FILM DISTRIBUTION BOOKLET OF MUCH KNOWLEDGE

Introduction

By Peter Baxter

This booklet serves as a guide on what to do in all areas of domestic film distribution. It’s been formed by industry experts who want to help you succeed in the business of independent filmmaking. Each expert has focused on a specific area of distribution in support of filmmakers who are looking to take control of their film release. We aim to show how filmmakers can connect the hard work they’ve done in one area of distribution to maximize the reward in another. A lot of the time filmmakers have not worked out an overall strategy for distributing their work and, just like they experienced in their film production, the amount of time and resources that really need to go into it. Working out from the beginning how much time and effort is required to plan for each area of distribution is key. There are a lot of great stories about how successful one particular part of the distribution business was to a filmmaking group but not the reality of how hard it was for them to sustain their work and take care of it all. What we’ve noticed is most filmmakers do not plan for the sheer volume of distribution work necessary to actually take control of their release and maximize profit from their creative work. At some point during their release process, many artists simply give up on completing their ambitious task. Our goal here is to encourage idealism but also point out key realities in the pursuit of achievable distribution goals in determining your success.

See this booklet then as a prerequisite in getting to know the basics of what the independent filmmaker needs to prepare for in each area of distribution and a way to combine them so your entire effort becomes greater than the sum of its parts.

Thank you to Annalissa Shoemaker, Jon Reiss, Eddie Bernard, Peter Spirer, Doug Block and Nick Beaulieu for sharing their expert knowledge and generous contributions.

By Annalissa Shoemaker

First of all, releasing a film is a marathon, not a sprint. Just like making a film, distributing one takes a lot of time, energy, strategy, and creativity. Also similar to the movie-making phases (development, pre-production, physical production, post- production), film distribution has phases, a.k.a. windows.

A window is the exclusive time between your film’s exploitation stages – for example the number of days between theatrical and home entertainment availability. Your theatrical release can be marketing for your VOD release so executing in quick succession is ideal. However, some exhibitors won’t play your film if the VOD date is less than 30 days from the theatrical release date. Why go to the theater when audiences can stay home and watch your film for “free?” Therefore, it’s important to plan out your film’s distribution in stages over the long-term. (More on that below.) Next though, let’s dive into the many factors to consider when determining the ideal release dates for your film. Here are ten considerations and questions to ask yourself:

1. Technical: When will your film be technically ready? Meaning when will post-production be complete, clearances obtained, and the DCP mastered? You must have a finished film ready to screen!

2. Asset Creation: For your various release windows, you will need to create marketing assets. This includes everything from a poster and trailer to a logline and press notes. Do you have a budget reserved to hire help with your creative assets like a graphic designer and/or publicist?

3. Festival Premiere & Circuit: Which festival(s) has the film been accepted to and which one will be your premiere? Do you hope to play many festivals? The full festival circuit for feature films is approximately a year. This means your first window, festivals, could be 12 months long. Remember, an exhibitor at a movie theater will probably not program your film if it’s playing at the same time at a film festival around the corner.

4. Promotional Period: Especially in advance of your theatrical release, you will need time to promote, a.k.a. market, the film. This could include promotion in theaters, like trailering, and on social media. If part of your marketing strategy is partnering with grassroots organizations, you will need time, ideally 12 months, to form authentic relationships.

5. Time of Year / Season: Consider the time of year or season that makes sense for your film. If your film features snow, it probably makes sense to release in the winter. If your film is all about fun in the sun, a summer release might be more appropriate.

6. Holidays: During a theatrical release, opening or playing through a holiday weekend is preferred for higher grossing potential. This is because more people are off work and out of school, giving them more time to watch movies. Can you schedule your release around a relevant holiday?

7. Zeitgeist: When possible, piggyback off a zeitgeist event or date to release your film. For example, if your film has an environmental theme, can you do something special on Earth Day? Or if it has a disability theme, can you release it during July’s Disability Pride Month?

