Jon Reiss at IFC this Tuesday, November 17th!

Just out from an amazing weekend at DOX:FORUM in Cophenhagen, I’ll be in New York this week at the IFC Center speaking about my new book Think Outside the Box Office (released on the 16th!).  Come check it out!  Call (212) 924-7771 for tickets!

Thinking Outside the Box Office

In a presentation full of practical advice and hard information, filmmaker Jon Reiss (Bomb It), the author of the recently released “Think Outside the Box (Office): The Ultimate Guide to Film Distribution and Marketing in the Digital Era” will teach how to create unique distribution and marketing plans for independent films, explaining both do-it-yourself and hybrid approaches. He will outline what filmmakers need to do to prepare for distribution while making their films. Finally he will lay out ways in which filmmakers can take back and redefine the theatrical release by playing a combination of conventional theaters, community screenings and festivals.

A DIY Emperor: The Rise of “Valentino” – Success in DIY Filmmaking for the Independent Filmmaker and Self-Distribution

Someone used the DIY model to a profitable return recently; just thought I’d share it with you. Peter Knegt wrote about the success of Indie doc “Valentino: The Last Emperor” in this article from last week’s Indiewire.com.

A DIY Emperor: The Rise of “Valentino”
by Peter Knegt (May 29, 2009)

On March 18th, Matt Tyrnauer’s doc “Valentino: The Last Emperor” – which follows the closing act of fashion icon Valentino’s celebrated career – opened in New York’s Film Forum to incredible numbers. By the end of it’s first weekend the film has grossed $39,106, including $21,784 for the three-day weekend, making it one of the theater’s top-grossing premieres in over three decades. The film also broke Film Forum’s single-screen midweek opening day record with $5,963.

Cut to 10 weeks later. “Valentino” – without ever going over 38 screens – has grossed more than $1 million and still is routinely finding weekend per-theater-averages above $2,000. What’s more, it’s opening today at the Angelika Film Center in New York, one of the city’s premier destinations for specialty films. To have a film run for that long and then open at the Angelika is a rarity, and a testament to “Valentino”‘s remarkable staying power. Continue reading →