Let's Talk about... Thirteen Different Kinds of Marketing for Your Indie Film
You'll want to do at least one if not all of them on the list. Plus: Slamdance 2026, Film Soup Updates, Headlines that caught my eye, & check out indie film, Mysterious Ways
Marketing & PR for Indie Films is a reader supported publication: if you’d like to upgrade your subscription for $5/mo or $50 a year, or to learn more about marketing and PR for your #IndieFilm and work with me, click here.
“Making your indie film is only half the work. The other half is making sure people actually see it.”
~ KLA Media Group
Join Us at Slamdance 2026! Gift Bags, Panels & Opening Night Parties
Slamdance has a very special place in my heart: not only did my film DARUMA (now free to watch on Tubi!) screen with them in 2024, but I was on the jury in 2025 and am a programmer for them for the 2026 festival. I’ll be there for the opening night film and party, so be sure to say hello!
Filmmaker Gift Bags
If you’re attending Slamdance this year and are lucky enough to be getting one of the filmmaker swag bags, they were sourced and curated yours truly! I’ve developed a bit of a reputation for facilitating brand partnerships, so when the Slamdance team reached out and asked if I would help, of course I said yes! And if you’d like to chat with me about brand partnerships for your film, or if you’re a brand looking to partner with indie films, check out the link below!
Directing Beyond Assumptions Panel: Feb 21 at 4:30PM
I will also be in attendance for a panel on Friday, Feb 21 called Directing Beyond Assumptions. My husband Alexander Yellen will be on the panel speaking which will be led by Oscar winner Peter Farrelly who is the executive producer of our movie, DARUMA (again, now free to watch on Tubi! Please support other indie filmmakers!). Our colleague and friend, Deaf director Jevon Whetter will also be in attendance, who both Alex and I have had the pleasure of working with on set. I’ve been teaching Alex sign language over the last few years and in 2022, Alex was the DP on Jevon’s first feature film, Signs of Your Heart, which starred… yours truly. Super cute movie and it came about because of our deep relationships within the community.
I am planning on coming to the Monday Market to commune with others in the FilmStack community but I won’t be able to stay the whole day. So please keep me posted with highlights of the session and how it goes!
Film Soup Updates: The War Between Review
As you know I recently launched a zine called Film Soup to make space for indie film reviews and indie filmmaker interviews in collaboration with fellow FilmStacker Charlotte Simmons.
Charlotte has created another incredible review over on Film Soup, this one for a filmmaker who I have known and worked with for some time, filmmaker Deborah Correa and her Western, The War Between. I encourage you to read it here and watch Deborah’s film!
The more I read of Charlotte’s work and her approach to film criticism, the more I think that stylistically it’s a model that works increasingly well for indie films. More to discuss soon, and be sure you add your film to the list of completed FilmStack films here! And if you’re a writer who wants to submit a pitch for a review or an article, send it in here.
The Headlines That Caught My Eye Recently:
Every week I do a round-up of headlines that are pertinent to our business and list them here in my newsletter. I do my best to provide non-paywalled articles when possible! Here’s this week’s fresh catch:
Paramount+ is planning a major move into short-form video, internal documents reveal
Creators Move to Unionize. Hollywood Wants to Help. Solidarity Not Guaranteed
How a viral TikTok song with millions of views became a whole new musical.
Universal’s Michael Moses: My Modern Movie Playbook - The Ankler
Love books and hate dating apps? These readers are bringing back the meet-cute
Check Out Indie Film Mysterious Ways
This horror-comedy follows two youth ministers who accidentally possess their pastor's daughter with a demonic spirit and have to stop her rampage on Halloween night.
Written and directed by Tyler Eaton, the award-winning feature took home Best Horror Comedy at the Atlanta Horror Film Festival and A Night of Horror International Film Festival, along with Best SoCal Feature at the Poppy Jasper International Film Festival. The cast includes scream queen icon Tuesday Knight (A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master) alongside acclaimed comedians Eddie Pepitone (Bob’s Burgers) and James Adomian (Jimmy Kimmel Live!).
Submit Your Finished Feature-Length Film to Be Featured in This Substack, Dedicated to Indie Films!
If you have a finished feature length film (narrative or documentary) 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.
It doesn’t cost you anything to promote here and who doesn’t need the boost right now? Plus, some really amazing filmmakers read this newsletter! Thank you all for subscribing!
And now let’s talk about…
Thirteen Kinds of Marketing for Your Indie Film
Making your indie film is only half the work. The other half is making sure people actually see it.
When people say “we need marketing” for an indie film, what they usually mean is “we need more people to watch it.” But marketing isn’t one thing: it’s an ecosystem of different roles, each solving a different problem. On a studio film, these are entire departments. On an indie, they’re often one exhausted person wearing many different hats. Here’s what 13 types of marketing look like when you translate them into the world of independent film.
Content below is for subscribers, so please consider upgrading your subscription! As a reminder I do four in-depth posts per month and a subscription could save you time and money!
Want to work with me? Shoot me a DM! I love working with filmmakers and would love to discuss the marketing, PR and distribution needs for your specific film. Message me to schedule a 15 minute intro meeting!
Marketing & PR for Indie Films is a reader supported publication: if you’d like to upgrade your subscription for $5/mo or $50 a year, or to learn more about marketing and PR for your #IndieFilm and work with me, click here.
