Below The Line

The center of gravity has shifted. Netflix is prioritizing titles that travel cleanly across regions and feel like events the moment they hit the service. You see it in how quickly certain films move from festival conversation to global availability and in how the rows are programmed: bold, instantly legible choices that signal confidence to subscribers. For filmmakers, that means thinking beyond a domestic play; the mandate is momentum that translates in Seoul, São Paulo, an

Disney just walked into a buzzsaw. What started as a late-night decision around Jimmy Kimmel has snowballed into a broader perception problem, and perception—right now—is currency. In an industry where churn, pricing, and portfolio positioning are all moving at once, a PR bruise in one division can tighten appetites in another. That matters for indie distributors and filmmakers chasing licensing deals. The timing here isn’t ideal. Disney is pushing through another round of su

When filmmakers start shopping their movie, one of the first questions they hit is whether to bring on a sales agent. For some, it feels...

Let me start by saying this wasn’t some buttoned-up industry panel. Tony Piantedosi — SVP of Acquisitions at Vertical Entertainment and a longtime friend of mine — and I cracked open drinks, hit record, and went [almost] straight into the raw questions filmmakers ask me every damn day. You want to know what gets your pitch deleted before it’s even read? Or why some films land a Pay 1 deal while others sink without a trace? Tony lays it out, unfiltered. And if you’ve ever thou

For independent producers, attaching recognizable talent can feel like the difference between a greenlight and a project stuck in...

Hulu is quietly stepping up its game in acquiring content from independent creators — and not just in genres where it already has strength. Word is, recent deals reach deeper into films that cover specific topics and genres that can qualify for an acquisition outside the normal star‑driven content mandate. Hulu is said to be holding a small but strategic slush fund dedicated to these creators, allowing flexibility in making acquisitions beyond the typical risk thresholds. Wha

Independent filmmaking often depends not just on creative vision, but on smart financial packaging. Two of the most important tools in that toolbox are pre-sales and minimum guarantees (MGs). They can make or break whether a film gets made, whether you get paid early or see income later, and how risk gets distributed between filmmakers, distributors, and financiers.

It’s one of the first big questions after you’ve finished your film: should I try to sell this myself, or bring on a sales agent? The answer depends on three things—how competitive your film is, what leverage you have, and how much experience you have negotiating distribution deals. 1. When Self-Selling Can Work If your film is competitive—say it has recognizable talent, a hot genre, or a strong festival run—then selling your film domestically on your own isn’t a bad move. Yo

5 September 2025 - First, the good intel: by my count, there are still 36 North American buyers open to distributing dramas without major name talent (another 13 buyers for B+ to A list talent packages), and another 100+ buyers internationally . Then, the not so good... If you've been paying attention to the market then you already know the independent drama market has become a far tougher financial climb, both domestically and internationally. Films budgeted in the $500K t

Let’s skip the small talk. If you’re working with a distributor—or about to—there are a handful of things you can say or do that will tank the relationship before it even starts. And no, this isn’t about ego. It’s about trust, professionalism, and giving your film the best possible shot. 1. Don’t Act Like They Owe You Here’s the reality: if a distributor is giving you an MG, they’re paying you . Even in a revenue-share deal, they’re risking their own money to market, deliver,

29 August 2025 - Filmmakers ask us all the time: why pick one distributor over another? And increasingly, some are bypassing...

29 August 2025 - NBCUniversal’s Pesacock has just inked a deal to join Amazon’s Prime Video Channels, making its ad-free Premium Plus...

Let’s skip the fluff. If you’re a filmmaker staring down the barrel of your first distribution deal and wondering, “How do I not get...

22 August 2025 - Paramount’s new $7.7 billion, seven-year deal with UFC isn’t just about sports—it’s a shot across the bow of Netflix,...

15 August 2025 - For the first time in several years, we’re starting to see something we haven’t seen in a while: unsolicited inbound...

15 August 2025 - Meanwhile, in the ad-supported world, Fawesome is quietly growing for catalog monetization and mid-tier genre content....

15 August 2025 - Roku, a household name in the U.S. streaming hardware space, is making a notable content play with the launch of Howdy...

Distributors love a good independent movie just as much as the next guy. But who is the "next guy?" The next guy is the guy or girl next door, and they sometimes like a good independent movie -- not all the time; some times. What's more, considering numerous factors including streamers tightening their acquisition requirements, the glut of studio movies now being released after sitting on COVID shelves for more than a year, and the oversaturation of indie films entering the m