Let's Talk About... The Timing of Pitching Media

ALSO: Go see HOME FREE in Austin; Plus the influencer campaign for my film is starting to see some movement. AND: this is your last chance to register for the online trailer release event on the 8th!

Nov 04, 2024

∙ Paid

I got a bulk email from a journalist I follow this weekend who said that if pitches this week weren’t about P-Diddy or the election, it wasn’t getting read, covered or otherwise picked up. And I knew that instinctively, so I’m dialing back on a number of efforts this week and this is why I’m sending out this week’s Substack today instead of tomorrow, because I know y’all ain’t reading it Tuesday.

But before we launch into this week’s newsletter, let me plug the feel-good indie film HOME FREE.

Check out HOME FREE, Now Playing in Austin, Texas Through Nov. 8, 2024

‘Home Free’ follows a group of college misfits in 1997 when they invite an unhoused professor to crash on their porch. The film is written and produced by Lenny Barszap.

‘Home Free’ is described as a Trojan horse social impact film disguised as a coming-of-age college comedy that’s unapologetically funny, but also intended to be a catalyst for serious social change sharply focused on one of the most pervasive problems across America: the homelessness epidemic.

Home Free inspired the founding of the non-profit Been There, a movement led by a community of creative do-gooders transforming films, festivals, music and art into catalysts for positive societal change. Using comedy, music, art and fun to inspire empathy and impact, the Austin-based nonprofit has raised millions of dollars to build tiny homes for our neighbors experiencing homelessness. Been There founders Lenny Barszap and Aaron Brown believe we can have fun doing good to put homelessness in the past.

Click on the link above to watch the trailer, and if you’re in the Austin area, check it out in person this week.

The film is currently doing a 9-week theatrical residency in Austin at Eastside Cinema through Nov 8 and has plans to roll out across the country in early 2025.

I like this team’s strategy in that it specifically plays to their strengths: their home base in Texas (remember, go where you’re wanted!) and leans into the social impact side of things, which as you know, are the kinds of projects and films I’m most drawn to.

Send Me Your Indie Film to Promote

As always if you have an indie film you’d like me to promote, click here to submit your materials. I do not promote crowdfunding campaigns but I also never charge to plug your film! This support matters and I hope you’ll spread the love around.

Register for the Online Trailer Release Event on November 8th

This is the last call to register for the online trailer release party for DARUMA on November 8th, and I highly encourage you to do so, if solely for the purpose of getting ideas generated for your own film by watching me and my team in action.

I’ve got a ton of swag to award to attendees and comedian Christopher Titus is hosting the event which will be attended by myself, the director, the cast and possibly a special guest. So join us!

Click here to register for the event.

WHAT: DARUMA Online Trailer Release Event

WHEN: November 8th, 2024

TIME: Noon - 12:30PST (30 min online event)

HOW: Sign up here to be sent the Zoom link

Like I mentioned, the influencer campaign I’m running is already seeing some results and hitting audiences I wasn’t reaching before. If you want to take a look at what is going on, check out the film’s Instagram account here.

You can see two of my influencers posted videos already. It’s my understanding that some future collaborations between them and the brands might be in play, separate from my film, which is great for everyone.

I hope you join us!

Also, as a side note, I was speaking with a TV exec this weekend at an event and they were lamenting the state of Hollywood at the moment (like all of us). “They broke it,” the exec said. “They broke it and we have to find a way to put it together again.”

And that’s what we’re trying to do here with this Substack: find a way to put it together on the indie film side of things. I can’t fix the industry as a whole, but I can encourage you to be strategic and think of out of the box ways to game the existing system in your favor.

So thanks for sticking with me, and if you haven’t yet, I hope you’ll consider a paid subscription to support my work.

Now let’s get into: