Traditional vs. Self-Distribution

I want to start by acknowledging that today’s post is a little different from my usual. While I typically focus on offering insights and reflections for navigating career challenges, this one has a specific purpose: to share details about two groups I’m launching in January. These groups are designed to help producers and creatives tackle some of the most complex decisions in filmmaking. Whether you’re new here or a longtime reader, I hope this post sparks some useful ideas, even if joining isn’t the right fit for you.

Choosing how to distribute your film can feel like one of the biggest decisions you’ll make as a producer or filmmaker. It’s about more than just getting your film in front of an audience—it’s about ensuring you and your investors get a return on all that you’ve put into the making of the movie.

With traditional distribution, you hand the reins to an established distributor. They have expertise and a depth of experience along with handling the heavy lifting—getting your film onto big platforms, managing marketing, and ensuring wide reach. But this comes at a cost: less control over the process and a smaller share of the profits.

With self-distribution you have greater control of the rollout strategy and the marketing plan. The potential for higher profits is there, but so is the workload. And statistically self-distributed films typically do not see as great of a return on investment. You’ll need a significant amount of time, resources, and a good understanding of the distribution landscape to make it work.

A good friend of mine worked her ass off for four years to write her screenplay, put financing together and finally make her movie. Unfortunately, she didn’t have a distribution strategy in place and realized very late that she needed additional funds to enter festivals, create marketing materials and hire a publicist. I don’t want anyone to make the same mistakes.

That’s why understanding these options is so important. Take the indie movie Columbus, for example. There’s a great case study about it online. After its Sundance premiere, the producers chose self-distribution to maintain creative control. They focused their resources on reaching audiences who would resonate with the film’s themes, tailoring their strategy to smaller theaters and building word of mouth. It’s a great example of how self-distribution, while demanding, can be a smart move if you know your audience and have a clear plan. But it was also very risky.

Starting in January, I’ll be launching groups to support producers, writers, directors, and actors to understand and navigate the complexities of getting their movie made.

In the Moonshot Mentor Mastermind Producer Group and Moonshot Mentor Hybrid Producer Group, we’ll explore everything from financing to distribution in depth.

If you’re ready to make a confident decision about your film’s future, I encourage you to check out these communities. Both are application-based to ensure a committed group of peers who are as invested in their projects as you are. You can learn more about the Mastermind here and the Hybrid Producer Group here.

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My blog aims to help people achieve their ambitious goals, their moonshot if you will. 😃 Oftentimes, though, we neglect an essential aspect of pursuing our dreams: the inevitable missteps, obstacles, and failures that come our way. Failing to acknowledge and process these losses properly can lead to imposter syndrome, burnout, low self-esteem, confusion, and even result in completely abandoning our dreams. 😟  That's why I strongly advocate for embracing grief awareness (along with other tools like values identification, knowing your why, sharpening executive function, habit forming, and more.) By doing so, we can effectively navigate challenges, regain motivation, and hit our moonshots. ✌🏾️ If you know someone who could benefit, please share this newsletter or recommend me to them. 🙏

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