8. Competitive Landscape: Are there movies after a similar audience already scheduled around your date? Are there major sporting events, like the Superbowl, that will also compete for eyeballs? The competitive landscape is an important factor when determining your strategic release dates.

9. Exhibitor’s Feedback: If you have flexibility with the above factors, ask the theater which date(s) work best for them. If you are only looking for a single screening, instead of a full week booking, exhibitors usually have more availability during the midweek (Monday through Thursday) as opposed to the weekend (Friday to Sunday).

10. Bandwidth: Last, but not least, when do you the filmmaker have bandwidth to do all of the above? Like we mentioned at the beginning, this is a marathon, not a sprint. Perhaps you need to take time off between the film’s festival circuit and theatrical release. Be kind to yourself! Here is a windowing example from the Slamdance winner GOOD BAD THINGS, where Suncatcher served as the theatrical distributor and sales agent.

• FESTIVAL: GOOD BAD THINGS premiered at Slamdance in January 2024 and went on to play many festivals over the subsequent six months, including closing night at ReelAbilities in New York.

• THEATRICAL: On ADA Day (July 26, 2024), we announced our exclusive release in 50 AMC Theatres would be on August 15, 2024. The theatrical release was supported by a dozen non-profit organizations that the team developed relationships with over many months.

• VIRTUAL PREMIERE: Over Labor Day weekend 2024, we announced a limited virtual premiere would take place Sept 20-22, 2024 on the platform VEEPS. Initially, the virtual premiere was going to take place closer to the theatrical release but, honestly, our lean team was exhausted and needed more time to promote (see #10 Bandwidth above).

• HOME ENTERTAINMENT: After the theatrical release and virtual premiere, we licensed home entertainment rights to Music Box Films which released on Valentine’s Day (February 14) 2025.

• STREAMING: After the theatrical release and virtual premiere, we also licensed SVOD rights to Hulu, which made the film available on May 13, 2025.

• NON-THEATRICAL: Most recently, as of October 2025, GOOD BAD THINGS is available to watch on Delta Airlines. As you can see from this brief timeline, the distribution of GOOD BAD THINGS is nearing two years in the making!

By Jon Reiss / 8 Above

Event theatrical is a term that gets thrown around a lot, especially in indie circles where everyone’s looking for a way to stand out, reach their people, and maybe—just maybe—make back their budget. But what does it actually mean? And more importantly, how can you, as a filmmaker, wield it as a powerful tool for impact, engagement, and yes, revenue?

A bit of context: In order to help filmmakers strategize and execute independent releases, in Think Outside the Box Office, I broke all film rights into three basic categories (I’ll post about each of these in the next months):

Live Event Theatrical
Digital (including broadcast/airlines)
Merchandise (physical objects)

Each of these categories has its own unique attributes and most importantly a consumer experience that separates it from the others. Fifteen years later, I still feel that this categorization works and it still forms the basis of my approach with clients and what I teach. This week and next week, I’m going to talk about Live Event Theatrical or as paired down – Event Theatrical is when a film is screened in front of a live audience any time, any place.

What is Event Theatrical?

As I wrote in Think Outside the Box Office, event theatrical “includes all types of theatrical, non-theatrical, alternative theatrical, and grassroots screenings, as long as they are with an audience and the film is shown as the filmmaker intended (usually from beginning to end, in the dark)” Any place, any time, any media.
The consumer experience: Communal/Unique A live communal experience unavailable anywhere else. And if that’s the core of event theatrical, then filmmakers should lean into creating events that foster community and provide unique, in-person experiences.

In 2010 theatrical was still narrowly defined. In most industry circles, it meant a conventional run in a cinema for at least seven days. That definition excluded the vast majority of screenings that independent filmmakers were creating for their audiences.

