Independent Film Marketing

“Creators are the startups of Hollywood.” – Neal Mohan So what does that actually mean? We’ve sat down with hundreds of creators on The Colin and Samir Show, and I’ve started to write down a four principles that embody this idea. 𝟏. 𝗪𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗠𝗩𝗣𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘀 — 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁. Startups test minimum viable products to find product-market fit. Creators do the same — we test for content-market fit. Adam Faze built a show called Bodega Run. It got 40 million views on the first episode, then started to taper. Four weeks later, he canceled it. He went from concepting, launching, finding an audience, and shutting it down faster than it takes most Hollywood meetings to get set — and it cost him just $3,500. Not because it failed, but because it taught him what didn’t scale. Creators launch, learn, and move on faster than traditional studios ever could. Making a show today requires an idea, a phone, and an internet connection. That’s basically it. 𝟐. 𝗪𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗳𝗹𝗮𝘄. Steven Bartlett told us he has an actual “failure team.” Their entire job is to experiment, fail fast, and extract insights. That mindset is the opposite of how big studios operate. In Hollywood, failure ends projects, because it's too expensive and too high risk, so it's avoided. For creators, failure informs the next project. The faster we get there, the better. And because of how long we've all been on the internet, embarrassment is just part of the deal. So trying and failing doesn't feel as risky or scary. 𝟑. 𝗪𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺. In traditional media, you make a show, release a season, and hope people like it. Creators do the opposite — we co-create with our audience in real time. KSI’s Reddit series is a perfect example. His fans post feedback, memes, and stories — and he reacts to them in the next video. The audience isn’t just watching; they’re shaping the content itself. That collaboration builds something more powerful than viewership — it builds community, and a sense of ownership over the content. 𝟒. 𝗪𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮-𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝘂𝘁-𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻. Every creator we’ve interviewed knows their numbers — retention, click-through rate, average view duration. We study audience behavior the same way a startup studies user data. But data alone doesn’t make great content. The best creators pair what the numbers say with what their instincts feel. We’re authentic members of the internet and the platforms we create on — which gives us the instincts to understand what makes something worth watching. That combination of intuition and insight is what drives innovation in this space. Creators trust their gut to take creative risks, then use data to see if those risks paid off. If you’re creating media today, these four principles are absolutely necessary to compete.

“Last year, Sundance screened 151 projects out of 15,775 submissions, a success rate of just under one percent. A modest proposal: The future of indie film isn’t in the gatekeepers you chase. It’s in the audiences you grow. ‘Skit,’ a comedy shot under SAG’s ultra-low-budget agreement. It premieres November 14 as a one-month exclusive on Tubi before rolling out on Filmhub. Shapiro calls it “the model of new independent film. You go directly to the audience as quickly as you possibly can, at a set of economics that allow you to get a return on your investment.” https://lnkd.in/eb_d3f_Q A great piece in IndieWire by Dana Harris-Bridson, clearly identifying the problem 👇 we were looking to solve when we decided how to make and distribute ‘Skit,’ and the movement we joined when we greenlit ourselves.

Why Most Independent Films Never Make It Past TVOD After working closely with dozens of indie releases over the years — thrillers, dramas, festival titles, I noticed a painful pattern that almost every filmmaker faces: Most independent films don’t break out. Not because of the movie… But because of the marketing. Here are the three biggest reasons why indie films get stuck at TVOD (Amazon, Apple) and never land a deal with a major streamer: 1. Relying entirely on a sales agent or distributor for promotion Most filmmakers assume once the deal is signed, the marketing is handled. It’s not. Distributors prioritize titles with existing traction, existing audiences, or built-in demand. If you don’t bring your own audience, your film gets lost in the catalog. 2. Creating a “dedicated film page” from zero — weeks before release This almost never works. A brand-new page with 0 followers and no posting history cannot outrun platform algorithms. It takes 45 days minimum for a page to start getting delivered to the Explore page consistently. Most indie films don’t give themselves this runway. 3. Not driving engagement inside the TVOD platforms Reviews, ratings, watch completions, and saves on Amazon/Apple matter more than people realize. If your audience isn’t activated to show up inside the platform, your film never climbs the ranking — and never gets organic visibility. And this is exactly why I keep saying: Your own audience is not optional. It’s leverage. It’s the difference between a quiet release and a streaming acquisition. It’s the reason some indie titles break through while others disappear in weeks. If you’re a filmmaker preparing for your next release — build your audience now. Start 60–90 days before launch. Document the process. Show the behind-the-scenes. Warm up your viewers before the film even has a date. Your audience is the only “asset” that follows you from film to film. It’s what gets deals. It’s what gets you seen. It’s what builds a career — not just a release.

