Film Distribution and Marketing Seminar

Slide 1: 

Allen Chou, President 732-321-0711 Allen@PassionRiver.com Follow me on Twitter @AllenChou Passion River Films Film Distribution & Marketing Seminar 04/29/10 - Jimmy’s #43, New York, NY

Agenda : 

Agenda Distributor’s story Slides meant to drive panel discussion Quick Q&A after presentation Panel discussion Panelist Q&A Spread the love - meet & greet

Tweet questions using #Film429 : 

Tweet questions using #Film429

Who is Passion River? : 

Who is Passion River? DVD distributor (retail, on-line, & library) Non-Theatrical & Theatrical Educational sales Digital delivery Broadcast licensing Non-Exclusive Netflix partner company

What’s your story? : 

What’s your story?

Who’s sitting next to you? : 

Who’s sitting next to you?

What’s YOUR problem? : 

What’s YOUR problem?

Got competition? : 

Got competition?

229 titles per week 2009 Total DVDs released= 11,934* *Per www.DVDreleasereport.com : 

229 titles per week 2009 Total DVDs released= 11,934* *Per www.DVDreleasereport.com

What’s my challenge? : 

What’s my challenge?

Your Fear is my Fear : 

Your Fear is my Fear

My needsMy competition : 

My needsMy competition

Basic film evaluations : 

Basic film evaluations Story Audience Buzz Market potential Piece of the pie

Great Film Challenges : 

Great Film Challenges B&W Comedies Shorts Problems No Buzz No Team

Big Guns! : 

Big Guns!

What do theaters want? : 

What do theaters want? Built in audience Mailing list Long lead time Events Low cost

What Do Stores Want? : 

What Do Stores Want? Strong consumer interest Fast sales & turns Affordable pricing Demographic match Money

What do libraries want? : 

What do libraries want? Build collections Service community Relevant content Affordable Digital rights PPR?

Big Sales Still DVD Retail : 

Big Sales Still DVD Retail

So Who’s My “Buyer”? : 

So Who’s My “Buyer”?

Are These My Buyers? : 

Are These My Buyers?

Maybe She’s My “Buyer”? : 

Maybe She’s My “Buyer”?

He’s a Buyer? : 

He’s a Buyer?

They’re All Buyers! : 

They’re All Buyers! Retail store buyers purchase what’s best for THEIR store Consumers are the real clients– not stores!

Don’t cash the check… : 

Don’t cash the check…

Returns : 

Returns

Returns : 

Returns

Returns : 

Returns

Returns Suck! : 

Returns Suck!

Retail Store Blues : 

Retail Store Blues Sam Goody, Music Land, Tower Records, Circuit City & more close Blockbuster 4585 US stores 7/09, 3525 1/10 Less shelf space & no budget Highly competitive Returns likely

On-Line Renting Changes Everything! : 

On-Line Renting Changes Everything!

Slide 32: 

• Over 14 million subscribers On Netflix • Over 1-2 million subscribers on Blockbuster • Consumer getting used to renting special interest titles on-line • Stores less interested in indie titles

15+ million on-line rentersIs this good for your film? : 

15+ million on-line rentersIs this good for your film?

DVD Kiosks : 

DVD Kiosks DVD kiosks placed in retail locations No retail shelf space Some kiosks offer burn-on-demand service RedBox over 20k locations

So does RedBox want you? : 

So does RedBox want you?

How does my film get into the DVD retail marketplace? : 

How does my film get into the DVD retail marketplace? Home Video

Traditional US DVD Distribution : 

Traditional US DVD Distribution Exclusive - little or no mixed rights Features Distributor handles keyart, marketing, & DVD replication Fulfillment

DVD Release Workflow : 

DVD Release Workflow

DVD Release Points : 

DVD Release Points 1 month between Order & Street Date 4 month lead time for new release Street date driven sales- changing

Foreign Sales : 

Foreign Sales

Foreign Sales : 

Foreign Sales How does it work? What does a foreign buyer want? How do you find or meet the buyers? Is the market soft now? Can you sell finished DVD products?