Live Event Theatrical was a way to give filmmakers permission to count any screening in front of an audience as theatrical. My goal was to expand the frame so that filmmakers could recognize the power of their own releases, even when they didn’t look like traditional “theatrical” runs.

One of my guiding principals is: Every film and filmmaking team is different and each has different goals, audiences, ways of reaching audiences. As a result no two releases will ever be the same.
How you incorporate some or all of the different variations of event theatrical depends on each of these factors and more, but anchored in the goal of your release, which I wrote about extensively here.

Why This Matters More Than Ever

In a world where everything is on demand, live experiences are the new scarcity. Scarcity drives value. If your screening includes a panel, a Q&A, a music performance, a workshop, a post screening dinner discussion—it’s no longer just a screening. It’s an event.

The very fact that it happens live, in one place and one moment, makes it powerful. Even if you have longer runs – I encourage filmmakers to make as many nights as possible special – at least opening weekend.

As filmmakers, our superpower is storytelling. Use that power to design a story-driven event around your film. Create anticipation, generate FOMO, and offer audiences something they can’t get on Netflix.

And here’s the business reality: with the collapse of transactional VOD and the shrinking of many traditional sales avenues, Event Theatrical has become one of the few reliable ways to meet your release goals. Mining the in-person, eventized window is critical—not just for revenue, but for awareness and long-tail impact. Sandi Dubowski has earned over $115K at the box office (outperforming a number of platform documentaries) and more importantly for him, engaged audiences in meaningful in person conversations in a nearly year long theatrical release that still continues and is incorporating a hybrid of theatrical and community/educational screenings.

Creating Scarcity

A key component to successful independent event theatrical is scarcity.

1. Unique Live Qualities

As many events as possible should offer something that cannot be replicated digitally: filmmaker Q&As, panels with partners or subjects, live music, food, audience interaction, or even screenings where the film itself changes each time (like ENO). See our ENO case study here. Think happening, not showing. For The Encampments Watermelon Pictures arranged post screening discussion dinners at numerous screenings around the country. Sandi created “Soul Spas” and editing workshops for Sabbath Queen. See the case study for Hundreds of Beavers and their great lakes roadshow. There are boundless examples from intrepid filmmakers.

2. Time Scarcity

One-night-only or limited-run bookings create urgency. They’re easier to book, more financially efficient, and they train audiences to show up because they know the opportunity won’t be there tomorrow. Scarcity fuels commitment. (what did I write in the book about this) As an example of pure time scarcity see the release of MY OMAHA directed by Nick Beaulieu produced by Doug Block which through In Real Life Movie Club has done simultaneous event screenings in 100 theaters nationwide as a way to draw attention to the film – prior to additional one night events. They have been using audience driven dialogues instead of traditional Q&A to facilitate the simultaneous screenings.

When you combine these two—scarcity + uniqueness—you transform a passive screening into an intentional experience. Each event becomes a gathering of the tribe, sparking conversation, building community, and energizing your audience in ways streaming never can. I still get chills when I attend some of our activated events.

The Three Main Avenues of Event Theatrical

1. Film Festivals
I’ve said this many times – when you are in festivals – you are in distribution. It is not new that for many filmmakers, festivals are the entirety of their event theatrical release, the concern is that many don’t treat them this way. I still get many filmmakers who come to me saying, “we’re near the end of our festival run – we want to start distribution now.” That thinking needs to stop. In fact you as Ted Hope has also written – if you don’t plan for distribution in advance of your festival premiere – you are shooting yourself and your project in the foot.