Does Your Cast Actually Help Sell Your Film Internationally? Most independent filmmakers spend months choosing the right actors. Very few spend five minutes asking whether those actors actually help sell the film in Germany, India, Japan, France or South Korea. That single question can influence financing, distribution and the commercial value of a project. Here's why... One of my early mentors worked for two major studios and three international distribution companies. One lesson he repeated over and over was this: Casting should never be an afterthought. Especially international casting. Yet I continue to see filmmakers spend years developing a screenplay... attaching talent... raising finance... building a production package... ...without asking one simple question. Does my cast help sell this film internationally? The major studios learned this lesson decades ago. They don't simply cast for talent. They cast for markets. A recognizable actor in one country may have little commercial value in another. Conversely, an actor who is relatively unknown in North America may be a major draw elsewhere. Imagine attaching a leading Bollywood actress with tens of millions of followers. She may not be a household name in Hollywood. But she could dramatically increase your project's appeal to buyers and audiences across one of the world's largest film markets. That's no longer just a casting decision. It's a packaging decision. A sales decision. Potentially... a financing decision. Experienced sales agents evaluate projects through several commercial lenses: • Genre • Cast • Director • Comparable titles • Marketability by territory Notice what's near the top. Cast. International stars also bring something many producers overlook... Millions of highly engaged followers who can become part of your marketing long before the first trailer is released. The smartest producers don't ask: "Who's the biggest star?" They ask: "Who's the biggest star in the markets that matter?" Because casting isn't simply about finding the right actor. It's about finding the right audience. Question: If an international sales agent looked at your cast today... Which international markets would they immediately believe your film is built to succeed in?

African auteur cinema seems to have finally cracked the international festival circuit. I remember when Nigerian filmmakers were lamenting 10 years ago that Cannes didn’t want their films. 📽 Well, for the past couple of years, African films have shown up consistently at premium festivals such as Cannes, Berlin, and Sundance, in  a way that feels sustained rather than exceptional: On Becoming a Guinea Fowl (Zambia), My Father’s Shadow (Nigeria), How to Build a Library (Kenya), Khartoum (Sudan), LADY (Nigeria), Kikuyu Land (Kenya), Dao (Senegal), Soumsoum (Chad)... the lineup is starting to look proper. And yet… this is happening at a time where the industry is facing massive disruptions and a serious distribution bottleneck. I spoke to Variety about this dichotomy: https://lnkd.in/eMDbeA-R Film festival recognition doesn’t solve the mass-market distribution problem, but it does prove that African storytelling is increasingly legible, competitive and valued at the highest global levels. This matters for reputation, deal-flow and future financing. What also gives me hope is that, although the distribution picture is structurally very difficult, it’s not static. 1️⃣ African industry professionals are not sitting idle. We’re seeing a real push to experiment with local solutions, even as global streamers retreat. I remain skeptical about the long-term scalability of purely local streaming platforms (streaming is a capital-intensive, low-margin game) but it still matters that alternatives are being attempted. 2️⃣ Theatrical exhibition has also quietly become a real bright spot again in some countries. The Nollywood box office has shattered records over the past year, proving very clearly that audiences will still turn up and pay for locally relevant stories when the offer is right. Meanwhile, Pathé is expanding their cinema footprint in Francophone Africa. That kind of long-term bet on physical infrastructure is a strong signal of confidence in African audiences and demand. 3️⃣ Finally, I’m paying close attention to non-traditional distribution models. Fusion Intelligence, which is approaching distribution through technology and software to enable a network of community cinemas, is a good example. So, although the distribution crunch is brutal, the response is also becoming more sophisticated: fewer illusions about easy scale, more experimentation with format, technology and global cultural positioning. That’s a healthier place to be than quiet dependence on global streamers that can pivot away overnight. ---- Hi, my name is Marie 👋🏽 I’ve been a strategic advisor, investor, and entrepreneur in the African Creative and Sports space for 20 years. For business insights you cannot get anywhere else, join the 11,000+ other professionals who subscribe to my monthly newsletter HUSTLE & FLOW: https://lnkd.in/drBY8jnz

