The Movie Marketing & Distribution Podcast Alex Stolz

In this special episode of the Market and Distirbution Pdcast, we tap into our Reimagine the Ecosystem series, the series of discussions with leaders on the future of the industry. In this particular session, we addressed the fast evolving field of distribution itself, with Avril Speaks (Distribution Advocates) and Angel Studios' Brandon Purdie.
With the distribution landscape having changed so much in recent years, how are studios, creators and labels approaching the market differently? What kind of new mechanisms and strategies are working particularly well and what is now less effective.
But beyond tactics and techniques, is there a completely different way to approach distribution now? How can we begin the distribution process earlier, make it less risky and more data-driven? Is it possible to change the way distribution decisions are made – can we reimagine this vital part of the ecosystem?
Our panelists; innovators and pioneers from different territories and perspectives, will be sharing their ideas, experiences and perspectives in how they are are approaching distribution in transformative new ways.
Avril Speaks
Avril Speaks is an award-winning Producer, Director and Showrunner based in Los Angeles. She has produced several award-winning films including Jinn, Dotty & Soul, and the South African film African America, which was nominated for an NAACP Image Award, four African Movie Academy Awards and streamed on Netflix. Most recently, Avril was the Showrunner for the docu-series Uprooted: The Untold Keith Warren Story, which is available on Discovery+ and was an Executive Producer for Files of the Unexplained, coming soon to Netflix. Currently, Avril is a Creative and Production Executive at Vox Media Studios. Avril was a 2020 Sundance Momentum Fellow, and a 2022 recipient of the Dear Producer Award. She is also a co-founding member of Distribution Advocates and is part of the Executive Committee for the newly formed Producer’s Union.
Brandon Purdie
Since childhood, Brandon Purdie has been obsessed with bringing inspiring films to captive audiences. After moving up from tearing tickets and sweeping floors at his local theater to managing a regional theater chain, Purdie immersed himself in box office numbers, concession margins, team management, and the cinematic experience. This blossomed into a career at the indie distributor Excel Entertainment, moving from Marketing Director to overseeing the marketing and release of dozens of projects a year in theaters and on DVD. Shortly after, he founded Purdie Distribution, advising filmmakers on how to make and sell their films. In 2023, Angel Studios enlisted Purdie to launch their theatrical division, and out of the gate Purdie and his team beat the odds. The first theatrical release, HIS ONLY SON, a film that was made for only $250,000 grossed over $12M in domestic box office. This was followed by the global blockbuster SOUND OF FREEDOM (Jim Caviezel, Mira Sorvino) that grossed over $183M domestically since its July 4 release, and continues to launch in new markets internationally and boasts a worldwide gross of over $230M. Upcoming Angel theatrical titles include AFTER DEATH (Oct 27, 2023), THE SHIFT (Dec 1, 2023), and CABRINI (March 8, 2024). Purdie is also a proud member of the Executive Board of Directors for the Zions Indie Film Festival.

In tis episode we explore alternative ways of distirbution with Benny Haesebrouck who is Head of Distirbution at MOOOV, the Belgian non-profit founded more than ten years ago. MOOOV's goal is to show a diverse world both on the big screen and beyond the cinema walls. Their mission to connect people through stories leads them to search all over the world for films and directors that combine artistic quality with relevant content - and bring them to Belgian audiences.
 
In a wide ranging conversation, we learn how MOOOV do a number of things differently to traditional distirbution. This includes the way they work with venues, how they develop audiences and their operation of a non-competitive model. When another Belgian film distributor is interested in a film, they aim to work together to ensure that films get as many opportunities as possible, opportunities they would otherwise not get. Since 2023, they have worked mianly with event-based releases and have started a single screening circuit: FOMOFILM - a model that means working very closely with cinemas to maximise the potential of that single event. 

