Seattle Documentary Association (SeaDoc) presents:
Festival, Sales & Distribution Strategy For Emerging Documentary Filmmakers
We hope you will join us for this in-depth exploration of life after production on your film.
Many first time filmmakers are intimidated by the many unknowns they face by the time they're putting the final touches on their first project. We have all experienced that existential dread, wondering what life will look like on the other side. But how do you get your film out there?
How do you define and build your audiences? How can you best strategize your festival run? Do you need a sales agent? What are buyers looking for, and how do you even get them to see your film?
This conversation with three industry experts from festivals, sales, and distribution will cover the basics for preparing your film for release - wherever that is.
Topics covered will be:
Festival Strategy: What do you need to know when you’re submitting for festivals? How can you plan a festival run when you don’t even have a finished film?
Sales and PR: What can sales agents do for your film? Do you need a sales agent? How do you even get one?
Distribution: What happens when someone buys tour film? How do you get distributors to your screenings, or send them a screener?
Featuring conversations with:
Beth Barrett: Artistic Director | SIFF
Beth Barrett has been with SIFF since 2003, and is responsible for managing the artistic vision of SIFF, including all aspects of programming for the Seattle International Film Festival, SIFF Cinema’s five year-round screens, and the SIFF Education team. She secured SIFF’s status as an Academy Award® qualifying festival for short film in 2008. Beth currently serves on the City of Seattle Film Commission. In addition to her daily work in programming, Beth has served on juries and panels in Palm Springs, Park City, Cleveland, Calgary, Vancouver, BC, and Berlin, Germany.
Carylanna Taylor: Sales & Acquisitions Manager | The Film Sales Co
Carylanna Taylor is the manager of sales and acquisitions at The Film Sales Company, a New York-based sales company that strategizes and secures distribution for independently produced films.
Since its founding in 2002, the company has successfully raised financing for and sold over 200 films to a diverse group of domestic and foreign distributors.
A graduate of the American Film Conservatory’s M.F.A. in producing and a cultural anthropologist, Carylanna has worked in development with Oscar-winning production companies and has produced documentary and narrative shorts and features. Through her role at The Film Sales Company, she is delighted to help filmmakers have their films be seen and valued throughout the world.
Greg Rhem: Programmer & Consulting Producer | MTV Documentary Films
Greg Rhem is a programmer, creative consultant, and consulting producer for MTV Documentary Films. Recently, through his Bronx Brain 64 Creative Consulting, Greg worked with the development and production of independent documentaries and series as well as film festivals and domestic and international markets.
For 24 years Greg was director of programming for HBO Documentary Films. He helped discover shows for HBO, including the Oscar®-winning Freeheld and Born Into Brothels, and Oscar®-nominated Prison Terminal and Spellbound.
Greg has written several feature-length screenplays, including Screencraft semi-finalist sci-fi thriller The Dinosaur Four, currently in development. He also produced the drama-comedy feature At The Jersey Shore.
Greg holds an M.A. in Media Studies from the New School, and a B.A. in English and Film Studies from the University of Rochester.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
After the panelists we will have time for Q&A. Come with questions, or ask to dig in deeper on a topic covered.
If you’re a first-time or emerging filmmaker, you won’t want to miss this informative conversation.
No one will be turned away due to financial constraints. Please contact us for scholarship information.