Producer of Marketing & Distribution (PMD)
WHY THIS NEW POSITION IS NEEDED
As traditional marketing and distribution models become outdated and overall rights deals remain out of reach for the vast majority of productions, innovative breakthroughs are constantly emerging, creating exciting ways for films to successfully penetrate available markets on their own. Through the power of the Internet, filmmakers can now find their core audience, connect with fans, sell directly to customers and build a loyal base of supporters over the length of their careers. But because no crewmember is currently responsible for this new, but necessary work, today’s independent films are unfortunately missing valuable opportunities to get noticed, attract followers and generate revenue.
FILMMAKERS HAVE NO TIME
Making a film, let alone raising enough funding for one, is extremely challenging and at times quite chaotic. Because indie filmmakers already have their plates full getting their movies made, most do not reach out to their core audience, cultivate those relationships, create a marketing strategy or evaluate potential distribution paths. There is just no time. Major studios have the resources for this work, but independent filmmakers often find themselves all alone once production wraps. This is a terrible mistake because neglecting this vital work limits the film’s exposure and leads to loss of revenue.
LACK OF TRAINING
Even if filmmakers did set aside time to do this work, many lack relevant training. Without experience and knowledge of grassroots marketing and hybrid distribution, filmmakers would not know how to create a customized strategy for their project, find and connect with their core audience or know how to profit from their art. To make up for this deficiency, filmmakers should work side by side with someone with a clear understanding (if not mastery) of these concepts and a track record for getting things done.
As early as possible, films should hire a PMD to create and execute a customized marketing and distribution strategic plan (MDSP) that encompasses everything from audience engagement and email list management to merchandise sales and a split rights scenario. With the right knowledge and a specific focus on marketing and distribution, a good PMD can help films track and tackle important tasks that typically fall between the cracks.
THE PMD’S RESPONSIBILITIES
I believe that a successful PMD must serve multiple functions on a film: strategist, manager, communicator, problem solver and entrepreneur. But first and foremost, the primary goal of a PMD is to create a customized marketing and distribution strategic plan (MDSP). I have created this term, MDSP, to acknowledge the need for all film productions to have a concrete document from which to work. The term, “strategy,” is just too vague. This MDSP is a concrete strategic plan, a roadmap (a real physical document) of ALL OF THE WORK that needs to be done in the coming days, months and even years, before, during and after the film’s production. By moving forward without creating this roadmap beforehand, a PMD can become sidetracked and eventually get lost. If you don’t know exactly where you’re going, you’ll never get there.
CREATE A CUSTOMIZED MARKETING AND DISTRIBUTION STRATEGIC PLAN
A PMD’s top priority is to develop, implement and continually refine a customized and concrete MDSP, which should be based upon the following criteria:
- The filmmaker’s specific goal (career launch, generating revenue, reaching the widest possible audience or social change)
- Available resources (size of the marketing and distribution budget, access to equipment, human resources, skills/expertise, personal connections)
- Desired timetable and current stage of the filmmaking process (development, production, post-production or completed film)
Just like in production, the marketing and distribution of a film cannot be FAST, CHEAP and GOOD. Only two out of the three are attainable. Any MDSP a PMD creates must take this into account. For independent filmmakers who want to do something good, this means that they must either be ready to spend more money or expect the process to take a longer time.
PMD’s must regularly evaluate their progress and improve their strategic plan accordingly. Their job will always remain a work in progress. Issues such as staying on schedule, meeting goals and handling the current workload should be carefully analyzed in order to determine whether or not to rearrange priorities, reallocate resources, alter internal organization and launch or abandon specific initiatives. Examples include deciding to focus on DVD sales over a theatrical run, spending more money on a new website, transferring responsibilities from one intern to another and scaling up a semi-theatrical push based on unforeseen interest.
ASSEMBLE AND LEAD A TEAM
For most filmmakers, handing over all aspects of marketing and distribution to a distribution company is just not going to happen. That is why they need a well-conceived MDSP as soon as possible. However, such a plan will inevitably include an extraordinary amount of work, much more than a PMD can tackle single-handedly within a reasonable amount of time. Therefore, PMD’s must build and guide a team of specialists to handle certain portions of the plan such as publicity, theatrical booking or graphic design. Based on the project’s budget and MDSP, PMD’s should find, hire and supervise as many of the following team members as needed:
- lawyer
- webmaster
- graphic designer
- sales representative
- distribution consultant
- accountant
- publicist
- viral marketer
- theatrical booker
- semi-theatrical screening coordinator
- film festival submission coordinator
- photographer
- videographer
- filmmaker’s assistant
- trailer editor
- interns
MANAGE DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS
As the hub for a film’s marketing and distribution activities, a PMD must be an effective manager. Instead of trying to do all of the work themselves, PMD’s facilitate the entire process. Their work is not to post status updates on social media sites, communicate with fans, edit short videos for the web, write blog posts, design posters and websites, generate taglines, edit trailers, set up an eCommerce workflow, build an email list, book theaters, produce and sell merchandise, coordinate semi-theatrical screenings and review distribution deals. A PMD’s job is to make sure that all of this work gets done.
PMD’s produce a film’s marketing and distribution strategic plan. That is their script.
More often than not, today’s PMD’s will directly handle many of their MDSP’s specific tasks because there isn’t anyone else available to help. But it is obvious that there are just too many jobs for a PMD to handle alone. That’s why they must delegate responsibilities to team members whenever possible. Dividing the work frees PMD’s up to do a good job on their tasks while they simultaneously oversee the entire MDSP. To ensure that everything is running smoothly and efficiently, PMD’s must strive to do the following:
- Establish a division of labor
- Define and divide responsibilities
- Manage productivity
- Create and maintain an organized To Do list
- Set S.M.A.R.T (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely) goals
- Facilitate communication
- Lead regularly scheduled meetings and/or conference calls with team members
- Manage time
- Drive everything forward by establishing deadlines. Ensure they are being met.
- Be Flexible
- Adjust to any problems or opportunities that suddenly arise
OVERSEE RELATED FINANCES
PMD’s spend money hiring team members, building websites, producing merchandise, making marketing materials and more. On the flipside, they generate revenue by selling DVD’s and posters, booking semi-theatrical screenings and facilitating hybrid distribution through various partners. From a financial standpoint, PMD’s should handle the following:
- Assist in developing a business plan for the film
- Draft a marketing and distribution budget
- Keep all marketing and distribution efforts within the budget
