Financing / Crowdfunding : Ask Me Anything (AMA) 11/8 to 11/9- Creating a Business Plan for Your Feature. by Jeanette B. Milio

Can screenwriters apply this to lure producers and financiers?

@Anthony Mc Bride. Yes. Screenwriters can put together a pitch deck business plan for their project to present to produces and financiers. In fact, I'm teaching a lab class on Stage32 right now how to do this, and the majority of students in the class are writers.

I'm having trouble with the revenue portion for a new podcast I've started. We have a promo. We're syndicated globally with listeners in 120 cities in 24 countries. I'm looking for funding.

As I put the numbers together, costs I can deal with. I'm very good at cost projections and management. But for this, I'm not sure how to best present the opportunity to interest someone who might offer funding. The concept and what we are doing is one thing; the business opportunity is another. I can point to the value of what we are doing. But what I have for the business opportunity is more about audience numbers than ROI. It seems too vague. I know how to set up the sheets for a technical development project, But we're developing a show, not software. I'm missing something.

This is nice of you to do for the Stage-32'ers family, Jeanette. Thank you. Continued success.

Terri Morgan I'm not sure what your Podcast entails, in detail, but would say that a good source for reliable projections for any project would be a Sales Agent, who would sell/distribute the project. If the sales agent is bankable, their numbers are likely not going to be vague, as they base their projections on the project elements such as the script, genre, audience rating, cast, director, producer and the budget range.

Hi, Jeanette. Thanks for having this AMA. What are the three most important things to have in a film business plan? Jeanette B. Milio

Thanks Jeanette B. Milio But unfortunately, finding any sort of agent has been the problem and why I'm producing and directing the show from my original script. I don't know how someone else would value me and my team or what "audience rating" (PG) means for funding. I'm not a big name in your world. So I'm guessing they would give me a zero value. I'm worth quite a bit more than that. If I hadn't decided to go ahead, I would have nothing - no book, no script, no show, no podcast, nothing - and could be waiting for years to even have a conversation with someone who knows the answers that I don't have. Since it was an AMA, I was hoping for something more tangible that I could directly use.

HI Jeanette B. Milio - Thanks a ton for doing this AMA. I took your "Film Financing Today" course and it was fantastic and one that I highly recommend. As a follow up to that, what do financiers/producers look for in a content provider that they may be interested in partnering with?

Hi Jeanette B. Milio! Thanks for doing this AMA! I'm curious, what's the most common mistake you see from filmmakers/writers who are putting together pitches/business plans for their projects?

Jeanette B. Milio, thank you for making yourself available to the community! What is the best first step for putting your business plan together?

In a screenwriter pitch deck for an indie film in the 50k range what percentage of the budget should be allocated for marketing?

Hi Jeanette B. Milio. I am in your class. It is fascinating. When you decided to enter the world of financing and producing film and television what is the biggest lesson you learned?

David Santo Lets break down what "marketing" could mean in relation to a film. There is the portion that goes into the budget, which is applied to marketing the film at film markets / festivals, and it is the portion that is paid to a sales agent who is marketing the film at film markets. I have spent anywhere from $25K to $150K - depending on the film-for this kind of marketing. This amount was budgeted as a "publicity" line item. Then, there is the marketing of a film in theaters, that is the marketing portion related to the film's release campaign. Depending on the size of the release (limited or wide theatrical release) the release campaign could be anywhere from the same amount as the budget to twice the budget and even more. This marketing expense is not in the budget. It is added as "P&A" (=Print and Advertising) applied once the film is finished. Coming back to your specific $50K film, I would say it is all about the film, incl. the genre, the story, the audience you want to reach, etc. That needs to be defined first, and then one can establish the best plan to market the film.

@Martin Reese - I'm glad to have you in my class. Can't wait for our second session next Sunday. We'll talk about Distribution, and all that comes with it ... Should be fun.

Hi Jeanette, I learned a LOT from you in your business sessions and have now produced a pilot episode of Reggie Rabbit and the Search for the Golden Carrot, including a Hollywood style premiere at a local theatre. My question - in going forward to pitch the series (for kids 7 - 11) how important will it be for me, as a newbie producer, to contract with a production house for making the next episodes in season one? My concern is that without a well established production facility on board the studios or streamers or investors will consider the risk of actually getting the episodes made as very high. Do I need to contract production before pitching?

So fantastic to have you here, as always Jeanette B. Milio. Some incredible responses already. Keep those questions coming!

Yeah Jeanette B. Milio got me wanting to get into the financier game. LOL!

Hi Jeanette B. Milio thanks for being here for AMA! I have a documentary that needs finishing funds. I know in the past documentaries weren't known as money makers as far as outside money to finance. How do you feel about documentaries and is there anything you would recommend to make it a project that would spark an investor's interest? Any advice would be helpful.

