You’ finished your documentary film.  You’re exhausted but excited.  The long hours and hard work paid off.  You have a finished project you’re proud to show. So, now what? If you set up a plan to target distributors and market your film to the public, you’re ahead of the game. Start implementing your plan and […]

You see your job as director or producer (or both) but not as marketer.  Well, if you want to maximize your chances of getting your film out there, it’s time to get comfortable with this new role.  Whether you promote and PR your film on your own or hire a firm to do it for you, you […]

What makes or breaks most films? It’s the buzz, the anticipation, the excitement (or lack of it). And nothing can create that buzz more effectively than the media. Being featured in the media, gives you the validation and credibility of being newsworthy. If you work it right, media begets more media and the snowball effect […]

Calling all Filmmakers:  On August 26th I and my associate, Verena King @VerenaKingPR (who will be focusing on social media), will be giving a PR for Filmmakers Workshop, a part of the AOF Film Festival.  Is this important? It is if you’re a filmmaker. Why? Because, you want your film to succeed. What makes or breaks most […]

It used to be that a film company would spend the same amount of money marketing a film as it would spend producing a film.  The P&A, or prints and advertising would include the prints, advertising, PR, screening, basically anything that had to do with getting the film out to the public and creating a […]

Let’s start with a multiple choice pop quiz that includes just one question: Why do filmmakers make films? 1)     Because they’re bored and have nothing else to do. 2)     Because they have too much money and don’t know how else to spend it. 3)     Because they want to watch it in their room, by themselves, […]

For years I had heard good things about Del Weston’s Action On Film International Film Festival and Writers Event (which will be hosted in Monrovia, California this August).  I’d also heard about the launch of Del’s Action On Film TV talk show which goes out nationally via Time Warner Cable, Champion Broadband, PEG Media and […]

The last blog I wrote told the story of a new type of client that I’ve been encountering.  Well, they’re not actually clients, they’re creative holiday gift givers.  These are people who give the gift of PR. Spurred on by these creative PR gift givers, we decided to try and make the giving a bit easier […]

Film festivals are definitely one approach to market and showcase your film and one I would encourage any filmmaker to consider.  But using that as your sole approach can backfire.  Let’s say one of your primary goals is to show your film at film festivals, particularly at the top festivals.  Fine, the film festival route […]

The film festival route is certainly a viable one when it comes to promoting and marketing your film, but keep in mind that’s not the only route.  Plenty of independent films land a distributor and find an audience going different routes altogether.  Regardless of whether you go the film festival route or have another strategy, […]