From all facets of a traditional raise to soft money to crowdfunding strategies, this is the place to discuss, share content and offer tips and advice regarding raising funds for a project.
Most funding conversations feel unpredictable to creators.
One investor leans in.
Another pulls back.
A third goes silent.
It can feel personal, emotional, or arbitrary.
But upstream, the evaluation is almost always the same.
Every investor — whether private equity, a lender, a producer, or a friend...
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PART 1 — “The Invisible Problem: Most Creative Projects Aren’t Structurally Fundable.”
Most creators think their funding challenges come from:
- not knowing investors
- not having a big enough network
- not having the right pitch deck
- not having a producer attached
- not having a track record
But...
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Most creators think they’re stuck because they don’t have funding.
But the real friction usually comes from not answering three upstream financial questions:
1. What is the project for — and what job is the funding supposed to do?
(Development, production, post, working capital, etc.)
2. What is the...
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As we close in on the end of the 2025 box office year here are the industry leading estimates for theatrical grosses from our colleagues at Comscore:
Jack Binder This captures all in 2025... https://www.intense.pictures/industry/analyze.php?year=2025&action=full_......
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Must-watch video for anyone looking for film financing, Amanda Toney! Thanks for sharing it.
I have not succeed at crowdfunding the initial funds for my psychological thriller whodunit mystery feature film.
I’m building a team to do it, but can barely find people to crowdfund with us for a Producer Credit.
What are the biggest tips on crowdfunding besides having a team to crowdfund with and y...
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Hi, Alicia McClendon. A short video of the producer/director talking about the film and photos/concept art help get me to donate to a crowdfunding campaign....
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As I develop the boilerplate for the contracts I use in development, I wonder if it might make sense to include a clause along the following lines:
MEANING OF WORDS AND PHRASES:
A word or phrase explicitly defined in this contract, shall have the meaning ascribed to them by the definition in this con...
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Would like to hear your thoughts on "how to assert control over net proceeds subject to disbursement to investors." If you care to share.
That seems the term most likely to be litigated. So with respect to a PPM and other documents defining one's relationship with investors, I would not leave it to the guilds or a law dictionary to defi...
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Hugh Esco You’re overthinking this. What you’re describing is called a ‘Definitions’ clause (sometimes labeled ‘Defined Terms’). It’s standard in many contracts, especially in loans and investment ori...
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The next episode of David Zannoni’s vlog series “TALKING BUSINESS: Insights from the Independent Film Industry” is out!
In today’s episode, David of Freeway Entertainment and Zannoni Media and Gregg Ramer of Ramer Entertainment Law unpack how financing intersects with distribution, how recoupment i...
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This is a term I hear batted around quite a lot now that I have a team of producers looking for the most economical way to produce my next script.
"Let's take the Sean Baker approach!" they say. A ten-person crew and pizza for lunch every day. I'm oversimplifying their intent, but you get the idea. M...
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I've heard of producers using the Sean Baker approach, Michael Fitzer, MFA. This is my first time hearing of the term though. If a producer wants to use the Sean Baker approach with pizzas, they could...
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Well I just finished principal photography on my first no budget or micro budget feature a couple of weeks ago and am ni in post. We shot for about 12 days. A contemporary comedy feature where we coul...
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Epic franchise sci-fi, faith-based, horror thriller top the box office weekend.
Most creators know their work has value — but very few have a framework that captures, protects, and structures that value for long‑term leverage. That’s where IP‑Backed Security Entitlements (IPBSEs) come in.
An IPBSE is a way to treat your intellectual property — your script, series bible, documen...
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One of the biggest shifts happening in creative finance right now is the recognition that intellectual property itself carries measurable value — even before production begins.
A script, a series bible, a documentary concept, or a transmedia world isn’t just “development material.” It’s a value‑bear...
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