If you understand that festivals are part of your distribution process, you will use them to build an audience, create relationships with partners, collect audience data, and collect media assets for later use. Note: you should be using pre-picture lock screenings to fine tune your films and as a tactic for audience identification.
Festivals themselves have been realizing their role in distribution – many of which now have year round programming and some have started various forms of distribution entities, see Slamdance and Tribeca. I wrote about this extensively in Think Outside the Box Office/2008:

“Many festivals are respected, known, qualified gatekeepers of certain kinds of content. Their programming staffs are very similar to a distributor’s acquisition staff. I think it makes total sense for festivals to be in the distribution business. There are plenty of films that festivals champion that won’t receive conventional distribution. Festivals have proven branded curatorial power that can be monetized both for festivals and filmmakers”

But not every film is a festival film, the sooner you realize this the better if that is the case for your film. We released the documentary about Alzheimer’s and dementia Keys Bags Names Words after the filmmakers came to us when they hadn’t gotten into any single festival. The film is great – just not a festival film for a variety of reasons. In the first two months of release, we screened the film in 120 community settings in 28 countries including a four city theatrical release in the San Francisco Bay Area which was the home base of the filmmakers. The film has now well over 200 screenings in over 30 countries with very appreciative audiences.

2. Conventional Theatrical (Reimagined)
For many independent releases, theatrical is now a blend of week-long runs and one night events in theaters. As discussed last week, to stand out, you have to eventize it. Build scarcity (one-night-only runs, filmmaker appearances), or add unique live qualities (Q&As, performances, special guests). See the ENO case study where nearly every screening was a unique viewing of the film. Note also that ENO booked into a number of large non-film specific event spaces prior to their theatrical one day events with higher ticket prices to take advantage of the pent up demand and to eventize with the director Gary Hustwit live mixing on stage.
Using a combination of events, week-long runs Hundreds of Beavers turned niche screenings into a viral sensation—complete with beaver wrestling matches—and has now grossed over $1 million. See the Hundreds of Beavers case study.

Note similar to Omaha that I mentioned last week, both ENO and Hundreds of Beavers used “art house days” to great effect where later in their releases they booked their film into numerous art house theaters on the same day – creating a national event however for these films they did it after the main thrust of their theatrical release.

3. Community & Grassroots Screenings
Community/grassroots/alternative/public educational screenings in any kind of venue breaks open the infinite possibilities of engaging audiences in community – literally anything outside of a traditional theater. Clubs, nursing homes, libraries, forests, community centers, fire stations, prisons, military bases – the list can go on and on. Conferences are also incredible ways of engaging with core communities and can be revenue generators as well.

The location adds flavor, but the essence is the community-driven experience. Partner with nonprofits, advocacy groups, libraries, or cultural centers. Each event becomes a node in a wider impact network. You may not sell out a 300-seat cinema every time—but the connection, discussion, and social media ripple can be even more valuable.

Virtual Event Theatrical

The pandemic gave birth to the virtual theatrical release – with theaters using online portals to screen films to audiences. Simultaneously virtual events exploded in numerous formats with Kinema’s Christie Marchese labeling these “film drops” (see upcoming guest post from Christie in the coming weeks). These virtual events use time scarcity to promote viewership and can be accompanied by a wide variety of virtual events.
These are generally more successful when the filmmaker has engaged dedicated audiences eager to be spoken to.

Who Books What?

For filmmakers wondering how to get started:
Festivals → festival consultant/booker and/or the filmmaking team. See our webinar with Sky Sitney. More posts coming.

Theatrical runs → distributor, independent booker or the filmmaking team. Generally it is better to engage someone who has a good reputation among theaters to book your film – this is a relationships business. But I booked Bomb It myself and have worked with filmmakers who have also booked their own screenings. See my first Filmmaker Magazine article from 2008. It is tougher now because the competition is intense – many theaters have closed since the pandemic and many more filmmakers are engaging theatrical. Also more posts on how to do this properly in the future.

Community screenings → impact producer, community screenings manager, or filmmaking team. Much has been written about this by many people. See Sarah Mosses post here.
Larger independent releases will have people handling each of these areas working in intense coordination with the filmmaking team. With smaller releases (that can often appear very large) the filmmakers are doing much of the work on their own.

