Celebrating A Personal Win + How Long it REALLY Takes to Get Good PR for Your Film
I'm finally catching up post Park City and recovering from a nasty bout with the flu but I wanted to share a small win. Plus: a new paid post coming soon.
I never thought I'd be leading PR or marketing efforts for indie films and filmmakers in addition to my writing and producing work but I gotta say, I love it and I love working with filmmakers and helping them be successful. I KNOW how much blood, sweat and tears went into your film and this last step in the process is crucial, if not the most important part of all.
To that end, for the clients I have repped so far after launching this consultancy in November of 2023, I’ve gotten placements in Variety, Deadline, targeted local media outlets relative to the filmmaker’s home bases, niche, targeted podcasts for their film’s particular demographics and more. It’s been truly gratifying. But now, a national glossy has been added to my clips.
But pieces like this don't come overnight. They are the results of months of effort building rapport with writers and interviewers, being accountable to the brands who supported us at our screenings, consistent follow-up and creating unique angles and opportunities for publications to write about. Some of the pieces I have pitched got published MONTHS after speaking with the writers. That's just how long it takes sometimes!
This piece in Woman’s World went into the works right after THANKSGIVING. It’s now February, just to show you an example of how long it can take. But I was diligent, I followed up and I made sure it happened. Granted, there’s always the possibility a piece can be killed before it sees the light of day but when you get a win like this, it just makes it so much sweeter knowing everything that had to go into getting the placement secured.
Getting good coverage is not sending out a press release and expecting someone to turn the dials and make it happen: truly good earned media doesn't work like that. It takes time, patience, striking when the iron is hot, having someone advocate for you and your film and of course, a stroke of luck.
But once the wheels start turning and people take interest, well, now you have something. For my Slamdance screening of DARUMA, I nabbed over two dozen pieces of press, with more rolling in weekly. And that truly does make a difference for filmmakers when it comes time for distribution, because it shows not only do you have people who want to talk about your film but that you KNOW how to talk about it and SELL IT!
So challenge yourself for your own film or business: what unique angles can you create that will become newsworthy in and of themselves? Because having a film isn’t just enough. Making a film isn’t “enough”. I’ll get into that concept next with a new paid post but for now, forgive me, I wanted to take a little victory lap and share this article. It’s not every day you get national press in a glossy magazine but this time, the pieces were in place and everything lined up and it’s a huge win for Abigail, for me, for my team and for my film.
But it did take MONTHS. This is one of the realities filmmakers need to educate themselves on, especially as they go into the festival circuit. You can get press around the festival but real, meaningful outstanding coverage typically needs months to set up, which is why I advise you that the MOMENT you get into a festival you start working on your media plan or enlisting the help of someone who can work with you on it. Yes, it will cost you more, but can you really risk dropping the ball at this crucial stage?
Ready to set up a consultation with me? Book an appointment on my website:
And like I said, stay tuned for my next paid post, where I go into a discussion I had with a filmmaker who complained to me that they had “just made a movie” and I had to explain why that wasn’t nearly enough in this day and age with the distribution landscape in its current state. If you think that “just making a film” is enough, you’re in for a very rude awakening. Stay tuned and for those in Southern California, stay dry!