10:59:54 From TECH - Lex Ryan (they/them) : ---------------------- In the chat, tell us one of your key takeaways from last session! We would like you all to have your videos on if possible. ---------------------- 11:00:22 From Connie Bottinelli : In general…the willingness to share information, not be precious about it. 11:00:33 From Kathy Hassinger : Strategy for Distribution: Build and Customized 11:00:35 From Dale Windle : I need more time in my life. I'm too busy! that's my key take away :-) 11:00:37 From Robin Rosenthal : do first window, learn as you go and modify 11:00:48 From Polly Wells : I got a lot out of the TITLE discussoin 11:00:52 From TECH - Lex Ryan (they/them) : ---------------------- In the chat, tell us one of your key takeaways from last session! We would like you all to have your videos on if possible. ---------------------- 11:01:11 From Odette Scott : @Robin, thank you!~ 11:01:15 From Susan Stern : Sold on virtual screenings — but want more ideas on what to give to partners when it’s not a social issue film. 11:01:16 From Sheila Ganz : Peter - Thank you for your notes on my pitch 11:01:20 From David Pelcyger : The prep required to identify partners and build to screenings 11:01:25 From Deborah Aston : changed my opinion about looking into a virtual screening given the mature audience 11:01:26 From Dean Butler : There is value in sharing content at every stage of the production process. 11:01:26 From Myriam Zumbuehl : my take away: dont be shy to ask what you want. they might have it 11:01:27 From Don Colacino : Conferencealerts.com, Virtual events are useful for fundraising; 11:01:44 From Myriam Zumbuehl : i got that from peter & keith 11:02:00 From Brittany Alsot (she/her) : I’m also sold on virtual events and I appreciate the breakdown of how to make them engaging and worthwhile for partners 11:02:25 From CJ Crim : I need to get a thicker skin! I am so afraid to ask for money. But heck, if I don’t ask I don’t get. 11:02:27 From Odette Scott : Yes, tough skin! 11:02:28 From Beth Dolan : You lead the dance — another pearl from the mind hive wisdom. 11:02:39 From Adriana Marchione : Working on that thick skin…getting easier over time. 11:02:48 From Lawrence Confino : Supreme Blind Confidence…sounds like a title of a future session 11:03:33 From Michelle Paymar : Looking for rhino hide to guard against all the rejections! 11:03:33 From DAN HABIB : Desperately Seeking…a great title for my new film 11:03:43 From Beth Dolan : Magnify! 11:03:44 From Ned Augustenborg : DOMINATE 11:03:44 From Dale Windle : Supremeize 11:03:53 From CJ Crim : Blind Confidence Distribution? Maybe not 11:04:09 From Vivien Wu : Can't believe this is Class 7! :O 11:04:20 From Alexandra Lexton : Good article. https://www.screendaily.com/news/look-to-secondary-platforms-for-the-unique-challenging-documentaries-says-ted-hope/5159219.article 11:05:27 From TECH - Lex Ryan (they/them) : ---------------------------- Hot tip: if you need captions, you can click the CC Live Transcript button down at the bottom of your screen and select “show subtitle.” ---------------------------- 11:05:51 From Michael Jacobsohn : Michael Jacobsohn: mjacobs2008@gmail.com 11:05:52 From Peter McDowell : Hi Tech, when are the extra sessions? 11:06:20 From TECH - Lex Ryan (they/them) : Extra session this Friday, April 30 at 11am PT and Wednesday May 12 at 11am PT 11:07:26 From TECH - Lex Ryan (they/them) : ---------------------------- For folks just joining us: If you have any technical issues or questions (re Zoom) you can send a private message to me (look for TECH at the front of my name). Please put your questions for Peter and Keith in the chat and we will call on folks later in the session to ask those questions out loud. Please keep questions relevant to what we are discussing in each session. Today we are talking about NEGOTIATING DEALS and MAXIMIZING REVENUES. Please only put each question (about NEGOTIATING DEALS and MAXIMIZING REVENUES) in the chat one time. If someone asks a question that you would also like to hear answered, please make note of that in the chat. ---------------------------- 11:08:42 From Christi Cooper : maybe a sale’s agent deal...lol 11:09:07 From Ned Augustenborg : What if its NO but for other reasons 11:09:22 From Alexandra Lexton : Needs to be a yes or no question 11:09:31 From John Johns : That sounds like a Chicago election 11:09:41 From Bill Brummel : Sucking up to the teachers! 11:10:02 From Francesca Soans : If you could share sample contracts with sponsors etc, that would be great. 11:10:04 From TECH - Lex Ryan (they/them) : ---------------------------- Hot tip: if you need captions, you can click the CC Live Transcript button down at the bottom of your screen and select “show subtitle.” ---------------------------- 11:11:40 From Pamela Sporn : Excellent point 11:12:01 From Shannon Eckstein : Where do you find film negotiators ? 