Foreign Film Markets : 

Foreign Film Markets

Strategies for Foreign Film Markets : 

Strategies for Foreign Film Markets Research - Research - Research Attend markets, even if you do not have a completed film Get last year’s “buyer’s list” before going Get “market issue” trades (HWR, Variety,& Screen International) When at a market get “buyer’s list” and collect related sales materials

Key Considerations For Foreign Film Markets : 

Key Considerations For Foreign Film Markets Foreign buyers discover new titles at markets Sales agents negotiate & license deals Markets can be very expensive Timing can be critical

DIY Foreign Sales : 

DIY Foreign Sales Co-op booth space at markets Get your own booth (expensive) Can be non-exclusive Solicit buyers BEFORE the market & set up appointments at “meeting locations” Bring your own “standard deal memo” Research Foreign Sales Companies Consider making direct deals with buyers when attending

Strategies for selecting foreign sales company : 

Strategies for selecting foreign sales company Research integrity of sales agent Appropriate catalog Producer friendly contract Reasonable “market expenses” Reasonable commissions Realistic sales figures

Digital Delivery & Sales : 

Digital Delivery & Sales Pay flat fee Pay per view Revenue Share

Digital Sale Points : 

Digital Sale Points Must digitize to each site’s specs May not be able to deal direct - may need to go through distributor Streaming & Downloads help sell DVDs Many “views” are not feature length

Streaming your film : 

Streaming your film Pro’s Great exposure Revenue Piracy

Streaming your film : 

Streaming your film Cons • Contract review • Low revenue Possible propagation Piracy

Think about your film’s release strategy : 

Think about your film’s release strategy How will you create buzz? Who’s your marketing team? Do you need film festivals? What distributors could be interested? Where can I sell my “product”? Where do I start? Day - Date?

Self Distribution : 

Self Distribution

Where do you sell your DVD? : 

Where do you sell your DVD? Website Groups, organizations, & institutions Internet sites (Amazon, Ebay, etc…) Independent Retail Stores Local Barnes & Noble program

Keys To Successful Sales : 

Keys To Successful Sales Create consumer awareness Internet Marketing Social Media Optimization Viral Marketing Word of Mouth Easy access for purchases

Pro’s To Self Distribution : 

Pro’s To Self Distribution You keep all the money! Get payment fast Rights retention Your way - Your style Get your film seen Build customer list Cross-sell other items

Con’s To Self Distribution : 

Con’s To Self Distribution Time consuming Must understand movie marketing Requires extensive resources (time & $) Often requires hiring specialists (publicist, key art designer, web designer, & marketing consultant) DVD replication, storage, & fulfillment Can’t sell direct into big retail accounts

So how do I sell more DVDs, product, & book more events? : 

So how do I sell more DVDs, product, & book more events?

Learn Marketing! : 

Learn Marketing!

Yes. YOU.Did you think I was going to do it for you? : 

Yes. YOU.Did you think I was going to do it for you?

“Advertising is a wasted pool of resources” : 

“Advertising is a wasted pool of resources” The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing and Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly (Hardcover), by David Meerman Scott (Author)

Challenge : 

Challenge

Can your audience find your: : 

Can your audience find your: Project ? Subject Matter ? Film Screening ? Talent ? DVD ? Website? YouTube Channel? Twitter account?

Geting Found Without Advertising? : 

Geting Found Without Advertising? What’s the plan?

Internet Marketing Strategy : 

Internet Marketing Strategy Identify your audience (customer) Find your audience Allow your audience to find you Engage with your audience and offer something “special” Participate with your “community” Incorporate a “call-to-action” & conversion strategy

Define Your Conversion Goals : 

Define Your Conversion Goals Website visits YouTube views & ratings Twitter followers Facebook friends Google page results DVD sales Blog mentions & Re-Tweets -Prioritize Your List-

Start with Content! : 

Start with Content!

Content is King! : 

Content is King!

