From film festival strategies to theatrical to VOD to online options to finding and securing a sales agent the place to discuss, share content and offer tips and advice on all things related to the distribution process
Now this is interesting. Netflix has always used the ‘subscribers first’ model and avowed not to do what they are doing here, or at least what is being claimed in the article. Any thoughts on this move, or non-move, by the streamer?
Mind you, I hope it’s going to be at a cinema near me, and not just...
Expand post
It’s not often we see a week that redefines the entertainment landscape, but this one might just qualify.
According to Deadline’s in-depth report (read it here: https://deadline.com/2025/10/warner-bros-discovery-deal-suitors-1236596524/), Warner Bros. Discovery, the powerhouse behind Warner Bros., HB...
Expand post
Ashley Renee Smith When oligarchs and companies monopolize industries and platforms, nobody wins.
Ashley Renee Smith The continued move from cartel to monopoly. No sea changes, just the continued expansion of control over distribution and message which was put on steroids in 2019 when the DOJ set...
Expand comment
*I said 2019 but I actually don't recall the year. It was pretty recent.
This is from June, so I'm not sure anyone has posted this yet. If we've learned anything about entertainment on this platform is that there is a wide global reach.
https://techafricanews.com/2025/06/09/canal-expands-netflix-partnership-......
Expand post
No, most film festivals accept films from established and non-established filmmakers. It's all depends on story, talent and quality of the film. Many act as launching pads for new and indie filmmakers. They also act as market places for filmmakers to sell their films.
Agreed. I have submitted to many film festivals from I was emerging till now and I have been accepted and rejected alike. I have won, been a finalist, semi-finalist and Quarter-Finalist. I have met gr...
Expand comment
This story came across my inbox today -- it is a must read for lessons in getting your rights back. It originally piqued my interest because I am in early discussions on a project of mine that got picked up out of turnaround (after being bought outright 6 years ago). Rebecca from "Dear Producer" int...
Expand post
An interesting article. Two comments: 1. A bankruptcy clause in your distro agreement is unlikely if for no other reason than the distributor themselves will likely have no leverage to put it into the...
Expand comment
Khurram Suhrwardy (subtitler, translator, and owner of Caption Easy) talks about crafting a post-production script for festivals and distribution in today’s blog.
Have you ever made a post-production script? What’s been your experience? Share it in the comments below or the blog comments.
www.stage32...
Expand post
Thanks Maurice Vaughan !
You're welcome, Debbie Elicksen. Have you made a post-production script?
Maurice Vaughan Thanks for the prod. Not yet. So much happened this year with being involved in 3 elections. But I did move my storyboard to my coffee table a while back where it sits there as a const...
Expand comment
You're welcome, Debbie Elicksen. I'm looking forward to hearing about your project when you're ready to share more about it!
In looking at the growth of global entertainment, here are a couple of highlights:
Global cinema revenue expected to rise from $33 billion in 2024 t...
Expand post
Debbie Elicksen The pwc report is interesting. It seems to suggest that younger consumers have little awareness of traditional media. This is certainly something a creator pays attention to. Youtube,...
Expand comment
Kenneth George Exactly. Even those who grew up with traditional media are gravitating to other platforms. It's so important to know who one's audience is before they decide on how to distribute their...
Expand comment
Taylor Swift continues to rewrite the playbook, this time at the box office. Her new film, Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl, opened to an incredible $34 million, making it one of the most successful album-related theatrical events in history.
Read more here:
Expand post
I think direct artist-to-fan marketing could continue disrupting traditional release strategies if the marketing is effective enough, Ashley Renee Smith. I think we'll see more musicians and creators...
Expand comment
So many artists, who go against tradition, show us the way. Ashley Renee Smith I remember Imagine Dragons performed a live concert but also streamed to everyone else on YouTube -- for free. It got me...
Expand comment
Ashley Renee Smith Grossing $50 million worldwide with a theatrical window of just 3 days is somewhat unusual and already places the project at #50 on the 2025 box office chart. Has she considered act...
Expand comment
There is a lot happening in the global marketplace.
The Korean music industry received a recent shot in the arm as China lifted its ban of Korean entertainment.Here is the K-pop story:
https://thebambooworks.com/k-pop-returns-to-china-but-asks-chinese-fans-......
Expand post
Here’s a great book on how to get your short film out there once it’s made. https://a.co/d/3Bge1gN
Thanks for sharing, Don Zorbas.