Screen production incentives create activity. When deployed within ecosystems, they create industries. For governments in the GCC and elsewhere building a film sector, that distinction matters. Screen production incentives are a powerful tool. They bring international productions in, boost short term spending, create jobs, and sometimes lift tourism. From the first incentive program in the US in the early nineties, today there are around 120 programmes worldwide at national and regional level, including several in the GCC, and public support for them runs into the billions of dollars each year. But incentives on their own do not build a film industry. They create bursts of activity. If a production attracted by a high incentive arrives and finds no skilled crew, no scalable services, and no real infrastructure, they won't be returning. The production leaves, and the impact leaves with it. The risk is measuring success by the number of projects shot, rather than the capabilities left behind. The real shift happens when rebates sit inside a complete ecosystem that you deliberately design. From a talent perspective: If you invest in attracting and training freelancers, skills grow from project to project, and the talent base deepens. From a funding perspective: If you have a fund that invests in international productions and finances local ones, the pipeline becomes steady instead of sporadic. If you have bridge financing providers, producers can plan more ambitious slates and local companies can scale in a sustainable way. From an infrastructure and services perspective: If you have studios that can see the pipeline growing, they will invest in more advanced facilities. When services like hotels, catering companies, transport operators, post production shops, and casting agencies cluster around production hubs, the destination becomes a repeat choice for producers, and maybe a long term home. And from a regulatory perspective: When regulations and permitting processes are clear, fast, and predictable, time on paperwork shrinks, time on set grows, and the country develops a reputation for being “hassle-free,” which may be the most powerful incentive of all. At that point the incentives become a catalyst. With every production, what remains is stronger talent, more capable infrastructure, more experienced service providers, and a domestic sector that can finance and deliver its own stories. From Saudi Arabia to the UAE and Qatar, the GCC is investing in attracting productions with ecosystems as the end game. The real opportunity now is to accelerate that ecosystem building and move from renting activity to creating an industry. If you are part of building a GCC film sector, where is your biggest opportunity today? #filmindustry #GCC #publicpolicy

$233M. 76% female. 22% over 55. The Devil Wears Prada 2 just exposed the audience Hollywood keeps pretending doesn't exist. The Devil Wears Prada 2 opened to $233M globally on a $180M all-in spend. Disney's 20th Century Studios spent ~$100M on production and ~$80M on marketing. Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci - all back. Twenty years after the original. Brand partner stack of 12+ official deals (Dior, Mercedes, Tiffany, Lancome, Diet Coke, Starbucks, L'Oreal, Google, Samsung, Smartwater, Grey Goose, Zillow) plus Walmart, Old Navy, Tweezerman, Tangle Teezer, Lulus on licensing. Disney called it the most ambitious partner program in studio history. 🎬 Production: ~$100M 📣 Marketing: ~$80M 🌍 Global opening: $233.6M 🇮🇹 Italy led all foreign territories: $16.6M 👥 Audience: 76% female, 22% over 55 📈 Streaming uplift on the 2006 original: +428% (Mar→Apr, per Nielsen) Five learnings every studio greenlight team is now writing into deal memos: 1) Female audiences are still being structurally underestimated. 76% female on opening. The over-55 bracket was the second-largest demo behind 25-34. Hollywood keeps forgetting this and keeps getting reminded. 2) Legacy-quels with the full original cast intact at the 20-year mark can outperform the original. DWP2 hit 72% of the first film's lifetime gross in three days. Practical Magic 2, Spaceballs, Focker-in-Law, Scary Movie are all hoping for a similar impact 3) The streaming flywheel is a measurable greenlight input. +428% catalog lift on the original in the month before release converted directly into opening admissions. Studios are baking this into ROI math, not treating it as a marketing afterthought. 4) International is the bigger story than domestic. $156.6M overseas vs. $100M expected. #1 in every major market except a handful of European holdouts. Italy led the world. 5) Brand partner stacks effectively double the marketing budget. Disney's reported $80M doesn't include the hundreds of millions in co-spend from twelve partners running their own campaigns. The real cost-of-reach is a fraction of the headline number. The under-rated variable nobody is writing about: speed. Disney got DWP2 from greenlight to release in roughly two years. Partner lock-ins started fall 2024. Shooting began July 2025. The execution discipline is the asset, not just the IP. 💬 Which line in this playbook gets dropped first when a studio tries to copy it - the cast, the partner stack, or the speed?