11:12:04 From Dianne Griffin : Hybrid deals work best 11:12:05 From CJ Crim : I NEED A SKILLED NEGOTIATOR! Even on vacation. I can’t even bargain with street vendors. 11:12:37 From Christi Cooper : haha CJ….totally!!! 11:12:50 From Jill Demby Guest : Beware attorneys! Talk to me. jilldembyguest@gmail.com 11:13:00 From Larry Confino : Do you have a roster of skilled documentary negotiators that are up to speed and up to date? 11:13:06 From Dean Butler : How do we determine if they’re current? 11:13:11 From Alex Leff : +1 Larry 11:13:16 From Vivien Wu : Is the EP supposed to do this? 11:13:18 From Allen Wolf : Do you h ave any recommendations for negotiators? 11:13:28 From Brittany Alsot (she/her) : Often you need a lawyer to look over the document for you. But it should be a different person who negotiates? 11:13:30 From Allen Wolf : My film is not a doc... 11:13:44 From Christi Cooper : I absolutely and totally trust my attorney. She negotiated my sales agent deal AND my invester, and should we get to the point of distribution, she will rock it there as well. 11:14:45 From Anita Modak-Truran : I’m a lawyer and have taught negotiations at Ole Miss Law School. I would never ever negotiate my own deal. The relationship between the negotiator and the distributor is very important. I would only use a negotiator that had done this type of negotiation many times over and knows all of the distribution plans that can be offered. Also, a negotiator is a good check on the process, and is not as emotionally involved. 11:15:27 From Susan Stern : If you have a good attorney, please share contact info! 11:16:07 From Brittany Alsot (she/her) : Thanks, Anita. 11:16:21 From Dianne Griffin : In the past I have reached out to other filmmakers and it helped sooo much - most were unhappy with their distributors 11:16:21 From Robert Rooy : D-Word is a great forum in which to get the scoop on distributors. 11:16:29 From Alexandra Lexton : Who specifically should we hire to negotiate? Lawyers? 11:16:41 From Anita Modak-Truran : @Susan, I would recommend Peter. Is there any lawyer that knows more than he does? My film is my baby, and I trust Peter to bring it to the marketplace. 11:16:49 From TECH - Lex Ryan (they/them) : ^^ ++++ 11:17:14 From Susan Stern : Thanks :) 11:17:22 From TECH - Lex Ryan (they/them) : I may be biased but if Peter could negotiate my whole life for me, I’d love that. 11:17:52 From Anita Modak-Truran : @Lex - Peter is a smooth negotiator and knows all the tricks of the trade. 11:18:11 From CJ Crim : Join the Facebook group “Protect yourself from Predatory Distributors and Aggregators” Long title but good info. 11:19:41 From Laj P. Waghray : @CJ Crim thanks ! 11:20:05 From Larry Confino : Peter…Can you send us a redacted agreement that you feel is fair? 11:20:09 From Jill Demby Guest : Peter is really really helpful. 11:20:21 From Dianne Griffin : @CJ Crim Thanks 11:21:04 From Alexandra Lexton : yes to @larry Confino 11:21:45 From Faye Lederman : How do you convey to the distributor that you have a bottom line to leverage your power, without revealing WHAT the bottom line is? 11:21:57 From Sam Smartt : +1 Faye 11:22:08 From Jill Demby Guest : +1 Faye 11:22:53 From Anita Modak-Truran : @Faye - do you play poker? Negotiations is an art form, and having a poker face helps. 11:23:10 From Brittany Alsot (she/her) : How much time can you reasonably ask for? 11:23:11 From Ned Augustenborg : URGENCY is usually an enemy 11:23:44 From Dianne Griffin : How true Ned 11:25:34 From Deborah Aston : Yes @Ned very true 11:26:42 From Brittany Alsot (she/her) : Good point that the use of psychology and physical cues is a key part of negotiating. 11:26:48 From Rob Levi - NYC : Emails also give them ammunition to use against you. 11:27:14 From Ellen Bruno : When a negotiation is less “standard” with a distributer - but rather with a partner - who should put forth the suggested share first? What gives you a better position - to hear their thoughts first or put yours out first? 11:27:26 From Renee Bergan : Can you define bottom line please….percentage I’m assuming? 11:27:52 From Francesca Soans : +1 Ellen 11:28:37 From John Johns : Why do you need a distributor if HBO or another major outlet is already interested in your film? 11:28:49 From Christopher Dawes : Question: I’ve had a reputable distributor make an offer contingent upon uploading the deliverables in their approved format. After having done that in good faith, radio silence and no contract, then find my film up on a reputable VOD platform. Cease and desist order to take the film down? Any options to recover income? 11:29:27 From Kent Bassett : Q: If you’re doing self-distribution for the first 2 windows or so, but hope to go back to PBS and the streamers down the road, armed with info about how many people are excited about your film. First does that happen? Do they often reconsider films based on successful self-distro? And secondly, what data to collect that would make a compelling case that they should reconsider distributing your film? 11:29:54 From Sam Smartt : How do you know which rights a distributor is good and bad at? 11:30:42 From janicevillarosa : +sam 11:31:51 From Meagan Lopez : Has anyone worked with Cats n Docs? 11:32:28 From Alexandra Lexton : Has anyone worked with blood, sweat and honey? 