I have a question. My aunt is planning on showing a movie in a park for the public, and I'm assuming there's a license that needs to be paid since someone from the board of directors/town committee mentioned it to her. What licenses are needed and under copyright what would it go under, since it is...
Expand post
Aaron Wilcox I can't be sure, but licensing may differ from municipality to municipality, and then whoever owns the venue (city, province/state, federal). Backdrops might matter too, especially if it'...
Expand comment
It's not a one-size-fits-all and it's not about what you like or dislike. It's about your audience. I GUARANTEE you they are online. If they can stream Netflix, chances are they have a smartphone and a data plan. They're in social media, even if it's just Facebook. Depending on their age, demographi...
Expand post
Thanks for sharing the article, Debbie Elicksen. Must-read article and blogs! I mainly use Stage 32 and Twitter/X to network and pitch my scripts, and I've had the most success on them. I've found it...
Expand comment
I wonder what the social media "Follower" threshold is for people to want to look up a film... most people are followers and will go with popularity over curation.
Thank you for sharing.
Click next to the topics below to subscribe to a topic. means you're already subscribed.
Register / Log In
5 people like this
Shadow Dragu-Mihai but they do probably have a bigger footfall, Shadow. How do indie producers match that?
4 people like this
Geoff Hall You don't match that, not at this time. You build over time, like any other business in any other market dominated by a cartel or monopoly. Independent producers and platforms must have the...
Expand commentGeoff Hall You don't match that, not at this time. You build over time, like any other business in any other market dominated by a cartel or monopoly. Independent producers and platforms must have their own unique style and own unique titles, and should promote them direct to audience instead of giving them to studio-controlled distributors and platforms. That way there's a reason for people to come to them. That's the main reason why the major studios have all retreated from Netflix to their own platforms - you get Disney on Disney, etc. and no longer on Netflix. The logic applies even to them.
2 people like this
Shadow Dragu-Mihai hi again, Shadow. So it comes down to the indie producers developing a slate of projects over time, which creates the ‘house’ style over time. Direct to audience. Where does that st...
Expand commentShadow Dragu-Mihai hi again, Shadow. So it comes down to the indie producers developing a slate of projects over time, which creates the ‘house’ style over time. Direct to audience. Where does that stand at the moment? Are there any proven D2A models or success stories out there, that the community here, needs to know about?
2 people like this
This is a fascinating pivot. It feels like Netflix is finally acknowledging that a theatrical release isn't just a revenue stream, but a powerful marketing event that elevates the cultural status of a...
Expand commentThis is a fascinating pivot. It feels like Netflix is finally acknowledging that a theatrical release isn't just a revenue stream, but a powerful marketing event that elevates the cultural status of a property. For a finale of this magnitude, putting it in theaters makes it an "event" in a way that a streaming drop alone can't.
4 people like this
Geoff Hall That's a very good question. Yes, there are, but of course we are in a transitional period. It's hard to find actual filmmakers - independent streaming platforms tend to just want to be a N...
Expand commentGeoff Hall That's a very good question. Yes, there are, but of course we are in a transitional period. It's hard to find actual filmmakers - independent streaming platforms tend to just want to be a Netflix, and of course they can't compete. And filmmakers have over the years embraced the idea that they are just a client for major studios so they don't even think of themselves as entrepreneurs (which in the first 80 or so years of the industry, we all were). However, the transition is being led by individual creators, some of whom are personalities and some of whom I would classify as filmmakers. Joe Rogan and Tucker Carlson, both of whom left mainstream and now stream their own brand from their own platform. There is an open revolt by youtube channels who are going out on their own (for various reasons, mostly because they know YT cooks their stats and pays them fractions of the income they generate). Viva La Dirt League, Shawn Ryan Show and a growing list of others. It's a varied group but one thing they all have in common is that they have grown their own audience to the point that they can be heard above the noise. This is the point: they are distinctive and have developed their own brand over a number of years. I don't know of a streaming platform currently that can even do that, outside of the mainstream who of course have the decades of titles in their catalog. Having said that, our FilmPod platform has developed a structure that will do exactly that, with the Digital Box Office structure we developed at IPG. We have several projects on the slate right now which we are growing the paradigm around. Uncharted Freedom is a series that we just finished principal photography on, October 29. We are negotiating now with funders for two features to be produced in-house and two outside productions which we would co-produce.