Release Timing

Event Theatrical doesn’t happen in a vacuum—it happens in time. When you premiere matters. More on this later but the essentials to determining timing are:

A Distribution Premiere or Launch Date: The following can all affect when you engage event theatrical: A prominent festival premiere, a broadcast or SVOD release date, strategic alignment with similar films who are also engaging distribution. If your film has a strong educational component – when you release in relation to the school year will be important.

Thematic Tie-ins: What is the day/month/year that makes sense for your audience? Included are related book or other media launches or birthdays/anniversaries related to your subjects or related authors, musicians etc. Many communities look for events around the myriad of specific themed months/days. We timed the initial release of Keys Bags Names Words to International Alzheimers Day working with Alzheimers Disease International.

Windowing

I will devote a whole post (or two) about windowing – but a few notes here. Generally festivals require first priority in a market followed by theatrical followed by community and educational screenings. In other words – most festivals won’t screen a film if it has already screened publicly in their market. Same for theatrical with the exception of festivals.

Length of Window
In Think Outside the Box Office I discussed a variety of windowing strategies – including day and date – and promoting what I termed the “Two-Month Window.” which can still be an effective windowing strategy especially when you have a specific ancillary distribution event happening. For Sam Now we launched theatrical two months prior to the Independent Lens release.

But event theatrical windows are now even more all over the map. Last year one of the first posts I wrote for this Substack was: Day and Date is Dead – Long Live the 9 Month Theatrical Window where I discussed the new long event theatrical windowing strategy. Note the upcoming webinar with Sandi Dubowski whose Sabbath Queen has been in theaters for 10 months now.

Windowing Components of Event Theatrical
As more filmmakers realize that festivals are part of distribution, and that the event nature of festivals is one of the best publicity windows for their films, they are starting to integrate their festival windows with theatrical and even community screenings. Last year two of our releases 1-800-On-Her-Own and Sabbath Queen both launched theatrical relatively soon after their Tribeca premieres.

Scheduling can then become very tricky – trying to balance filmmaker attendance at festivals and theaters. Coordinating bookings between festivals, theatrical and community screenings while keeping eager partners engaged can be a complicated dance causing both festival bookers/theatrical bookers/impact producers pulling their hair out as they jostle for time in the schedule. This is especially true as festivals move into booking year long programming into local arthouse theaters. Having a film in this kind of demand though is a great problem to have.

Not the least consideration of windowing event theatrical is how these windows interact with digital (including broadcast) windows as well as educational and merchandise windows. More on this another time.

Community Community Community

Now more than ever, we need to gather with other humans in community – especially around meaningful art and stories. So let’s stop thinking of “theatrical” as a seven-day booking with fingers crossed. Let’s think of it as what it’s always meant to be: people, gathered in the dark, breathing in sync, experiencing a story that only you could tell.

The Future is Yours to Invent

“The future of independent film lies in creating new paths, not waiting for old ones to reopen. Event Theatrical is one of the most powerful tools in the indie filmmaker’s arsenal—if you’re willing to think outside the box.” Think Outside the Box Office

I wrote that in 2008 – many filmmakers have blazed new frontiers engaging audiences. I’ve only included a small smattering of examples here. If you have done something groundbreaking/innovative/inspiring – let me know!

For more how tos and Distribution 101s, case studies and more – subscribe to Jon Reiss’ 8 Above Substack – Click here.

by Eddie Bernard

Effective social media promotion requires a never-ending analysis and education of trends, and algorithmic advantages. It can often be frustrating or underwhelming when promoting a film without a studio marketing budget. Below are some key points of advice and strategy that can help guide you to increasing the social media exposure and engagement of your film.

