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 […]

Paul McCartney once called "God Only Knows" "The greatest song ever written." Others have echoed that sentiment: Pharrell, Elton John, Lorde and more sing 'God Only Knows. My wife and I have always been Beach Boy fans. Before the two of us met, their music served as a soundtrack for us both. That said, this […]

You’ve finished your film. Great. So, what is your marketing and public relations gameplan? You have no idea how many filmmakers balk at that question. The truth is that particular question should have been answered long before the film was shot. That’s a question to answer early in preproduction. If you’re smart, you don’t even […]

Finishing a film is step one. If you’ve done so congratulations. I know from experience that that can be a difficult, albeit rewarding journey. Now that you have a film, what’s your next step? Creating your project is step one, but if you don’t follow through with step two which is PR and marketing, you […]

Coming up with a viable distribution strategy, or landing a distribution deal that is truly going to give your film a chance to succeed is, without a doubt, the most unnerving part of the film making process. There is quite a lot you need to consider when shopping for the best distribution deal. Your most […]

It’s not so much that the Oscars have lost their relevance in the film world as it is that the film world has lost its relevance when it comes to the art of filmmaking. The Oscars nominated some interesting, deserving films. The problem was, almost no one had seen them. “American Sniper” got buzz, but […]