11:32:30 From DAN HABIB : In recent years I’ve been told that filmmakers who can bring their audience with them - ie through their robust social media following and email lists - are more likely to get better distribution and broadcast opportunities. Peter - is that true in your experience? 11:32:32 From A'magine | she/they : What is an ideal short term? 11:33:56 From Dianne Griffin : A past distributor just had expenses that never ended ~ 11:34:22 From Margareta Szabo : Meagan Lopez, yes, we’ve worked with Cat n Docs. They are wonderful, honest, tough but fair, and the team is great. 11:34:27 From Anita Modak-Truran : @Diane, it’s helpful to have something in the contract about expenses and a cap. 11:34:47 From Ellen Bruno : What is an aggregator? 11:34:57 From Meagan Lopez : Thank you @Margareta - I am in talks with them. Aleksandra is a friend there so hard to be unbiased 11:35:11 From Don Colacino : I hope you will show us a couple of example distribution deals. 11:35:12 From Pamela Sporn : Ellen Bruno+1 11:35:39 From Claire Panke : Not clear what a corridor is... 11:35:44 From John Johns : How do you audit sales? 11:36:08 From Alexandra Lexton : +1 @Claire 11:36:09 From Peter McDowell : TECH Agree need glossary for words like aggregator and corridor 11:36:16 From Mike Sullivan : Auditors are expensive 11:36:22 From Anita Modak-Truran : +1 Claire 11:36:28 From janicevillarosa : Can you pls talk more about the cap—3% of revenues—that’s net? 11:36:56 From Sam Smartt : Without a corridor you don’t get any revenue until the distributor has recouped their expenses, but if you negotiate a corridor then you’re at least getting 10-20% of the gross even before distributor’s costs have been recouped. Someone pls correct me if that’s wrong… 11:37:14 From Anita Modak-Truran : Thanks Sam 11:38:30 From Mark Maxey : @Ellen - Aggregators can publish your film on various digital platforms with which they have agreements but aggregators don't market or promote your film the way a traditional distributor would. 11:39:30 From Pamela Sporn : @Mark Maxey - do aggregators pay you? 11:39:48 From Mark Maxey : Usually no. In some cases you pay them. 11:40:41 From Pamela Sporn : So, why work with an aggregator? 11:41:07 From Rodney Martel : Do distributors generally ask for E & O insurance? 11:41:18 From Rob Levi - NYC : Examples of what they’ll never need? 11:41:26 From Burton Buller : I don't see The Art of the Deal in the recommendations! 11:41:43 From Mark Maxey : @Pamela - To get your film out there. You make revenue off of the transactional revenue from the platforms where the film is available, not from the aggregator who got it there. 11:42:07 From Allen Wolf : Question: should I do screenings for distributors before I do virtual screenings? 11:42:23 From Myriam Zumbuehl : + allen 11:42:24 From Dean Butler : Can we retain the rights to raw footage to create repurposed content? 11:42:30 From Alexandra Lexton : Screen went away, please say the name of the books again. 11:42:45 From Dianne Griffin : Thanks Peter 11:42:45 From James Buffin : What was the second thing to retain? 1/Direct sales…2/? 3/ Virtual screenings 11:42:46 From Robin Grey : WILL PBS NEGOTIATE A DEAL THAT’S 2 YEARS OUT? 11:42:55 From Hamilton Sterling : Big question on Corridors. Don’t understand… 11:42:55 From Pamela Sporn : @Mark Maxey Thanks 11:43:06 From Sheil Seclearr : You’ve talked a lot about keeping viewer data. Anything here about data? 11:43:10 From Linda Martuch : Ditto........Can we retain the rights to raw footage to create repurposed content? 11:43:13 From TECH - Lex Ryan (they/them) : ---------------------------- Hot tip: if you choose “Speaker View” you’ll see Peter and Keith largest on your screen! ---------------------------- 11:43:22 From Elliat Graney-Saucke : +1 Sheil 11:43:22 From Robin Grey : Please send book titles through chat 11:43:25 From Kim Saltarski : Curious about your thought on Filmhub, Vuulr as distributors. 11:43:41 From Michael Jacobsohn : The books you mentioned, do they deal directly with negotiating documentaries or narrative films? 11:43:51 From Sam Smartt : - Never Split the Difference - The Art of Negotiating the Best Deal 11:44:05 From Nicole Betancourt : What do you think about going to a market like Gotham. is there a time that is too soon? will a distributor or agent be less interested if you have already spoken with a broadcaster? 11:44:24 From Elliat Graney-Saucke : +1 11:44:43 From Brittany Alsot (she/her) : +1 11:44:52 From Alexandra Lexton : Thanks Sam! 11:44:57 From Sam Smartt : +1 Nicole 11:45:00 From Alyssa Bolsey : +1 on Kim's question about Filmhub 11:45:19 From Lynn Cadwallader : What is the best use of a sales agent? 