CREATE A PAGE FOR YOUR FILM

It’s beneficial for you to begin a page for your film. This asset can be useful in spring boarding the promotion and allowing you to control or have input in the social media promotion of the film

GROW YOUR FOLLOWING

“Intro Post” – a simple and direct intro post about the film including a still photo can be effective, especially if you are able to add “collars” with any cast members, producers, or organizations that have a strong social media following, also tagging ONLY accounts that are directly related to the film – random tags to accounts hurt you in the algorithm.
“80/20 Rule” – Generally speaking, 80% of your posted content should have the sole
purpose to entertain, without any direct ‘solicitation’ – leaving 20% of your content to Promote your project – this makes for a more organic presence, leading to higher engagement and follower growth.
“Post Collaborations” allow you to coincide your accounts post with with up to 4 accounts – its important to preemptively approve these collaborations before posting, as unaccepted collars will result in lower post circulation.
“Long Meaningful Captions” In Most Social Platforms (especially Instagram) The algorithm rewards longer posts with a distinctive meaning, additionally this content tends to captivate more audiences as “authentic” with something specific to say.
“Engage Actions” Asking questions to illicit a response in the comments, invite audience to caption a photo, take a poll – anything you can do to increase organic comments will maximize circulation of a post.
“Follow Accounts” You can follow up to 7,500 accounts. One of the best ways to initially grow your following is to follow large amounts of small accounts that are likeminded fans of relatable pages. Following larger accounts that are related to your project is also necessary to create a relatable news feed, but are less likely to follow you back. A great tip here is to go to a post of a relatable page to your project and follow 20 individual accounts who have liked their most recent post (**do NOT follow more than 50 accounts in one hour, which will result in a “strike” against your account suspending your ability to follow pages will be suspended for an hour. This is similar to a “push-pull-follow-for-follow-technique” designed to kickstart your pages following.

Platforms

If you’re working in the world of independent film, chances are your project will eventually end up on a streaming platform. There are several ways filmmakers can earn income from these platforms, but before we get into the numbers, let’s review a few key terms and how films are monetized.

Windows

A release window refers to the period during which a movie is available for viewing on a specific platform. After a theatrical run or film festival premiere, that first window might involve an exclusive licensing deal with Netflix, Apple TV+, Starz, or Hulu. In such cases, the filmmaker is paid an upfront licensing fee. These are typically SVOD (Subscription Video on Demand) deals, which we’ll explain below.
With few exceptions, your first window will always be more valuable than your second. If your film doesn’t feature recognizable talent, securing a licensing deal is extremely difficult.

For most independent films, your release strategy will fall under one or more of the following
VOD models:

VOD (Video on Demand) Platforms

VOD stands for Video on Demand, meaning audiences can watch your film whenever they
choose rather than at a fixed broadcast time. There are three main subcategories:

1. TVOD – Transactional Video on Demand

TVOD is a pay-per-view model where consumers either rent or buy your film.
● EST (Electronic Sell-Through): The viewer pays once for permanent access.
● DTR (Download to Rent): The viewer pays a smaller fee for temporary access (typically 24–48 hours).
When browsing online stores, you’ll often see the Rent or Buy options, this is TVOD.
TVOD platforms tend to offer newer releases and provide filmmakers with higher revenue potential.
Examples: Apple’s iTunes, YouTube Movies, and Amazon’s Video Store.

2. SVOD – Subscription Video on Demand

With SVOD, subscribers pay a fixed monthly or annual fee for unlimited access to a library of Films. Examples are Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video.

There are two main ways filmmakers earn from SVOD:

Licensing deals — where a platform pays a set fee (e.g., $150,000 for an 18-month window). These deals are rare and typically reserved for films with name recognition or festival acclaim.

Pay-per-play — where filmmakers are paid based on view time or streams. These rates are currently very low as a penny per hour streamed.

3. AVOD – Ad Supported Video on Demand

AVOD platforms stream films for free to the viewer, but include advertisements. Revenue comes from ad dollars, which are shared (in theory) with the filmmaker.
Examples: Tubi, Freevee, YouTube, and Amazon Prime (with ads).
While AVOD was once considered a bright spot for independent filmmakers, rates have dropped sharply over the past 18 months and are now nearly equal to low SVOD payouts. In other words, audiences watch ads, but filmmakers see little return.