What have Taylor Swift, BTS, the National Theatre and Peppa Pig all have in common? One thing, at least, is that they have all been brought to the big screen by the leading event cinema company, Trafalgar Releasing.  In this episode we speak with Trafalgar's SVP Programming and Content Acquisitions, Kymberli Frueh to discuss all aspects of the event cinema business - from how content is sourced to what makes a great cinema experience and the future of the theatrical business.
From devleoping one night only and limited theatrical programs for event cinema in 2005, Kymberli's career spans two decades as a major contributor to acquiring and developing content and programming strategies for exhibition partners. She has been named one of the top 50 women in Global cinema by Celluloid Junkie three times, in 2018, 2022 and 2023.
Kymberli first began her career in event cinema with U.S Based Fathom Events where she contributed significantly to the growth of Fathom and the various verticals that remain today. During her tenure, the event cinema company grew from $2M to $75M.  Before her exit, Kymberli managed the acquisitions team in focusing on several vertical offerings that remain today.  Kymberli joined Trafalgar Releasing in 2018
Career highlights include bringing live boxing back to cinemas with the Golden Boy/Mayweather franchise; exhibiting the first BTS event in cinemas globally (with such success that BTS now has recurring events with TR), and most recently working with major artists including The Grateful Dead, Dolly Parton, Metallica, Machine Gun Kelly, Billie Eilish and many more.

Mathieu Robinet is an award-winning film producer and distributor from France. In 2020 he created TANDEM, a film distribution company devoted to up-and-coming filmmakers and innovative marketing strategies. He was involved in the financing and theatrical distribution of over 100 films, working with directors such as Wim Wenders,  Ruben Ostlund, Kirill Serebrennikov and Park Chan Wook.
In this episode we explore Mathieu's remarkable jounrey of setting up TANDEM during the pandemic, his commitment to theatrical distribution and strategies for bringing in younger audiences. In a wide ranging conversation, we also learn how TANDEM recently scored the most successful French horror film at the box office with VERMINES as well as why TikTok is a marketing gamechanger for the company. 

With over 1.9 billion users globally, TikTok is the entertainment juggernaut that is impossible to ignore. And in 2023, its users in the UK spent more time on average on the platform than any other video platform - including Netflix. But how can film marketing professionals effecfively leverage TikTok to engage audiences in our releases?  
Nikolaj Mathies stands out as one of the few marketing professionals who have worked with a diverse array of film distributors across Europe and America to promote their films online. To date, he has contributed to well over 300 theatrical releases in more than 30 different countries. From the onset of his career, he has dedicated himself to developing innovative strategies for how theatrical films and their digital promotions can transform audiences from mere consumers to active participants and co-creators.

In 2022, Nikolaj founded Vievo, a content and creator agency that aims to bridge the gap between traditional feature film trailers and the unprecedented volume of user-generated content that the industry is currently witnessing.

He envisions a realm of opportunities for film producers—the world’s best storytellers—to extend their narratives beyond the big screen and into the rapidly evolving domain of social media platforms, with a particular emphasis on entertainment-centric ones like TikTok.

The era where the industry could simply condense a film into a trailer or a cut-down is over. In the fierce competition for consumer attention, it is essential to engage audiences with authentic and fan-centric content that doesn't necessarily originate from the feature film itself.

"As a distributor, I've learned that you have to be agile and ready to embrace change" Elba McAllister CEO and Co-Founder Cineplex
Elba McAllister is the Co-founder of Cineplex, the Colombia-based Independent film distributor and other countries in Latin America since 1993.
In this episode, Eliba discussed her distirbution jouney, the changing face of Colombian distirbution, international sales and how she found herself exec producing content for major streaming platforms.
In her 30 years of the film distribution, Elba has succeeded in promoting over 500 titles in Colombia and Internationally in all media (theatrical, video & TV) from well-known directors such: Ang Lee, Asghar Farhadi, Wong Kar Wai, Susanne Bier, Ken Loach, Lars von trier, Katherine Bigelow, Aki Kaurismaki, Nadine Labaki among others.
Elba represents Colombian productions for international sales and has Executive Produced content for SVOD Platforms (Netflix & Amazon).
Cineplex content for Colombia is available in www.cineplex.com.co and international in www.cineplexusa.com