After years of hard work, I finally completed my film and placed it on the independent film distribution platform Distribber. I actually placed on there after being on one of Jason Brubaker's webinars (founder of Filmmaking stuff.com). I invested ($1,600) to place my film up on iTunes and Amazon.
They were able to put it up! I was so excited!! It made about $200 thus far and I was off to the races! But I began to realize that Distribber's website began to act poorly and poor customer service followed. I began digging for info and came across Indie film hustle's show where he discusses the company (Distribber) basically going through bankruptcy. He discusses how filmmakers were not being paid for what their films were earning on their respective platforms! And then I realized that I wasn't paid for my film and got radio silence from the company after I requested the money my film earned from each platform.
I'm now in the hole $1600 bucks + $200 of lost sales.
Would you guys have any advice with respect to what to do with my film from here? Back to Film Festival Method? Find another film distributor and risk another internal financial collapse?
-Allan
Here is a trailer for the film in case you're curious, but please if there's any advice I'd love it right about now.
Thanks, fellow filmmakers!
Film trailer youtube link in case anyone is curious.
sorry to hear about it. i ‘attended’ many of their webinars and met with one of their reps at AFM in 2017. it just felt like a huge risk for the type of ultra low-budget docs i have. a friend who did sign a contract--but then was rejected and got all her money back except the processing fee--recommended Film Hub and Indie Rights. i like Vimeo’s VOD myself as their fees are pretty low compared to others. but you have to be your own marketing dept., of course, and get folks to find your films.
Thanks Yayoi! I'll look into film hub and indie rights!
it's really an outrage how much time and personal money we put into our projects only to be ripped off. i wish you much luck going forward, Allan.