Help us bring two panels to SXSW 2026: New Hope for Distribution and Culture Under Fire
Join me in conversation with three bold voices reshaping the indie landscape:
- Max Reisinger (Creator Camp)
- Kurt Ravenwood (Hundreds of Beavers)
- Munir Atalla (Watermelon Pictures)
This session dives into the radical, emerging models filmmakers are using right now—from creator-led cinematic universes to grassroots-powered SVOD platforms, theatrical roadshows, and new ways to sidestep algorithmic suppression.
Key Takeaways
- How online fandoms are filling real-life theaters—no traditional studio needed
- Why keeping your rights = unlocking actual revenue.
- How to thrive despite platform censorship (yep, even the dreaded shadowban).
- Some reading, if you’re curious:
- Creator Camp is doing what A24 and Netflix won’t
- 2025’s New Indie Distributors
- The Definitive Hundreds of Beavers Case Study
- Culture Under Fire: Storytelling for Public Power
- This one comes from our friends at the Future Film Coalition.
- Public libraries, theaters, and arts institutions face growing threats from budget cuts, censorship, and consolidation—but remain vital to civic life. This panel unites the Future Film Coalition (FFC), American Library Association (ALA), and Americans for the Arts (AFTA) to share concrete strategies for defending public cultural infrastructure. From local advocacy to national coalition-building, panelists will offer tools to help artists and communities protect access, uphold free expression, and strengthen an equitable media ecosystem.
- Jax Deluca Interim Director – Future Film Coalition
- Erin Harkey Executive Director Americans for the Arts (AFTA)
- Barbara Twist Executive Director Film Festival Alliance
- A Representative from American Libraries Association (ALA) TBD
- Takeaway 1: Concrete Tools for Local Advocacy: Learn how to attend council meetings, submit comments, and organize to protect cultural institutions.
- Takeaway 2: Cross-Sector Coalition-Building: Explore how artists, libraries, and filmmakers can build coalitions to defend equitable access to culture.
- Takeaway 3: Demystifying Government Systems: Understand how public institutions are funded and how to engage civic processes to defend public resources.
- If either (or both!) of these panels resonate with you, please vote and share.
- Thank you so much for being part of this community — and for helping champion new voices, bold ideas, and a more equitable creative ecosystem.
- Until next time,
- Jon. https://jonreiss.substack.com/p/its-panel-picker-season