Xochi Blymyer In general, it seems that documentaries are in demand today. They can me "moneymakers" as you say. It all depends on the documentary itself or course, how well it is produced and how interesting and globally viable the story is. That goes for buyers as well as financiers. Without knowing details it is hard to say what the value of your specific documentary is. Feel free to send me some more information on it, so I can take a look and see if we can be helpful with the finishing funds. You can DM me.

@richard - Thank you :) Always happy to here.

Hi William Baker - great to see you here and congrats on moving forward on "Reggie Rabbit and the Search for the Golden Carrot". In my personal opinion, you do not need to "contract" a production house, but engage a seasoned Executive Producer instead. Someone familiar with the kind of content you are selling. Research shows that are similar to yours, then take note of the Executive Producer on these shows and contact them with yours.

Hi Shane - Thank you - I truly enjoy working with the Stage32 community

Emily J - GREAT question. Mistake 1: The deck is not visually appealing. We work in film. Beautiful visuals that support the mood, tone, world and genre of the content are important. Mistake 2: Decks are too long. No one reads a 50-page deck. Let's be real. Keep it under 20 pages. Mistake 3: Content is unclear. When reading deck I want to know the gist of the story (log line) a short summary that reflects the story and genre and pulls me in, a character description that describes character traits, conflicts, challenges and arcs. Mistake 4: Unclear Target Audience. Understand your audience and gear your project toward that. Mistake 5: No / wrong comparables. Give me three comparable projects that are in the same genre and tone and budget size than yours, so I understand your vision. Mistake 6: No Director. You need a director for me - a financier / buyer - to understand what the project entails (if you don't have one, make a suggestion and tell me why you target them). Mistake 7: No Financials. As a financier and producer, I need to see numbers. Research and establish the numbers (budget range, projections, preliminary finance plan, ROI) that could make sense for your project. They can be a range - that is fine. Mistake 8: No Distribution Strategy : Research the distribution options relating to your project and establish your plan. Nothing has to be signed or written in stone yet (that's fine)- but give me an idea of the strategy you have in mind for your project. Hope these pointers help a little...

@Leonardo - I can't speak for all financiers and producers, but I can say that we are always looking for globally viable content in feasible budget ranges. Scripted and non-scripted. Film genes include: comedy, thriller, action. Non-scripted: Anything that interesting and relevant today, and - most importantly- entertaining.

@Maurice - three most important elements of a business plan pitch deck include: Creative (story & character), Distribution (strategy), Financials (preliminary)

@Terri - Most newcomers need to combine forces with an experienced producer to move any idea forward. I have not produced podcasts and am not the ideal person to advise on that. If you are talking about content from your podcast that you want to make into a film / TV series, all the steps and pointers I have been talking about in answering some of the other questions, apply to you. You need a proper business plan pitch deck (which is what this AMA is discussing), and you need to do your research on what that would look like for your project.

Thanks for the 8 Mistakes response. Great content and areas to note. I'm sure there are lots more but at least we can NOT make these.

Ok, thanks, @Jeanette B. Milio. Incredible AMA! Once I get back on my computer, I'm gonna copy and paste your answers. Thanks again for having this AMA!

Maurice Vaughan - Wonderful.

William Baker - LOL - Looking forward :)

Hi Jeanette B. Milio, Sorry to have missed you at AFM. Hopefully we can catch up soon. My question to you is: Are there 3 types of pitch decks? Like you mentioned with @Maurice or is it all included in 1 pitch deck?

Hi Jeanette B. Milio , Thanks for doing this! For new producers, what are your top suggestions for what they should educate themselves on when creating the package or deck to go out to investors/buyers? Since producers all have different strengths are there things that everyone should know no matter what? Knowing how to create a budget from scratch, understanding the language and terms of waterfalls, how to effectively attach talent, etc.

@Niki - Producers have the job of managing the creative and the business aspect of a project. That is the case for newcomers and experienced producers. Every project is a little like a business "start-up' in that way. The job of a producer who wants to produce globally viable films is to a) develop the script that attracts meaningful talent, b) put together a strong business plan pitch deck (using what we have pointed out today in this AMA) to attract financiers and parallel establish a distribution path in either working with Sales Agent to selling the rights to a buyer (studio, network streamer). To your point, I agree that producers have different strength, and some may just be good at doing development (creative Producers), others are good with financing and distribution (Executive Producers). That is why movies often have many producer credits. However, none of these producers can work on anything unless the lead producer makes the project happen. And that is balancing the creative and financial elements in away that the project can be feasible and profitable. And yes, you are right. They need to know how to work with writers and how to guide them to deliver a strong script, they need to package the talent (director and actors), establish a path for distribution (licensing / pick-up), develop a deck, create a preliminary finance plan with a waterfall that leads to a projected profit,

Really appreciate the opportunity to ask questions Jeanette B. Milio The newcomer plus someone who is already experienced concept is standard. When I was competing internationally, the "newcomers" were always considered less than until they proved that they were capable. For my part, as a teacher and judge, I tried to help everyone as best I could. After all, they were going to be the next generation. The teachers who were on the sidelines were always interested in those who could perform. I can only hope that your particular universe is not that much different. Thanks for offering the chance to ask questions. Just being able to ask is an amazing opportunity.