In recent months, the Nigerian film industry has been buzzing with one big question: What’s next? A few years ago, Nollywood was the global "darling". Streamers were commissioning projects. Hashtags were flying. Original content was flowing. Now? Crickets. Well—not exactly, but the vibe has definitely cooled. Amazon Prime Video has quietly left the chat. Netflix says they’re staying (great)—but let’s be honest, they’re not exactly rushing to acquire or commission either. The big bets have slowed way down. So instead of only asking “Why did they pull back?” We should also be asking: “What do we need to fix to make the market attractive again—and bring investment back stronger?” A few hard truths: The economy is straining the system. Currency devaluation, inflation, and rising production costs have made content expensive to produce—and subscriptions harder to sustain. Most films still lack real crossover potential. Global hits from this region are rare. Many films are made for strictly local audiences—even diaspora viewers sometimes feel left out. International viewers? Almost non-existent. Our development process skips… well, development. It’s mostly: Idea > Shoot > Edit > Release > Repeat. No real structure. It often feels like a sprint without a map. We’re still relying on one gate. Streamers aren’t the only path. We should be building multiple doors—regional platforms, indie cinemas, etc. Subscriber growth is crawling. If Netflix has only ~169,000 premium Nigerian subscribers in a country of over 200 million—that’s not just slow growth. It’s a serious red flag. Even Kunle Afolayan, who delivered global hits like Aníkúlápó, recently had projects shelved. Not because the work wasn’t good—but because, “the numbers weren’t numbering.” That’s not a scandal. That’s a wake-up call. So what now? We stop waiting. We start building. Better storytelling with real development support—writers’ rooms, labs, story editors, audience feedback. Let’s stop skipping the hard part. More distribution channels. Let films live in more than one place—streamers, cinemas, AVOD, regional platforms, even gated digital releases. Smarter audience data. If platforms won’t share, we work with telcos, ad tech, and digital platforms to gather insights and understand our audiences better. Policy and infrastructure support. Engage with government bodies on tax incentives, co-financing schemes, and development funds to ease the financial burden on producers. Strategy matters. Real industries don’t run on vibes. The measure of successful businesses is the ability to provide solutions to meet needs. The streamers have real needs. If we want them to reinvest—or if we want to build strong local alternatives—then we have to think, build, and release differently. Let’s talk. Let’s plan. Let’s build better. What do you think? #Nollywood #Netflix #Streaming #Filmmaking #NigerianFilm #AfricaToTheWorld #CreativeBusiness #ContentStrategy #Producers #IndieFilm #Storytelling