11:45:24 From Rick Minnich : I’ve been happy with Filmhub for getting my older films out onto lots of VOD platforms. They don’t charge anything up front and take 20% of all sales. You can view all the accounting online 24/7 and take a payout at anytime, which goes straight to your PayPal account. 11:45:35 From Jill Demby Guest : , How much percentage do sales agents normally take? 11:45:41 From Sue Arbuthnot : +1 Lynn 11:46:06 From Ned Augustenborg : I have found that a former filmmaker who is now a lawyer is a good combination. 11:46:28 From TECH - Lex Ryan (they/them) : ---------------------------- Hot tip: if you need captions, you can click the CC Live Transcript button down at the bottom of your screen and select “show subtitle.” ---------------------------- 11:46:37 From Elliat Graney-Saucke : Thanks @Rick 11:46:59 From Francesca Soans : Question to Keith: When you ask for donations and tickets at virtual screenings, how does this impact taxes. e.g if donations are made nonprofit that are tax deductible, if they pay some of this to the filmmaker, what impact does this have on the tax deductions? 11:47:50 From Anita Modak-Truran : @Francesci +1 11:47:51 From Jill Demby Guest : Who can you recommend for international distribution? I held out those rights. 11:47:54 From Elliat Graney-Saucke : Filmmaker Question: What platforms and distributors have people here had good experiences with?? 11:48:31 From Shannon Eckstein : +1 to Elliat 11:55:43 From Natalie Azarov : Is anyone who knows Neil Goldman? 11:55:56 From Natalie Azarov : Any recommendations? 11:56:44 From Claire Panke : Can we clarify when we bring the negotiator in? Do we first approach a distributor ourselves and bring negotiator in once they offer us a deal, or do you want distributor to know you have someone who will negotiate for you from the start? 11:57:30 From Shannon Eckstein : +1 to Claire 11:57:40 From Zhu Shen : +1 Claire 11:58:01 From Rick Minnich : +1 Claire 11:58:10 From TECH - Lex Ryan (they/them) : This is an exceptional group perhaps! 11:58:14 From Robert Rooy : BTW: I’m really happy with distribution on my current film; Making Change Media. 11:58:25 From TECH - Lex Ryan (they/them) : ---------------------------- Hot tip: if you choose “Speaker View” you’ll see Peter and Keith largest on your screen! ---------------------------- 11:58:37 From Robert Rooy : Happy to elaborate one-on-one later. 11:58:48 From Doug Block : Hard to answer because only satisfied with two film’s revenues out of at least a dozen 11:58:53 From Dianne Griffin : We are also happy with the sales on Painted Nails 11:59:42 From Anita Modak-Truran : @Claire - I think the answer to your question depends on your budget. In a perfect world, I would bring in your negotiating partner early to help shape the plan. If you don’t have lots of cash, then get advise from people you know for free, and then bring in a lawyer once a deal has been offered. That’s just my 2 cents. 11:59:45 From Rick Minnich : Sales agents can be great not only in making TV sales, but also in developing a festival and distribution strategy and planning the big picture. 12:01:13 From Donald Harrison : It seems better to have a distributor reach out to you when they’re interested in your film vs. you cold calling them. Any recs on some ways beyond film fests to increase the odds of getting on their radar? Where do they look for new projects these days? 12:03:02 From Sam Smartt : @Donald - pitch competitions or festivals where you can pitch to industry ppl are a good way to do this (even if you don’t have a film in the festival) 12:07:05 From Clate Korsant : That’s amazing! Over what period of time? 12:07:54 From Jill Demby Guest : Anyone who’s happy with their distributors, please share the joy and their names! 12:09:59 From Wendy Lobel : +1 Jill 12:10:12 From Elliat Graney-Saucke : +1 12:10:34 From Shannon Eckstein : +1 Jill 12:11:55 From Rick Minnich : Sadly my sales agent Jan Rofekamp (Films Transit) has now retired. He was great in launching my film “Forgetting Dad” back in 2008. He opened a lot of doors for me. 12:13:01 From Regan Brashear : Thanks for the plug, @Rob! If anyone wants to more info about Making Change Media and what services we provide (a hybrid of impact and distribution, primarily edu distribution) here’s our website: https://www.makingchangemedia.com/ 12:15:02 From Regan Brashear : I also want to make a plug for New Day Films of which I’m a happy member with my film, FIXED. If you’re up for taking on much of the marketing work yourself, it’s a great edu distribution coop with our own streaming platform and a relationship with Kanopy. It’s more of a hybrid model and focuses primarily on the educational market. https://www.newday.com/ 12:15:18 From Amanda Dyer : QUESTION - Did you have a 6-minute-ish edit to show potential sponsors early on? I have found that orgs want to have a full sense of what the messaging will be before they’ll commit. 