First of all, what is a distributor?
It’s a tricky question to answer because there are a number of competing business models. Blockbuster, Netflix and Wal-Mart are not distributors. They are buyers or outlets. A distributor is a company that can help you put your film into those outlets. Sometimes they call themselves distributors, sometimes sales agents, while others call themselves producer’s reps, and all of their businesses overlap.
You should try to get to one of the film markets that happen around the globe, if you can. Especially make it out to one of the three major markets. They are: The Berlin Film Market in conjunction with the Berlinale Film Festival; The American Film Market held in Santa Monica in conjunction with AFI Fest; and the Market at Cannes, held in conjunction with that film festival. These are all big networking events and there are hundreds of production and distribution companies in attendance. I went to the American Film Market in Santa Monica, and this is where I found a distributor for Escape From Darwin.
The Main Lobby for the American Film Market.
The trick is finding and targeting the right company that fits. IFTA (the Independent Film and Television Alliance) is a good place to start. It’s a trade organization for producers and distributors and most of the members attend the major film markets. They have a set of guidelines they operate under and the companies under this umbrella enjoy a relatively good reputation. The companies in the IFTA are quite varied, so research these companies. If you have a small movie, look for distributors who handle small movies or movies in your genre. You aren’t going to get distribution from Focus Features or The Weinstein Co. with a micro-budget feature, so don’t waste their time or yours; instead look for companies where your film would be a good fit. There are many reputable companies that handle small films and make a steady profit doing so.
After you’ve done your research you should have about 30-50 companies on your list. The special market issues of trade papers like Variety will have the phone numbers and offices of these companies listed. Call the ones on your list, tell them about your film and set up meetings. These companies are at the market to take meetings and they will give you fifteen minutes. My experience with Escape from Darwin was that ninety-percent of the companies we contacted gave us a meeting time without any trouble.
