December 19, 2024
About once a day, I get an email from someone asking me to help them approach brands to sponsor their new movie or show or hoping they can pitch their film to one of my clients. The problem is – this is not what I do. I understand the confusion – I work with brands and films, and have been doing it for about thirteen years, so people think I can help them get funding for their movie. But the crucial part is, my company is hired by the brands to help them with their projects, not the other way around, and 99% of the time, I can’t help these filmmakers at all, so I write them an email explaining this and I try to give them some advice.
So, I am starting a new series - Brand Film 101, where I'll dive into different aspects of how brand film funding works. Sometimes, this series will be for filmmakers, and other times for people working in this space already (brands, agencies, etc.) This first article is going to post in two parts – I will run this article over two newsletter posts, as it’s quite long - and it is intended for filmmakers trying to break in to brand funded entertainment. This is my attempt to spread that knowledge to a broader audience, and quite frankly, to have somewhere to point to for this advice in the future so I can stop writing the same return email a hundred times per week.
I was also recently featured on a podcast/newsletter from Jeff Rivera’s Bypass Hollywood, and I didn’t realize how popular this site was – I woke up the next morning to several hundred LinkedIn friend requests, and as many messages and emails asking for help approaching brands. I seldom look at the subscription rate for my newsletter, but it also went up significantly over the weekend, so… to these new readers looking for such advice, I hope this series, and this two-part post helps.
Caveat – this advice is a bit of a best guess, and I welcome feedback from others who might have had greater success, or who work on the brand side and want to give their opinions. Send me a note, and I’ll run an update in the future.
First – How Brands Typically Fund Films, Shows and Entertainment
Most brands who have moved or are moving into this space aren’t looking to sponsor an existing film project. They have very specific brand missions, values and a “brand” to build and protect. They have goals, target audiences, other marketing campaigns to think about, and this all adds up to very specific needs. Very few existing films (or shows, or podcasts, or whatever) fit these needs, so they usually commission the work they want to see made.
Either working on their own, or with their agency (ad agency, or PR firm), or a consultancy like mine, they decide what they want to make, approach a producer to make it directly or via a request for proposals (RFP), and after some back and forth, they award money to that film team to make a specific project. This might take the form of a contract to pay for the project from their marketing or communications budget, or maybe it comes from their foundation as a grant, and in a few cases, it might come in the form of an equity investment. In some cases, the brand might be forming an entire studio, making more than one film, or they might even make a mix of projects – blog posts, photo essays, social media posts, short films, feature films, episodic series, games and/or new media, and so on. But again, the impetus for each project usually comes from the brand side.
They usually give the filmmaking team(s) a lot of creative control and want them to find the best stories to tell, the best characters or subjects to follow, and to help turn it into something people will want to watch (or consume in some fashion depending on the medium). Sometimes, the film team even gets lucky and already has some ideas in their back-pocket that happen to align with the brand’s goals, and so you’ll often see a production company or filmmaker who is really pitching a project to Brand X that they already pitched before to Netflix or to Brand Y, and now they get creative and turn it into the perfect project for Brand X. (Side note: this takes place so often that part of our job at Sub-Genre is trying to be sure the brand is getting what they really want, not just a recycled pitch). There are nuances to how this works, but again, in most of these cases, even if the film team had a ton of creative leeway, the project is pretty much originating on the brand side.
Occasionally, a brand will decide that they are also open to being pitched original projects that align very closely with their mission and values. But these must be very closely aligned, the timing must be perfect, and a lot of “stars must align” for this to work. Nearly every day, a filmmaker pitches me a project and says something along the lines of – this would be perfect for a hotel brand. But guess what – Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott and every other hotel brand thinks about their brand and what aligns with it quite differently and with more nuance than you might imagine. Similarly, having worked with most of these companies, what makes a short film perfect for Patagonia, vs Red Bull, vs REI, vs The North Face, or vs Yeti is very different, and if you look closely, each of their approach to films is very different. In fact, just this week an interview dropped with Paolo Mottola from REI, and he explains exactly what they’re looking for, and how precise you need to be when pitching them, and how they differ from their competition (hint- read it to learn how to pitch them).