12:16:11 From CJ Crim : @Regan THANKS! 12:17:17 From John Donvan : Keith, if you had a deal for PBS airing, who decided on air date. What if you want to "take it slow," and PBS wants to go fast. 12:17:50 From Alyssa Bolsey : +1 on John Donvan's question 12:18:02 From Meagan Lopez : +1 on John 12:18:38 From Rodney Martel : I have also been wrong. My so-called Jewish film is playing better with NON-Jewish audiences! 12:18:52 From Jill Demby Guest : Mine too!! 12:18:55 From Patrick Norman : +1 john 12:19:00 From Zhu Shen : +1 John. Can you ask PBS to wait？ 12:20:55 From Diane Vicari : @rodneymartell - why do you believe that is? 12:21:30 From Pallavi Somusetty : Does anyone know of any other collective distribution models like New Day? 12:21:43 From Will Fraser : Can you back out of an iTunes / Amazon deal if you’ve made a mistake and gone with one too soon? 12:22:03 From Renee Bergan : I get the revenue layout for taking it slow but what if you have a film that is more time sensitive…wouldn’t it be better to get it out t more windows sooner than waiting 2 years? 12:22:08 From TECH - Lex Ryan (they/them) : ---------------------------- Hot tip: if you choose “Speaker View” you’ll see Peter largest on your screen! ---------------------------- 12:22:33 From Renee Bergan : Follow up…time window for making change, legistlaive change 12:22:48 From Judy Branfman : @Peter can you provide a basic check list you would use? 12:23:39 From Keith Ochwat : Peter and I are leading a free webinar on HOW TO AVOID MAGICAL THINKING during fundraising and distribution on May 6th 1pm PT. https://calendly.com/showandtellfilm/magical-thinking 12:24:06 From Rick Minnich : I’m doing my first house party fundraiser tomorrow hosted by an old school friend who is a big-shot Silicon Valley lawyer who is inviting all her lawyer friends. Should be a fun experiment 12:24:40 From Allen Wolf : Are there any crowdfunding consultants you would recommend? 12:24:53 From Dean Butler : Can you refer some good 2.0 Consultants? 12:25:24 From Patrick Norman : @Allen Seed&Spark does an outstanding job of guiding you through the process step-by-step. Many resources available there. 12:25:26 From Jonathan Viscuna : Dean plus10 12:25:48 From Vivien Wu : Tracie Holder also does one-off consultations on grants 12:25:48 From Therese Shechter : Tracie Holder did grant writing for me. Great to work with 12:26:19 From David Pelcyger : House parties now w covid? Virtual parties? 12:26:23 From Therese Shechter : @vivien Tracie did the consultation first and then she ended up doing the writing 12:27:00 From Elliat Graney-Saucke : Found the workshop Peter Mentioned: https://www.docnyc.net/event/grant-writing-secrets-a-two-part-workshop-with-tracie-holder/ 12:27:01 From Vivien Wu : Oh ok @Therese I've not tried retaining her further but that seems like a great idea. I have taken her paid workshop and attended a free workshop 12:27:15 From DAN HABIB : Good luck Rich! For what it’s worth, I did two house parties recently like the one you describe. After the first party, the host did very little personal follow up with attendees to encourage them to contribute. The second host did lots of personal follow up with attendees, and that follow up generated 5x the amount of donations as compared to the first party. 12:27:35 From Christi Cooper : another one: MAX YOUR CREDIT CARDS!! 12:27:38 From DAN HABIB : *Rick not Rich 12:28:21 From Fiona Fletcher : Great story though! 12:28:32 From Ned Augustenborg : I actually covered the cost of some of my shoots by betting on HORSE RACING AND NBA GAMES. I was lucky. 12:28:43 From Peter McDowell : “Nobody will fund my film” is not a winning pitch (like Atlantic City guy) 12:28:48 From Michael Jacobsohn : I do think that is wiser to buy lottery tickets versus spending your doe on film festival entrance fees. 12:29:20 From Steve Byrne, Detroit : Some fests do pay screening fees across the board. 12:29:25 From Meagan Lopez : I don’t see Bitcoin on there as a cross out. ;) 12:30:05 From Brittany Alsot (she/her) : Yes, please don’t buy Bitcoin and NFPs, it’s taking a horrible toll on the environment. 12:30:37 From Therese Shechter : Anyone who is considering crowdfunding - start building your audience today (if you aren’t already). It’s never too soon to make a Facebook page/Instagram Account. 12:31:30 From Diane Vicari : +1 Therese 12:31:41 From CJ Crim : @Brittany SO TRUE! We have to get rid of crypto currency and NFP’s they are horrible. 