filmmakers experiment with Discord communities to build direct relationships with their audience.

You make a great point about not relying on a single platform for distribution. Diversification is key, especially with how unpredictable the digital space can be.

An increase of nearly 20 million subscribers is huge, Amanda Toney! Netflix is one of my go-to streaming services now, and I'm glad they're doing live events.

It’s always fascinating to see how Netflix’s subscriber base has evolved over the years. The steady growth, even with increased competition from other streaming platforms, really highlights how they’ve managed to adapt and innovate. It would be interesting to see how their numbers compare to Disney+, Prime Video, and other major players over the same timeframe.

Thanks for the insight, Mike Boas. I didn't know there were distro companies that only offer physical media. I think offering physical media and streaming is the best idea, but then the company has to think about the cost of doing both.

Keep in mind that if a producer decides to add DVD to distribution, the manufacturing costs, freight costs , return of unsold product ( additional freight costs), and sometimes warehouse space will be costs the distributor recoups.. It will cut into the bottom line…

Good idea to keep that in mind, Lindbergh E Hollingsworth. Thanks.

Certainly people collect DVDs / BluRays. Niche thing...but still a thing. But if you've noticed, there isn't huge real estate in box stores anymore for DVDs, etc. It's mainly A-List movies that get shelf space. Most indies are MOD (manufactured on demand)

I've noticed that, Stephen Folker. I've also noticed that people are going to video stores, thrift stores, etc. to get physical media since box stores are moving away from it.

That's what every study is showing, Maurice Vaughan. Awareness matters. Imagine that. Throw into the mix you have people like Sean Baker using his award season platform banging the drum for longer theatrical windows and the CEO of AMC today calling for the return of the traditional 60+-day theatrical window and maybe, just maybe, more suits will come to their senses.

I'm glad Sean Baker and the CEO of AMC spotlighted those things, Richard "RB" Botto! The movie Companion came out on streaming in less than three weeks.

International is where it's at, or Canada. ;) Richard "RB" Botto

Certainly more conviction in pockets internationally, Debbie Elicksen

Expanding their international distribution arm will open up more opportunities for global reach. Definitely exciting news!

Climb on up!

Sam Sokolow It's fun to see the certification program expand over time.