Contact:
Stacey Parks
FilmSpecific.com
310-994-1615
(February 1, 2010) Independent film financing and distribution models are changing fast, says independent film production and distribution expert Stacey Parks. She and noted producer and international sales agent Thomas Mai join forces to help independent filmmakers navigate the process during a workshop at the Berlin Film Festival on Tuesday, February 16, 2010 from 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM local time (GMT+0100) Parks and Mai will present “Dawn Of The Micro Major Film Producer” in partnership with Screen International magazine at the Ritz Carlton Berlin, Potsdamer Platz 3, 10785 Berlin. Advance tickets are available for €125 at micromajor.eventbrite.com. At the door, admission is €150.
Author of The Insider’s Guide to Independent Film Distribution, Parks is also the founder of FilmSpecific.com, a virtual education hub for independent filmmakers.
“For decades, the film industry was dominated by the ‘Majors’ (the studios). Then, we saw the rise of the ‘Mini-Majors’—the ‘independent’ arms of the major studios,” says Mai. Now, thanks to technology like broadband Internet connectivity and professional-quality digital video cameras, “almost anyone has access to the tools they need to become a ‘Micro Major’ filmmaker.”
“What many beginning filmmakers don’t have,” Parks emphasizes, “is the behind-the-scenes knowledge of how the film industry works. It is a business, and like all businesses, you have to know how to finance your production and distribute your products. Thomas Mai and I will help independent filmmakers learn exactly what they need to know to make their films profitable and popular with audiences—before they ever shoot their first scene.”
The half day “Dawn Of The Micro Major Film Producer” workshop will teach independent filmmakers how to:
• Engage and aggregate their target audience via Social Media platforms
• Optimize their film’s website for direct-to-consumer sales
• Maximize VOD revenue
• Capitalize on specialty screenings
• Bring on marketing & promotional partners for their film at the various stages of production
• Execute effective email campaigns to their target audience
• Leverage Crowd Funding for financing their next film, and combine it with traditional forms of financing
About Stacey Parks
Stacey Parks is an expert in the area of film and television distribution, with over 15 years’ experience working with independent film producers. As a Foreign Sales Agent, Stacey has secured distribution for hundreds of independent features and programs worldwide.
About Thomas Mai
Thomas Mai is a frequent guest speaker at film festivals and workshops around the world. He has produced four feature films, and has sold over hundreds of feature films to distributors worldwide. Most recently, Mail’s work was selected for the main competition in Sundance 2004.
About the Berlin Film Festival
Regarded as the largest audience event in the film world, the Berlin Film Festival screens over 400 feature-length and short films. In 2009, the Festival sold nearly 275,000 tickets to filmgoers and filmmakers from 136 countries.