12:32:52 From Robbie Leppzer : What are NFPs? 12:33:06 From Pablo Miralles : Did I remember correctly that direct sales through website would be a bad idea if you haven’t locked a PBS slot? 12:33:34 From Elliat Graney-Saucke : @pablo - yes, you have to follow the window system 12:33:50 From Rick Minnich : @Dan: Thanks! I think it was a post of yours in this group that inspired me to give house parties a try. My friend has been very supportive so far and I think she’ll be good about follow-up. 12:34:19 From DAN HABIB : Great @Rick hope to hear how it goes! 12:34:46 From Myriam Zumbuehl : connie - good you found your way here!!! 12:34:57 From Rick Minnich : @Connie: We’re here to share and pull one another up! 12:34:57 From Elliat Graney-Saucke : Agree 12:35:09 From Ned Augustenborg : Well said! 12:35:10 From Beth Dolan (she/her) : There’s plenty of the pie for everyone!! 12:35:11 From Myriam Zumbuehl : yes we are a pack of fundraising wolves!!! 12:35:14 From Meagan Lopez : bravo 12:35:21 From Meagan Lopez : Success breeds success 12:35:24 From Meagan Lopez : I really believe that 12:35:27 From Laj P. Waghray : Yes, Connie! So true 12:35:28 From Wendy Lobel : I wish this course would never end! 12:35:32 From janicevillarosa : YES 12:35:38 From Brittany Alsot (she/her) : That is so true! Industry gatekeeping isn’t helping anyone. We have to all support each other. 12:35:47 From Adriana Marchione : Yes - thank you for this wonderful perspective Connie - and for this course! 12:35:57 From Melanie Wallace : @Connie - so well said. Thanks 12:35:59 From Faye Lederman : Agree strongly with Connie. This class is refreshingly non-competitive and supportive. 12:36:19 From Nicole Betancourt : I love the documentary community - nothing like it. so supportive! 12:36:21 From Cathlin McGrath : Ditto! 12:36:21 From Natalie Azarov : Thank you very much! 12:36:24 From Beth Dolan (she/her) : Partnership equals authenticity and openness. 12:36:27 From Michael Jacobsohn : After the Course, can the students continue to help each other? Is there a plan to continue the sharing? 12:36:29 From Rick Minnich : Fellow filmmakers have been the greatest help in my nearly 30 years of filmmaking. 12:36:31 From Anita Modak-Truran : Love the comments Connie. Are you on the beach> 12:36:37 From TECH - Lex Ryan (they/them) : ---------------------------- TO DISCUSS IN BREAKOUT ROOMS: What’s your best tip for maximizing revenues? ---------------------------- 12:36:38 From Francesca Soans : Agree—I have broken my head against traditional fences, and now I see a way to climb over or just kick it down!! 12:36:39 From Beth Dolan (she/her) : Not so random — Ha! 12:36:43 From Dianne Griffin : Thank you Connie 12:57:30 From Lillian Glass : drlillianglass@gmail.com 12:57:31 From Ned Augustenborg : My best break out session yet!!! 12:57:40 From TECH - Lex Ryan (they/them) : markstolaroff@gmail.com 12:58:00 From Dean Butler : Who does the Wednesday email come from? 12:58:24 From Doug Block : Speaking of helping each other out, I’d urge anyone who isn’t already a member to join The D-Word, an online community of doc professionals worldwide. It’s all about peer to peer support, advice and sharing. And it’s free! www.d-word.com 12:58:52 From Nicole Betancourt : love d-word.com 12:58:58 From Odette Scott : Thanks Doug, I’m so excited to learn about the D word! 12:59:07 From Connie Bottinelli : D-word - great support 12:59:12 From Brittany Alsot (she/her) : D-Word Face-to-Face Friday meetings have been so helpful for making important connections for my film! 12:59:17 From Ned Augustenborg : D WORD is cool!!! 12:59:43 From Odette Scott : Awesome tiger shirt Elliat 12:59:50 From Jill Demby Guest : D word is awesome! 12:59:53 From Regan Brashear : Love the D-Word! 13:00:08 From Rick Minnich : Doculink is also a great resource. 13:00:24 From Zhu Shen : D word is awesome! 13:00:40 From Robert Rooy : And D-Word emphasizes POSITIVE, supportive dialogue. 13:00:42 From Therese Shechter : pls ignore my last chat note : ) 13:01:01 From DAN HABIB : I have not worked with a sales agent yet, and I’m wondering about the role you think they can or should play in taking a film to a broadcaster and/or distributor. 13:01:22 From Annika Iltis : +1 Dan 13:01:27 From Elliat Graney-Saucke, Seattle (she/they) : Thank you @Rick I hadn’t heard of doculink! 13:01:29 From Meagan Lopez : I’ve found D Word so helpful since being new to this industry 13:01:52 From Jill Demby Guest : Major topic! 13:02:19 From Rick Minnich : @Elliat: http://www.doculink.org 13:04:05 From Jill Demby Guest : Great news!! 13:04:21 From Peter McDowell / Jimmy in Saigon / he, him, his : Doculink’s home page is dated 2013 13:04:43 From Shannon Eckstein : Just a note to fellow Canadians … HOT DOCS Festival starts tomorrow - Tons of great films this year - all virtual 13:06:20 From Doug Block : One more plug for The D-Word. Every Friday from 12 - 1:30pm ET we have a zoom f2f of anywhere from 50 to 150 members, depending. Some are informal netkworking sessions with breakout rooms where we offer advice and support in furthering each others projects. Others are more topic focused. We’ve been doing them since the pandemic started and they’ve been so helpful in sustaining a sense of community and mutual support. And it’s free :) 13:06:21 From Jill Demby Guest : Fantastic!! 