Keyword Research : 

Keyword Research User intent? Building KW list Use a KW tool Generate new related KW & long tail KW Divide list into groups Prioritize groups & select top 10 KW Create new content (text, video, image, & audio)

Keyword Tools : 

Keyword Tools WordTracker Google Keyword Discovery More Free & Paid…

Word Tracker : 

Word Tracker

Google : 

Google

Keyword Discovery : 

Keyword Discovery

Who’s your customer? : 

Who’s your customer?

Understand your customer : 

Understand your customer Where do they work, live, play? What are their needs? Married? Children? What social class are they in? How old? Gender? Religion? What languages do they speak & read? Interests?

“Food Matters” Keyword Research Case Study : 

“Food Matters” Keyword Research Case Study

KW: Organic Food : 

KW: Organic Food Google Adwords Tool popular Kw idea? Kw idea?

Long Tail Keywords Are KEY! : 

Long Tail Keywords Are KEY! Low volume search terms provide BIG aggregate traffic!!

Food Matters Keyword List : 

Food Matters Keyword List Organic Food Organic Food Stores Organic Whole Foods Organic Food Recipes Organic Raw Foods About Organic Food Organic Food List Organic Food Restaurants Organic Vegetarian Food Health Food Stores

Create Content : 

Create Content 3 U’s – Useful, Updated, Unique (Seth Godin) Brainstorm new content ideas for Text, Video, Images, & Audio Remember “Long Tail”! Place content on your site, blogs, social networks, & everywhere else applicable Content is KING!

Food Matters Content Ideas : 

Food Matters Content Ideas Text - articles from food experts featured in DVD Video - Scenes that support articles Images - Farming, medical, food, & expert speakers (not always production stills) Audio - Clips from film, interviews with experts, filmmakers, & fans Where would you place newly created content?

Define Silos : 

Define Silos Create a marketing plan for each silo Target silos based on keywords If silo is competitive or has a lot of “noise” try tier 2 keywords & long tail phrases

“Organic Food” Silos : 

“Organic Food” Silos Health Foods Vegetarians - Vegan Lifestyle Organic Food Fans Food Shopping & Recipes Cooking, Meals, & Dining Farming Healthy Lifestyles (Yoga, Fitness, etc…)

Social Media Marketing : 

Social Media Marketing

Social Media Marketing Goals : 

Social Media Marketing Goals Generate links & traffic New contacts that can help Sales Authority building Identify influencers & authorities for your targets

SMM success based on: : 

SMM success based on: Creativity Quality of Content

Where canthe traffic come from? : 

Where canthe traffic come from?

StumbleUpon : 

StumbleUpon User driven popularity Users vote thumbs up or down Can drive large volumes of traffic, even more than Digg & Reddit Videos and images work very well Set up account & stumble your site

Slide 88: 

voting See next comments

Twitter Strategy : 

Twitter Strategy Create transparent account Include KW in user name if possible Bio should speak to audience & include kw’s Include target URL (conversion goals) Tweet relevant content rich with kw’s Follow & return follow Show the love back Use lists to find users

Twitter Tips : 

Twitter Tips Cultivate a strong community Don’t just Tweet things that are interesting to you Don’t leave air between conversation Don’t over Tweet Don’t maintain a one-way channel Monitor your competitors & your KW’s Use call-to-actions & use a URL shortner to track Important Tweets can be easily missed Tweet summaries 1x p/week as re-written content

Slide 92: 

Finding Followers -Search for like minded people- use lists -Use advanced search options -Find related influential accounts and review their followers & following -Add followers, then remove those that don’t follow back -Does your last Tweet contain relevant or useful info?

Slide 93: 

Bio & Url Followers ratio Keyword Rich

My Tweets : 

Kw with CTA Answered question found when searching kw “Film Distribution” Participated Useful info for My “audience” Key Points URL redirects Call to actions Keyword Rich Found opportunities to speak & offer useful & relevant info My Tweets

Advanced Search : 

http://search.twitter.com/advanced Advanced Search

What your follower sees : 

What your follower sees Is last tweet relevant or useful? What’s the image? User name? Spam test yourself

ReTweets : 

ReTweets Indicates your content is relevant Increases your popularity Gets you more followers & traffic to your URL Thank users for RTs (DM or Reply)

Twitter Key Points : 