Terri Morgan - I truly appreciate your kind feedback.

On a positive note - THE STRIKE IS OVER - everyone! Finally !

Sasha Tomas - sorry I missed you at AFM. It was a bit of a "zoo". For films, there is a "creative deck" that excludes financials (and sometimes distribution), and there is a business plan kind-of deck that includes financials. What I mentioned to Maurice above is what belongs into a Business Plan Pitch deck.

V e r y interested in the "PHASE IX. Distribution" setup in the executive pitch deck or investor PPM. Recently met with the NIKE corporation about investor startup capital and presell commercial avails for our entertainment IP, and while we did include a healthy, detailed, and proposed distribution section with dist. model comparisons, etc., they saw right through the hour-glass and voiced, "We really love this; it's fresh and exciting; get back to us as soon as you get the distribution outlined in your prospectus." So the question is, how do you write a convincing proposed distribution section when financing hinges on actual distribution?

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge, Jeanette B. Milio ! I am learning a lot reading your answers. As a Film Composer I am often asked when I like to be involved in a project and my answer is always: "the sooner, the better", not only for creative reasons, but also because I can give options to be considered when it comes to the budget for a full music score. Planning in advance avoids cutting corners later in the process.

Elena Maro You are right about planning in advance to avoid cutting corners. Music is one area we’re producers are often forced to find ways to adjust this line item as one option to save.

Pidge Jobst Most film financiers understand that distribution is potentially not all signed and sealed at the time a deal is made. I can’t speak for Nike, but the way maybe one option could be that a deal is structured “subject to .,,” certain distribution agreements to be concluded before the release of funds. That is something we do on projects if distribution is not in place yet.

Thank you so much for the amazing questions. I enjoyed providing some input, which was hopefully a little helpful.

Jeanette B. Milio - thank you very much for your response - I've sent you a DM here. Appreciate your time and great information on this AMA!

Hello, A executive wants to move foward with my tv series but rather than shopping it, they want to license it first and they said their are certain things which are needed to license a series rather than shopping. One of the things was ~ A business plan for a tv series with Financial Models, Distribution Plan and Marketing Strategy?

How would I go about writing this and/or where would be a great place to find information about what goes into the plan exactly?

Thank You Much for everyone taking time to answer questions on this post. So appreciate It!

I think one of the things we all learn from this post is as creatives we need to have some business savvy.

I took your class a t UCLA Extension in 2018 and loved it. So informational.

Amazing Kacee It depends on the situation, and in the production company's preference. Some are fine with a 'shopping' agreement, others (like us) want an option or rights agreement that describes the deal terms between the parties early on, before a buyer is secured. Secondly, yes, most companies will need to see a business plan deck, which is what we are talking about here. It would include the details about your series and its characters, the distribution strategy you envision, and preliminary financials including a range for the budget, projection and a potential finance plan. Stage32 has various webinars that teach you how to put this together for a TV series. I would check in with the Stage32 education department and have them point you to one you can maybe watch On Demand. I can't speak for other production companies, but here is a list of what we want to see and apply in business plan pitch decks.

1. Project introduction (cover slide with Title and Teaser Line, ideally indicating the Genre)

2. Logline and story summary

3. Lead story characters (max 4) with envisioned cast

4. Envisioned director and comparables in support of the project

5. Producers' and directors' vision for the project

6. World, mood, tone, and genre-matching visuals

7. Targeted audience and marketplace

8. Distribution strategy (suggested sales agent with similar projects)

9. Brand partnerships and related marketing plan

10. Similar projects and their revenues (must be similar in story and budget range)

11. Project USP (Unique Selling Points) and relevancy of the story today

12. Top sheet budget (or name estimated budget range)

13. Intl. Sales estimates and U.S. distribution projections

14. Projected returns for an equity investment (and other investment options if applicable)

15. Risks and related mitigation strategies

16. Team and track record

@Anthony - yes of course I remember you :)

@Martin - agreed. We all have to be creative and business savvy to produce something that makes sense creatively, professionally and can generate profits.

Jeanette B. Milio I am looking to make a new animated film with producer Danial Zakaria, but we are having trouble raising the money for our budget. Is there a way we can find someone to help with our film funding?

Jeanette B. Milio Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback, "subject to" you receiving our gratitude. :) :)

Great tips and information Jeanette B. Milio!