IndieVest's treatment of Investors

While our President has a hard time living up to his promises of transparency in government, I am excited to see at least one company put its promises into action. According to this article, each investor of IndieVest's first feature "Saint John of Las Vegas" received a 280 page "bible" of every expense incurred during the production of the film. As someone who has been charged with wrestling royalty statements and quarterly statements out of my fair share of companies (film and otherwise), I appreciate the show of respect IndieVest has for it's investors. It shows a true long term commitment to a positive partnership and not just a take the money and run attitude often common in the fundraising world.

As someone who is also in the process of raising equity funds for films, this is exactly the level of detail and transparency that I am committing to. This includes how we are running our new distribution label CHANNEL MIDNIGHT which will releasing it's first film in April. It is sad that so many people in the film business hate so many other people in the film business because of what is perceived as shady practices at every level but specifically at the distribution level. Hopefully the wave of the future is one of less waste; less steak dinners attributed to a film's P&L and more companies like IndieVest showing respect to investors and filmmakers alike.

Hypothermia Wraps!

Our client and partner in crime James Felix McKenney just completed production on his new movie HYPOTHERMIA. The movie stars Michael Rooker, Blanche Baker, Don Wood, Greg Finley, Amy Chang, and Ben Forester. The movie was shot on a lake and on an indoor set in Amsterdam New York. The movie is produced by MPI/Dark Sky Films and Glass Eye Pix.

The story takes place in Maine in the dead of winter. Ray Pelletier and his wife Helen have been ice fishing the frozen expanse of Lake Noyade for over two decades but this year something is different: no fish bite. Is it their new neighbors on the ice -- Stevie Jr. and his overbearing Dad -- with their high-tech gear and over-sized rig that is driving the fish away? Or is it something else? The answer comes in an onslaught of ferocious attacks that unites the two families against a mysterious creature from under the ice.

Kudos to the perfomers and crew who did an amazing job in the cold and ice. We will keep you posted as the film develops in post-production.

Panelists at 2010 SXSW

I just stumbled upon the full list of panelists for this years SXSW festival. Lots of favorites like Jon Reiss and Michael Gondry and also a few friends. Our fantastic entertainment lawyer Deena Kalai will be speaking as will Ti West (The Roost, House of the Devil). This was the year I was planning on going but projects made that impossible. I will have to live vicarously through reports and updates. Have fun!

$10,000 to Sit Through His Film

I always say that I knew I was going to end up in entertainment marketing in some capacity when two things happened in my life: I became obsessed with merchandise of KISS when I was 11 and I became obsessed with a scheme developed by PSYCHIC TV when I was 16.

PSYCHIC TV, a controversial "industrial" band headed by Genesis P. Oridge put these paper puzzle pieces into a batch of live albums. The fans were challenged to purchase every live album in order to receive the ultimate prize--ANOTHER LIVE ALBUM. A special album that would not be sold. Although the albums were repetitive and of poor sound quality, I was obsessed. I was collecting those albums because there was a prize to be had. I fell in love with the process of hooking the consumer into purchasing something they did not need, often did not want but had to have.

And so as I now am in the business of marketing my companies, my products and my films, I get excited to see how people are coming up with new ways to generate hype and eventually hook the consumer into actually parting with their hard earned cash. This novel approach from a Bollywood filmmaker caught my attention. I am assuming the angle is that the movie is so terrifying that no one will be able to sit through it but what if it's just simply too terrible to get through?

I will keep an eye on this one. I am going to assume that guy will quickly lose his 500,000 rupees.

P.S. Psychic TV intended to put out 23 live albums but stopped at 17. I stopped buying them at around number 10 becuase I ran out of money as I suspect they did also. It did however get them into the Guiness Book of World Records for the largest number of releases in one year. I just recently listened to one of their studio albums called  "Dreams Less Sweet" and it still stands up as a beautifully produced album but my closet full of live albums will probably never be listened to again.

Greatest 34 Cult Films

Totalfilm.com has put together a list of the top 34 Cult Films of all time. Did your favorite make the list?

BAFTA Nominations!

A big congrats to colleague Jacob Jaffke for the BAFTA nomination on the short film he produced, OFF SEASON. OFF SEASON is a snow and ice movie not to be confused with THE OFF SEASON by James Felix McKenney who is currently making an ice and snow movie (which Jacob is producing) which should not be confused with OFF SEASON. The world goes full circle. BAFTA awards were announced today and although OFF SEASON did not win, it is an incredible honor to be nominated. Kudos Jacob!

Murray Hill's New York City

The Work Room Productions is currently working on a touring and off-Broadway show with New York City entertainer Murray Hill. If you are not familiar with Murray, I'd sugget checking out his website at http://www.mistershowbiz.com/ and going to his annual Oscar party show at Joe's Pub on March 7th. The New York Post chatted with our favorite bon vivant about his favorite joints in New York City. Murray is always classy and keeps it old school. Check it out.

Interview with Filmmaker Nathan Wrann

We are in the process of putting out the first release on our film new distribution label Channel Midnight.  We will have much more on Channel Midnight soon but here is an interview with the writer/director of the first film scheduled for release; Nathan Wrann's BURNING INSIDE.

You can also check out this review of BURNING INSIDE from Greg Lamberson of Fear Zone.

Service Deals-The Mad Rush at Sundance

More service deals than full distribution offers at Sundance this year.

Kevin Smith & Crowdfunding

I am all for Crowdfunding. I love the idea that there is this group of benevolent souls who are going to gather together to support a project because they believe in it or even because they will get a free DVD when it is finished. Hell, I donated to a film today. A young man tweeted me and asked me to check out his site. He is 19, lives somewhere in New York State and has already made a bunch of movies, including one for $250. How could I resist giving him a few bucks that I don’t really have?

While I do know of filmmakers that have been able to do great things with crowdfunding, they have been primarily documentary filmmakers where a donation kind of makes sense. For me and the projects I work on, I don’t think it will work. Who is going to donate to the slate of films that I am currently raising money for? Our friends, our families, perhaps some die-hard fans of the director or the actors because after all, it is in fact a donation and not even one you or I can write off at the end of the year.

However, when someone like Kevin Smith is interested in playing around with crowdfunding, well, it’s a game changer. Kevin has such a personal relationship with his fans. We listen to his podcast over here and it’s like we’re part of his gaggle of insane friends sitting around his Los Angeles home. Kevin is big enough to have an article written about the fact that he is thinking of using crowdfunding and yet still not big enough to not need a studio or some financier to back his movie. Kevin could make crowdfunding work.

I look forward to seeing what he comes up with and I also look forward to seeing how crowdfunding evolves or is killed by individuals who don’t understand it or are threatened by it. I’ve listened to a lot of smart people argue the merits of it and be confused by how it mingles with, skirts dangerously close to or avoids the securities laws.

I am rooting for you crowdfunding…even if I don’t think you will work for the majority of us.