Twitter Key Points GIVE - GIVE - GIVE Contribute good relevant content to community Monitor & find opportunities to participate with conversations Listen to what users are interested in Develop conversion goals and re-direct traffic to target URLs or street level destinations

YouTube : 

YouTube Ability to generate massive awareness Video should include beginning and ending slates with cta Optimize descriptions and content Include url in description Use target keywords Choose target keywords in Tags Label clip using target keywords Upload other clips and change keywords Optimize profile Ratings and votes are important socially, as well with SERP Participate with comments & responses, including Bad reviews

Slide 100: 

Massive Views Content Not Optimized Massive Ratings Deep comments

Organic Foods - Food Matters : 

Organic Foods - Food Matters Initial Image Link to Food Matters No URL Nice Ratings & Views

YouTube Key Points : 

YouTube Key Points Think beyond the trailer - what’s your topic? (2-5 min) Content needs to relevant & interesting to viewer Create a response video or link to related video Participate with user comments on your video & related videos Embed YouTube onto your site to help increase views Label, tag, & write comments with KW in mind Views, Ratings, & Comments are key for Google optimization Create a channel Add CTA onto video (first frame & last frame) Drive to increase conversion goals

Other Video Sites: : 

Other Video Sites: Metacafe Google video Vimeo More…

Flickr : 

Flickr Get found in image search Optimize images with target keyword descriptions Use keywords for file name & tags Find related discussion groups & participate Search by topic, location

Slide 105: 

tags discuss

Social Networking : 

Social Networking LinkedIn MySpace FaceBook Ning Forums & Mailing Lists And more…

LinkedIn : 

LinkedIn Optimize your profile Connect with people & groups Can generate nice traffic to your site Participate in Q&A section

FaceBook : 

Set up fan page Get friends Join Groups Create Events Private Message influencers & authorities Consider FB ads FaceBook

Ning.com : 

Ning.com Create a social network based on primary & related keywords Engage & participate with networks found Consider geographic

Key Points for Social Networking : 

Key Points for Social Networking Give- don’t take Engage & participate within community Be transparent Win friends & influence people Communicate with “you” & “your” Build trust Offer FREE gifts Exclusive or direct access to YOU

Forums & Mailing Lists : 

Forums & Mailing Lists Newspaper Forums Craig’s List (community, discussion, etc…) Yahoo! Groups Google Groups Meetup.com Industry specific sites (Mandy.com, IFP.org, IDA, etc…) Newsletter blasts from industry sites (some organizations have 100,000’s of subscribers)

Social User Reviews : 

Social User Reviews Join the community & participate Write reviews & add friends Build a solid reputation Be careful if “self-reviewing” Amazon.com (cross linking & listmania) Netflix, Yelp, Yahoo & Google Answers YouTube Fickr

On-Line Publicity Strategies : 

On-Line Publicity Strategies Journalists bombarded On-line PR often read by consumers PR are distributed via RSS Getting your story “picked up” & re-written onto a site is best Indexed as “News” on search engines, so date & time sensitive Don’t send releases at end of the week

Submitting a Press Release via Wire Service : 

Submitting a Press Release via Wire Service Releases distributed on the internet should be SEO Use wire services: PRweb, PRNewsire, & dozens of free wire services Some services are expensive Writing services available

Unique Press Releases : 

Unique Press Releases Integrate traditional promotions Contests Give aways Exclusive interviews Etc…

Google Alerts : 

Google Alerts Sign up & monitor your keywords, including your name, project, & competitors Participate immediately, especially for damage control

Website Analytics : 

Website Analytics “ABC” - Always Be Converting “ABT” - Always Be Testing Track your progress Where is your traffic coming from? What keywords were you found with?

“Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want” Dan Stanford : 

“Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want” Dan Stanford A reminder that failure isn’t just acceptable- but essential.

Recommend website: : 

Recommend website: www.SearchEngineWatch.com

-Remember- : 

-Remember- Hope is not a marketing strategy

Thank You! : 

Thank You! Be our friend on FaceBook- Passion River Follow me on Twitter @AllenChou Join our mailing list at: www.MarketMyMovie.com