Intro to VOD Distribution with Linda Nelson | 047 - Actors Talk - Come Inside The Acting Business

VOD DISTRIBUTION - 20 TIPS FROM INDIE RIGHTS' LINDA NELSON

I hope you have or will listen to the interview with Linda Nelson. This podcast episode is not intended to be nor does it pretend to be an all-inclusive discussion about Video On Demand. But if you're an indie filmmaker struggling to get a handle on some of the issues involved with a VOD release, I think this will get you started nicely and give you some resources to consider. Be sure to check the '20 VOD DISTRIBUTION TIPS' listed further down the page.

Find Nelson Madison Films / Indie Rights:
Nelson Madison Films Web Site
Indie Rights on Facebook
Nelson Madison Films on Facebook
Nelson Madison Films / Indie Rights on YouTube

The following is taken from a wiki article about Linda Nelson and Michael Madison's company INDIE RIGHTS:

Indie Rights, a subsidiary of Nelson Madison Films, is a technology partner for filmmakers. Based on the experience of its founders, Linda Nelson and Michael Madison, the need for a new type of distribution for independent films is evident. Thousands of great independent films are made each year and never find an audience. They play at film festivals all over the world and are never discovered by the sales agents and distributors that frequent only the top-tier festivals, such as Sundance and Cannes. These festivals used to be filled with fresh original voices from new talent, but now act as advertising vehicles for "classic divisions" of major studios or showcases for already established actors, directors and producers. Film markets, like AFM, are too costly and complex for most independent filmmakers.

Indie Rights offers distribution and technology services to filmmakers who have feature-length films that have not yet found an audience. We also arrange licensing of film content to qualified buyers for broadcast and cable TV. Finding an audience for your independent films has never been easier. New digital distribution platforms exist that will allow you to benefit directly from your work. Indie Rights was formed to help you do this. Much of the work can be done by you, but if you want or need help distributing your film, we can provide that help.

Indie Rights specializes in digital placement of movies and has excellent studio level partnerships and relationships with all the major platforms so that your film can be available to audiences through such popular platforms as MGo, Google Play, Roku, iTunes, Hulu, Playstation, YouTube Movie Rentals, Snagfilms, and Vudu as well as the most popular DTC apps for Facebook. Our services are non-exclusive, we charge no up-front fees and we work with all our filmmakers to educate them about the use of the most innovative marketing and social media tools available for marketing independent film.

My Conversation with Linda Nelson

Working with Indie Rights: The filmmaker gets 80% of all revenue and they don't charge any expenses. Indie Rights handles encoding which is included in their 20% split.

Since I'm a podcaster myself I suppose it only makes sense that I listen to a LOT of podcasts.

Startup Film School, a podcast by Stacey Parkes of Film Specific has become one of my favorites.

In a recent episode of Startup Film School, Parkes' guest was Linda Nelson of Nelson Madison Films and Indie Rights.

Their conversation really captivated me. And I'm not a filmmaker or a producer. But, as an actor I know that it's part of my job to be informed about the direction the industry is heading. And in my role as producer and host of Actors Talk I am in contact with a number of low-budget indie filmmakers.

One of the most common situations I have observed and discussed with indie filmmakers concerns what happens when the film is completed. Often, the filmmaker, especially if they are new to the game, is stuck trying to figure out a distribution strategy on the fly.