When a brand does decide they’re open to being pitched such projects, they usually keep that close to their vest, so to speak. They might tell their agency or consultant what they are looking for, or they might meet with Hollywood agents (God help them) to find projects, or they will go to producers or directors they already know. And right now, a lot of Hollywood-level producers have moved into the brand film space, and many brands are going directly to them for projects because… they’re as seduced by Hollywood as anyone else. Like anything else in this business, or life, a lot of it is who you know. That’s a problem, and one we try to solve at Sub-Genre often, but it remains the main route.
I’ve also seen many brands hire a filmmaker because they saw one of their films at a film fest or on YouTube and they just reached out to them directly. And sometimes, not often, but sometimes they will host a contest, or put out an RFP more broadly. But usually, if a brand is announcing they’re “open for business,” the word gets around fast, and people in the film industry will start talking about it, and most experienced producers and agencies will hear about this news – it’s harder for emerging or less connected filmmakers to know about these opportunities, but more on that in the next newsletter where I’ll address how you might approach or pitch brands – and hint, hint – it’s not about emailing me asking for help.
UP NEXT: How to Approach Brands and How to Break-In to Brand Funded Storytelling (this will be an year-end Holiday Gift)
|
|
Film
Public Media In Jeopardy & What It Means for Independent Documentaries: Come January, one of the most important pillars of our democracy — public media — will be fighting for its survival. Though historically resilient, entities like the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and PBS, are increasingly vulnerable to coordinated attacks by Trump and his Department of Government Efficiency co-heads, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. Many industry insiders like Adriana Bosch (a former producer of the PBS series “American Experience”) fear that what’s at stake isn’t just “the content of public media; it’s… the existence of public media.” Others remain more optimistic: Aaron Pruitt, director of Montana PBS (a third of its budget comes from CPB) believes that the CPB won’t be defunded “because I think Americans love their local public radio and TV stations.” Check out Anthony Kaufman’s piece for IndieWire, “3 Reasons Why the Trump Administration Will Defund Public Media — and 2 Why It Won’t” for the details. (GSH)
 Open Call for Shorts in 2025: Start planning for Long Story Short, Kickstarter’s annual celebration of bold and brilliant short films and the visionary people who make them. Whether you’re established or emerging, working in narrative, animation, or documentary, this is the time to launch a short film campaign. Between now and March 2025, Kickstarter will share resources for short-form filmmakers. Then, in March, they’ll promote shorts in Kickstarter newsletters, on social media, and more. Learn more and apply here!
Indie Filmmakers Recommended Reading on seed funding: Check out Schuyler Moore’s Forbes piece, “The Basics Of Raising Seed Equity For Films,” an easy-to-read guide for indie filmmakers looking to give their project wings. Moore’s basic takeaway is that filmmakers need to “find enough seed money to get [their] projects off the ground far enough to hopefully find a distributor to pick them up and finance them.” Here’re some important do’s / don’ts: (1) “There are “finders” that can help find investors for a fee, but only pay them on a successful closing, never in advance.” (2) “Most investors in the film industry do not do it for purely financial reasons…. [dangle out incentives to invest] such as an executive producer credit, premieres, after-parties, and visits to the set.” (3) “There are two general approaches to structuring an equity investment: (a) by an “investment contract” and (b) by ownership in an entity, such as an LLC. [Moore] strongly recommend[s] the entity approach [details why in article].” (4) Moore outlines a few rules to follow when raising equity to avoid getting in trouble with the SEC. (GSH)
Switchboard Launches - To "Redefine" Longform Non-Fiction Storytelling: Next month, non-fiction producer Celia Aniskovich will launch Switchboard, a new digital magazine that aims to redefine nonfiction storytelling. Each issue will feature a (1) long-form nonfiction story, (2) a profile that delves into the life of a fascinating individual, (3) a “from the stacks” story reviving long-overlooked capstone projects and journalism gems from University journalism programs, and (4) a short documentary film. Switchboard is also positioning itself as a repository of intellectual property for TV and film adaptations: “Our stories are designed to spark not only engagement but also long-term success in the entertainment industry, making this a game-changer for producers, writers, and audiences alike.” Learn more about Switchboard at Mia Galuppo’s article for The Hollywood Reporter. (GSH)
The Impact Lounge Returns to Park City - with me speaking, too - Last year, The Impact Lounge launched at Sundance, and now it the hosts hold events around the world throughout the year. They're back at Sundance, and I'll be one of the speakers on a panel to be announced. More details: The Impact Lounge is your go-to destination for thought-provoking conversations, groundbreaking storytelling and meaningful connections. This year, we are hosting a series of inspiring sessions featuring changemakers, filmmakers, and industry leaders who are redefining the power of film to spark global impact. Whether your passionate about social impact storytelling, intrigued by the evolving landscape of independent film or looking to connect with like-minded professionals and innovators in the industry, The Impact Lounge promises a dynamic and engaging space to explore the most pressing issues shaping our world today. Get all of the info and apply to attend here.
