Submitted by Dennis Peters on Fri, 08/27/2010 - 18:34
Editor's note: This is first guest post from Jon Reiss.
Let me clarify some of my feelings about the PMD. I will add my universal caveat that every film and situation is different. But here are some important guidelines:
1. The best case scenario is that a PMD is on board as a full collaborator and worker from as close to inception of the film as possible. No later than beginning of prep. This allows for, what I feel, the optimum of the integration of audience connection and engagement (which is what distribution and marketing is at its essence). If you wait till you have finished your film – you are in a world of hurt (I’ve said that before, but I don’t think I can say it enough) because this connection building and engagement take time and effort and cannot be hurried.
Submitted by Dennis Peters on Thu, 08/26/2010 - 18:01
There is a growing movement in independent film to incorporate a new position, the Producer of Marketing and Distribution, into a films production team. Filmmaker/author Jon Reiss has coined the term and I believe is responsible for the birth of the position. This is an important step forward for the DIY filmmaker who wants to retain his films rights and control his own destiny through self-marketing. However, there are a few obstacles to overcome for this position to be successful. Here are the marketing responsibilities Jon has listed for the PMD.
What are the qualifications needed for this new position?
To perform the job successfully the PMD will need to posses or have an understanding of the following skill set:
Market researcher
Submitted by Dennis Peters on Wed, 04/14/2010 - 13:41
Part One
This is part one of a two-part series to help Independent Filmmakers use YouTube to help you market your film and build a brand around you as a filmmaker. Part One is how to develop a strategy for YouTube and better understand the platform. Part Two will drill down into the tactics of how to get more views for your video content.
Why are you putting your movie trailer on YouTube?
Your movie trailer is created to market your film. It is not your film.
This post is about using YouTube to market your film and build your reputation as an independent filmmaker.
Yours goals should include:
- Increase awareness and interest for your film
- Develop and sustain positive word of mouth
- Build an audience
- Promote you (as a director/writer/producer)
Submitted by Dennis Peters on Tue, 04/06/2010 - 18:37
As indie film distributors have disappeared, self-distribution for filmmakers is gaining traction giving filmmakers hope that they will be able to make films and create career sustainability. Perhaps it should be called self marketing, not self distribution as distribution is really not the issue. Making the film is what you as filmmakers are trained and inspired to do, but most of you are not marketers. Having an understanding of how marketing works can mean the difference between success and failure when it comes to DIY distribution. One of the mantras in the DIY movement is to find, connect and engage with your audience. The “find your audience to market your film” part is great advice and for most marketers this is routine for their business.
Submitted by Jackie Peters on Sun, 11/30/2008 - 23:35
 I was inspired to continue the conversation that Chris Brogan started on his blog a couple of days ago. Chris' post begins:
"Pepsi doesn’t want to talk with a few hundred people at a time, do they? It’s just that all these businesses have built huge platforms, huge sales funnels, huge marketplaces, and I think what social software is setting us up for are cafe-shaped conversations."
Which is funny, because apparently Pepsi does want to talk to a few hundred people, including Chris Brogan. Why? Because Pepsi knows that cafe conversations are what is driving the social web. And they know that the conversations that Chris Brogan have are with larger groups of people, and that they tend to get repeated in other cafe's around the social web.
Submitted by Jackie Peters on Thu, 09/11/2008 - 15:14
 I like to take a holistic approach to marketing. Most people think that marketing is about promotion, or advertising, but that's a misconception. Marketing encompasses everything a company does to acquire customers and maintain relationships with them. It's about aligning a product with a market.
Submitted by Jackie Peters on Tue, 08/26/2008 - 18:10
This is a guest post I wrote for Mashable - I've republished it here.
I am pretty heavily involved in the expanding startup community here in LA, and make my way up to the Bay area on a regular basis. I meet a lot of entrepreneurs and see new startups every day. Many of these companies, and the entrepreneurs who found them are deeply ensnared in the echo chamber, they’re all drinking each other's Kool-aid. We’re talking about people who are not just at the top of the technographic ladder, they’ve gotten to the roof and are looking down on everyone else like they are a bunch of ants.
Submitted by Jackie Peters on Wed, 07/23/2008 - 19:48
There is a lot of buzz these days about social media. Everyone's trying to figure it out. There are some who understand it, and some who might be missing the mark. The "web" is quickly, and deservedly, becoming a science unto itself. The web is still perceived by the majrity as a platform. A medium. An "it". When, as I observe it to be, the web is much more, it's "where," "when," "how," and "why." And most importantly "who." My friend Stowe Boyd refers to practitioners of social media as "the people formerly known as the audience" - a term I am quite fond of. In general, this is a concept that the world of marketing communications has yet to catch on to.
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