Niche audiences aren’t small; they’re specific, and specificity sells. Chasing broad audiences in digital publishing? You might as well shout into a crowded room. While generic content attracts clicks, it rarely builds loyalty or revenue. Niche audiences, however, like urban gardeners, retro gaming enthusiasts, or indie filmmakers, crave tailored expertise. By focusing on specificity, you turn casual readers into invested communities ready to engage, subscribe, and pay. A food blog targeting gluten-free vegan bakers might have a smaller audience than a general recipe site, but its readers are 3x more likely to buy recommended products. Why? ↳Distinct needs: They seek solutions that generic content can’t provide (e.g., “How to make vegan croissants without gluten”). ↳Trust: Specialised content positions you as the go-to expert (e.g., a newsletter for indie filmmakers reviewing budget 4K cameras). ↳Monetisation leverage: Advertisers and sponsors pay premiums to reach hyper-engaged audiences. Monetising Specificity: Real-world tactics ✅ Subscription models: An example is a newsletter for urban gardeners offering seasonal planting guides and exclusive seed discounts, which saw a 200% YoY subscriber increase. ✅ Affiliate marketing: Partner with brands your niche already loves (e.g., eco-friendly potting soil for organic gardeners). ✅ Sponsored content: A podcast for remote workers secured sponsorships from ergonomic chair brands and local coffee roasters. How to build a Niche-first strategy 1. Identify the niche: Uncover gaps using surveys or social listening tools. For example, a travel publisher discovered demand for “solo female travel in Southeast Asia” via Reddit forums. 2. Develop specialised content: Solve one problem exceptionally. For example, a YouTube channel for indie filmmakers creates budget lighting tutorials with under-$100 gear. 3. Engage the community: Host live Q&As or members-only forums. For example, a sustainability blog built a 5,000-member Discord group for sharing zero-waste hacks. 4. Test monetisation channels: Offer a paid webinar or niche affiliate guide before launching subscriptions. Here are the key takeaways for publishers 💡 Specialised content builds loyalty: Readers return because they can’t find your depth elsewhere. 💡 Diversified revenue follows engagement: Micro-audiences support subscriptions, affiliates, and ads. 💡 Competitive edge: Generic publishers can’t replicate your authority in a focused niche. Specificity isn’t a limitation; it’s your monetisation superpower. Is your content strategy niche-focused? Share your wins (or lessons learned) below. #DigitalPublishing #NicheMarketing #AudienceEngagement #ContentStrategy #Monetisation 

Can indie make money? A friend asked me recently. I said yes and here’s how I broke it down: Indie films don’t just drop everywhere at once. Most follow what's called a "Windowed Hybrid distribution model" ; releasing in stages across cinemas, digital platforms, streaming services, and more to maximise both revenue and reach. The typical rollout looks like this: - Theatrical window First, the film hits cinemas to build buzz, gain prestige, and bring in box office revenue. - Home entertainment / Digital rental or purchase (TVOD) After its cinema run, it moves to platforms like iTunes or Amazon where audiences can rent or buy it. - Subscription streaming (SVOD) Then it lands on streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, or Prime ; reaching a wider audience and adding recurring value. - Ad-supported streaming (AVOD) & other platforms Sometimes it appears on free, ad-supported platforms or traditional TV, keeping viewership growing. – Ancillary windows Revenue continues via DVD/Blu-ray sales, airline screenings, educational licenses, and international rights. Example: Longlegs (2024) Longlegs launched in both the UK/Ireland and US at the same time in July 2024. The marketing was sharp ; targeting supernatural horror fans and serial-killer thriller audiences with tailored messaging. It opened strong in theatres (~£1.4m / $1.75m opening weekend), and it’s now moving into TVOD and SVOD windows. DVD, international, and other ancillary streams are next. What did they do right? - Targeted marketing that speaks to distinct audience segments - Starting small and scaling across formats - Creative campaigns ; beyond posters: viral stunts, events, custom trailers This model helps indie films: • Spark early buzz with festivals or niche campaigns • Use theatrical runs to build credibility and revenue • Expand into digital and streaming platforms • Keep generating income through global markets So yeah...indie films can make money. BUT it takes smart strategy and investing money in creative marketing. What worked for you? 😊 #IndieFilm #FilmDistribution #WindowedHybrid #FilmMarketing #Streaming #BoxOffice #film #cinema #producer #screenwriter