We launched the first cohort of the 6 Month Distribution Intensive this morning and it was so much fun!! I forgot how much I have missed leading a collaborative educational environment since leaving the IFP/Gotham Filmmaker lab after helping to run it for 10 years.
Today we focused on the subject I harp on so much – knowing what the goal is for the release of your film. Pick one of these 4: Career, Change the World, Money, or Audience/Reach. Any thing else (like selling to Netflix, getting into Sundance etc – are just tactics to serve that primary goal). Nearly all filmmakers want all 4 – but only a few films out of tens of thousands do that every year – maybe only 1. Some films get an additional goal – or half an additional goal. But I find it essential to pick one and guide your campaign by it – you can pivot later – if and when needed – but if you pivot to soon or too many times – most likely you won’t achieve any one goal with any impact. In the Intensive (which I keep wanting to call a Lab) next week we start 1×1 consults and discuss the current distribution landscape and what a split rights/hybrid scenario looks like. We have a number of films on the wait list so I’m starting another cohort in February. If interested, click here to learn more.