13:06:23 From CJ Crim : WOW! Great story Connie 13:06:27 From Brittany Alsot (she/her) : We had a question in our breakout room: if PBS (and maybe other distributors) want to make sure that funders don’t have a say in your creative work, do you need to have a donation contract that makes that clear? Or is there any documentation you need to show that to PBS? 13:06:30 From Renee Bergan : Wow!!! 13:06:31 From Maria Fortiz-Morse : So cool Connie! 13:06:34 From Linda Martuch : Way to GO CONNIE!! 13:06:50 From Anita Modak-Truran : Fantastic story. Great you didn’t ask for the whole amount. I asked a reading foundation for the entire amount of the documentary and they said no. 13:06:54 From Vicki Topaz : Brilliant Connie (from Vicki Topaz) 13:06:56 From Adriana Marchione : Another thing re: fundraising out of the box that I have shared with others and came up in the breakout room is getting matching donations. We had several donors offer to give us a match and we were able to raise money this way over time without too much effort. Another idea to share. 13:07:10 From Wendy Lobel : How long is the strategy tune up session on Friday? 13:07:13 From Ned Augustenborg : I have a current partner that is overly protective of their EMAIL list — have you found this to be an issue? 13:07:50 From Peter McDowell / Jimmy in Saigon / he, him, his : QUESTION If I have a very low budget and have to raise every dollar from friends, what is the minimum I should put in my budget for lawyer fees? Thanks! 13:07:54 From Connie Bottinelli : Thank you, all. I was scared to do that but was committed to Bosnia and make it happen. 13:08:31 From Brittany Alsot (she/her) : +1 Peter 13:08:43 From Robert Rooy : My last film required around $5,000 — but I don’t know if that’s the pattern… 13:09:13 From Renee Bergan : @Peter doculinks is still active: https://groups.io/g/doculink 13:09:26 From Rick Minnich : @Elliat: Oops, I didn’t realize the Doculink is outdated. The group moved to groups.io. You can sign up here and search for the group. I’ve been on for years and receive daily emails. I find it a quick and effective way to share information about documentary filmmaking. https://groups.io/login?r=https%3A%2F%2Fgroups.io%2Fg%2Fdoculink%2Fmessage%2F4280 13:09:27 From Nicole Betancourt : a lawyer recently told me to budget 15 k for a feature doc. but that is a bit high 13:09:30 From DAN HABIB : Having the film on TV does not necessarily detract your chance for robust educational sales or public performance licenses. Often the broadcast will even enhance those sales. 13:09:52 From Jill Demby Guest : 10K for lawyers 13:10:00 From Anita Modak-Truran : @Peter - You can narrow the scope of the work for your lawyer to fit what you can afford. 13:10:12 From Jonathan Viscuna : Hi Keith, How do you generate a lot of revenue from PBS? 13:10:41 From Nicole Betancourt : does lawyers for the arts still exist? 13:10:42 From Elliat Graney-Saucke, Seattle (she/they) : @Rick and @Renee thank you! 13:10:57 From Lillian Glass : How do you generate funds from PBS? 13:10:59 From Anita Modak-Truran : On our film the legal was a flat fee of $40K. The actual time on legal was over $125K. We did a private placement memorandum and had a lot of SEC issues. But you can parse out legal work. 13:11:33 From Anita Modak-Truran : @Nicole - Lawyers for the arts exists in New York, Chicago and Nashville. I’m sure there are more places. 13:11:43 From Karen Bernstein : With the slow roll out strategy in mind, is it best to end with TVOD rather than SVOD ? 13:11:44 From Louise Rosen : Whoah Peter. Sales agents are typically lazy and have ADHD. You can't say that about all distributors. 13:12:41 From Michael Jacobsohn : I your documentary has not been excepted by the large documentary film festivals, how do you get distributors invested in your film? 13:12:44 From DAN HABIB : I recently learned about the UCLA Documentary Film Legal Clinic. https://law.ucla.edu/academics/clinical-education/clinics/documentary-film-legal-clinic “The UCLA Documentary Film Legal Clinic provides pro bono services to independent documentary filmmakers needing legal help. “ 13:13:15 From Elliat Graney-Saucke, Seattle (she/they) : Thank you @Dan! Awesome! 13:13:44 From Anita Modak-Truran : @Louise, I’ve worked with Nick Ogiony who is a sales agent at CAA. He is very passionate about the films he reps. He was very helpful on a Christian-based film that I did legal on. He met the filmmakers and helped us find the right person to sell the film as he didn’t do Christian based films. 13:13:45 From Connie Bottinelli : Great @ Dan Habib! 13:14:17 From Dianne Griffin : My films have gone through various university law clinics and the experience was amazing! They all have gone beyond my expectations but it takes time ~ 13:14:45 From Adriana Marchione : We connected with a student law department which did most of our legal contracts and work for free. Another resource to consider. @diannegriffin who is here in the course knows a lot about this strategy. 