Why Netflix Sucks and How it's Ruining Film: That's not the article's real title, but that's the gist of this one making the rounds from Will Tavlin on n+1, real title: Casual Viewing: Why Netflix Looks Like That (h/t I got the link via Ted Hope). Tavlin goes through a lengthy history of how we went from Blockbuster, to Netflix and to where we are now with several competing places, but seemingly no one who wants to show higher quality cinema online. Read it if you need a refresher on everything that's gone wrong, or just want to relive the madness. (BN)
|
|
Branded Content
 Luxury Fashion Brand Releases Film Celebrating Black Artistry On Their 10th Anniversary: Luxury streetwear brand A Ma Maniére recently announced the premiere of its highly anticipated short film, “While You Were Sleeping.” Directed by award-winning filmmakers Julien and Justen Turner (Nike, Sesame Street, Beats by Dre), The film highlights the challenges and triumphs faced by some of the most influential Black artists and influencers today and explores the concept of the “Black Tax,” “a term used to describe the disproportionate burden placed on Black individuals to uplift and support their families and communities.” “While You Were Sleeping” made its global premiere on Dec 12 at London’s Ritzy Brixton Theatre, then makes its U.S premiere at Harlem’s iconic Apollo Theater on Dec 17. Learn more at Veracity Savant’s blog entry and be sure to check out the trailer! (GSH)
Why Long-Form Content Can be a Content Marketer's Gift: While this article is a bit of branded content itself, pushing the success of their own project (and it's a paid post), Brendan Gaul, Global Chief Content Officer, IPG Mediabrands and Global President, TRAVERSE32, gives a great study of the differing impacts of iterations of their Dear Santa project (directed by the great Dana Nachman) at Forbes. With everyone rushing to embrace short form content, Gaul realized he had a great case study on his hands, because Dear Santa has been a feature doc, a series, and there's also a short trailer. So. they set up a test to figure out which format worked best. Viewers of each format were more likely to select USPS (the sponsor) as their preferred shipping provider, and gained more affinity for the brand, but those who spent more time watching the longer feature film were had much more brand affinity. Mind you, a trailer is not the same as a short (in fact, it's an ad), so the takeaway here is more about time sent with quality content. Read the whole article to learn more about the results. (BN)
How REI approaches Brand Films - and how to pitch them: HENCE has a great interview with my colleague from REI (they're a client) on how REI has used brand funded film to earn a spot on Fast Company’s 2024 list of “most innovative companies.” Paolo also speaks to how to pitch REI, and what they're looking for in films (and other content). Which is a nice fit with my main article today. (BN)
Sony Releases Docu Short On Accessibility In Gaming: Recently, Sony posted “Game Changers,” a 22 minute documentary to YouTube that chronicles the experiences of disabled gamers and accessibility advocates Jared Grier and Alejandro Courtney. While the film is undoubtedly an explicit branding/marketing opportunity for Sony (its release marks the 1 year anniversary of the Access Controller), the stories covered in the film are meaningful and make for a really touching viewing experience. Learn more at Steven Aquino’s piece for Forbes and watch the short film here.
|
|
Miscellany:
Death By a Thousand Substacks: This newsletter is not a substack. I'm not a fan, have never been one, never will be one, but somehow, people think it is one sometimes. I can give you a hundred reasons I'm against it, but none of them are as well put as this post by Tyler Denk, and anyone on substack, or considering it, should give it a read. Quick summary - his own words: "The most important thing you can take away from this entire post: when your hard-earned readers download their app, that reader becomes their user. They own the relationship, the distribution, the notifications, and everything in between." Or try his concluding sentence: "We’ve walked this path too many times. Publishers deserve independence and ownership, not hollow vanity metrics and fleeting followers." Amen. (BN)
GSH = Articles written by Sub-Genre's Gabriel Schillinger-Hyman, not Brian Newman (BN)
|
|
|
Like This Newsletter? Subscribe & Past Issues
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
