There are two primary areas where most filmmakers and authors into roadblocks. The first is marketing/PR and the second is distribution. That has pretty much always been the case with independent filmmakers but now, with the film industry in such flux and more competitive than ever, it’s becoming even more of a challenge. For writers, […]
Fiction can generally reveal truth more powerfully than fact. And in these times when the definition of what we once knew as facts and truth is melting every bit as fast as glaciers, fiction is perhaps more needed than ever. These are chaotic unsettling times. These are times of walls, fear and suspicion. The rancor […]
The film world has been going through seismic changes. Just as the music world was rocked and in many ways redefined by the internet, the film world is being reshaped and restructured. Not long ago prestige projects were only shown on the big screen, with cable and streaming, it’s now a whole new ballgame. An […]
Film festivals can be seductive. They offer more avenues to get your feature film viewed. In reality, that has its upside and its downside. Hundreds of films are now shown at film festivals and nowhere else. It’s as though they’re locked in an alternative universe. That can make it feel as though there is movement […]
Whether you’ve signed with a major publishing house, a boutique publisher or have self-published your book, there is one constant… You need to market! Unless you have very deep pockets, your best bet is going to be a combination of a public relations outreach combined with a social media campaign Why PR? Because public relations […]
Long ago, before those now-famed dogs had ever found the reservoir, I was a partner in video and film production company. Our offices in Westwood, California, were we next to an entrepreneur whose stepson used to spend a good deal of time there. Eventually the stepson also moved into the office space. He was, well, […]
To start, keep in mind that marketing your book, is different than marketing yourself as an author. A book can be an engine that helps pull the train, but the overall train is your image and brand as a writer. One of the problems I’ve had working with large publishing houses is that they focus […]
Truth is, whether you're a self-published author, have signed with a boutique publishing firm or have landed a contract with one of the major houses – You need to launch your own PR campaign For example, one of the most confusing (and generally disheartening) conversations I have with authors who have signed with a traditional […]
I was contacted by a filmmaker recently who was interested in garnering PR for her film. She described it as a love story. It had no name actors, there was no particular media hook or angle that she could explain, the film did not have a timely element. It didn’t have a particular news-oriented hook. […]
Although filmmakers are storytellers, this is a skill they often forget when it comes to launching a public relations campaign for their films. They have a tendency to mistakenly shift gears and go from telling stories to selling products and the last thing that the media wants is to be sold. Remember, the presentations that […]