13:15:06 From Adriana Marchione : yes what @Dianne said! 13:15:41 From Meagan Lopez : In terms of grants, I recently had an incredible experience with a local grant in Baltimore where they said they thought my film was too far along for their fund, but they loved it so much they put money into paying for a mentor for me - an Oscar winning Editor 13:16:03 From Anita Modak-Truran : Congrats Meagan 13:16:05 From Meagan Lopez : So even though grants are a far fetch, you never know who is reading the applications 13:17:23 From Diane Vicari : In agreement @louise - I have experience both but now I know better… 13:17:38 From Connie Bottinelli : @ Meagan - you’re right!! 13:19:07 From Meagan Lopez : Thanks Anita and Connie! 13:21:15 From Keith Ochwat : Peter and I are leading a free webinar on HOW TO AVOID MAGICAL THINKING during fundraising and distribution on May 6th 1pm PT. *Mistakes to avoid and opportunities to prioritize. RSVP here: https://calendly.com/showandtellfilm/magical-thinking 13:22:03 From Desiree Ickerodt : Is sharing customer data not in conflict with data privacy? 13:22:29 From Jill Demby Guest : Gotta go. See y’all next week! 13:22:47 From Renee Bergan : We’re trying to make legislative change 13:22:51 From Majida Kabariti, Jordan : Can a film made in 2007 still be distributed? 13:23:10 From Beth Dolan (she/her) : Exceptional class today, thank you! 13:23:22 From Bronte Stahl : Agreed! 13:24:17 From Rick Minnich : @Majida, my 2008 film “Forgetting Dad” is still going strong on VOD. I put it on Filmhub two years ago, and it has gotten a new life. I even got invited to be on a talk show on Australian TV with it next week. 13:24:21 From Renee Bergan : Awesome, thank you! 13:25:44 From Judy Branfman : will there be a video of it too? 13:25:50 From Adriana Marchione : Will it be recorded if we aren’t able to be there on Friday? 13:25:51 From Brittany Alsot (she/her) : Is there a risk of not getting in to the second tune-up if we aren’t ready to apply to the first? 13:25:56 From Robert Rooy : Nice, Rick. 13:26:23 From TECH - Sarah Kaplan (she/her) : Yes the Tune-Up sessions will be recorded! 13:27:19 From TECH - Lex Ryan (they/them) : ---------------------------- Extra sessions dates: Friday, April 30 at 11am PT and Wednesday, May 12 11am PT to either 1pm or 1:30pm PACIFIC TIME. These sessions will be recorded. ---------------------------- 13:28:04 From Rob Levi - NYC : Where is this workbook? 13:28:09 From Brittany Alsot (she/her) : Was there a Google Doc or Word doc version created of the workbook? 13:28:24 From TECH - Lex Ryan (they/them) : www.superchargeyourdistribution.com/ryd-course-materials 13:28:26 From Rick Minnich : If we don’t get selected for the first tune-up, can we rework our workbook and re-apply for the 2nd tune-up? 13:28:46 From Keith Ochwat : Peter and I are leading a free webinar on HOW TO AVOID MAGICAL THINKING during fundraising and distribution on May 6th 1pm PT. *Mistakes to avoid and opportunities to prioritize. RSVP here: https://calendly.com/showandtellfilm/magical-thinking 13:29:38 From Hamilton Sterling : RSVP Hamilton Sterling 13:29:49 From Larry Confino : RSVP Larry Confino 13:29:52 From TECH - Lex Ryan (they/them) : ------------------------------- Heads up that I will unmute EVERYONE right as we are wrapping up so you can all say goodbye to Peter and Keith! ------------------------------- 13:29:55 From Keith Ochwat : @hamilton: and @larry 13:29:58 From Keith Ochwat : please RSVP here 13:29:59 From Keith Ochwat : https://calendly.com/showandtellfilm/magical-thinking 13:30:00 From TECH - Mark Stolaroff (he/him) : Send your Strategy Workbooks to Peter 13:30:11 From Arlene Rimer : Rsvp Arlene Rimer 13:30:11 From Keith Ochwat : that way you’ll get the links! 13:30:12 From Dianne Griffin : RSVP @Dianne 13:30:13 From Desiree Ickerodt : RSVP Desiree Ickerodt 13:30:23 From CJ Crim : Thank you Keith and Peter. You are so brilliant and helpful and generous with your time. 13:30:26 From TECH - Lex Ryan (they/them) : All of the course materials are here: https://www.superchargeyourdistribution.com/ryd-course-materials 13:30:27 From Vivien Wu : Guys have to click on the Calendly link to RSVP 13:30:42 From Alexandra Lexton : RSVP Alexandra Lexton 13:30:43 From TECH - Lex Ryan (they/them) : ^^ yes, thank you, Vivien! 13:30:52 From Adriana Marchione : RSVP - hoping there will be a recording as I won’t be able to be there ‘live’ 13:31:04 From Keith Ochwat : thanks, @vivien! please RSVP for our webinar on MAGICAL THINKING here: https://calendly.com/showandtellfilm/magical-thinking 13:31:57 From Laj P. Waghray : Thank you!!! 13:32:00 From Odette Scott : thank you!! 13:32:02 From Rick Minnich : Thanks! 13:32:03 From Wendy Lobel : Thank youuuuuu! 13:32:03 From Chithra Jeyaram : Thank you 13:32:03 From Michael Johnson : Thank you! 13:32:04 From Cynthia Salzman Mondell : Thank you.