What This Means for Independent Filmmakers

If there’s one takeaway, it’s this: encourage your audience to rent or buy your film. The difference in earnings is dramatic. With TVOD, you (or your distributor) typically receive about 50% of each sale. So if your film rents for $4.99, you’ll earn around $2.50. In contrast, if your film streams on Amazon Prime (SVOD), you might earn about one cent for the same view. That’s not a typo.

So do your film and yourself a favor: promote rentals and purchases whenever possible. Tell your audience, friends, and family to support indie filmmakers by choosing Rent or Buy instead of “Watch for Free.”

Service	Monetization Model(s)	Notes
Netflix	SVOD + (recently) AVOD tier	Primarily subscription, now has an ad-supported tier.
Disney+	SVOD + some TVOD/PVOD	Primarily subscription; premium new releases may be transactional.
Hulu	SVOD (ad-free tier) + SVOD (ad-supported lower tier) + Live TV add-ons	Hybrid model with multiple tiers and add-ons.
Amazon Prime Video	SVOD (via Prime) + TVOD (rent/purchase) + AVOD (free/ad-supported content)	Broad mix — subscription plus transactional plus ad-supported.
Peacock	AVOD (free tier) + SVOD (premium tiers)	Free ad-supported tier plus paid subscription tiers.
Paramount+	SVOD + AVOD tier	Subscription service with ad-supported option.
Apple TV+	SVOD	Pure subscription for original programming; transactional rentals/purchases handled via Apple TV app/iTunes store.
The Criterion Channel	SVOD	Niche subscription service for classic/arthouse film.
Shudder	SVOD	Genre-specific subscription (horror).
Starz	SVOD	Standalone subscription streaming service.
Tubi	AVOD	Free ad-supported streaming service.
The Roku Channel	AVOD / FAST	Free ad-supported with “free streaming TV” style channels; FAST = free ad-supported streaming TV.
Vudu	TVOD + AVOD	Rentals/purchases (TVOD) plus free ad-supported content (AVOD).
YouTube	AVOD (free) + TVOD + SVOD (YouTube Premium)	Free ad-supported, has transactional rentals and premium subscription tier.
Google Play Movies & TV	TVOD	Transactional rentals and purchases.
Fandor	SVOD	Indie-film subscription service.
PureFlix Slamdance Channel	SVOD SVOD	Faith-based subscription service. (subscription video on demand)
Kanopy	SVOD (via libraries/universities)	Subscription access via institution, rather than direct consumer payment.

Gross Payout Summary for Indie Filmmakers (2024–2025)

Platform	Gross Payout per View / Hour	Notes
Amazon Prime Video Direct	$0.01 per hour streamed (U.S.)	Flat SVOD rate; varies by country
Freevee	$0.01–$0.03 per view (CPM-based)	AVOD; ad-supported Amazon platform
Tubi	$0.014–$0.035 per view	AVOD; CPM ≈ $14–$35/1,000 views
Plex	$0.012–$0.033 per view	AVOD; similar to Tubi
YouTube	$1–$5 CPM (ads); $3.99–$14.99(TVOD)	You keep 55% of net; gross shown here
Google Play	$3.99–$14.99 per rental/purchase	TVOD; Google takes 30%
Kanopy	$1.00–$4.00 per library play	Educational/library markets only

Gross Payout Summary for TVOD Platforms (2024–2025)

Platform	Gross Payout per Rental / Purchase	Notes
Amazon Prime Video Direct	$1.99–$5.99 per rental / $5.99–$14.99 per purchase	You keep 50% of net after Amazon’s cut (typically 30%)
Google Play	$3.99–$14.99 per rental / purchase	You keep 70% of net after Google’s 30% cut
YouTube Movies	$1.99–$6.99 per rental / $9.99–$19.99 per purchase	YouTube takes 30%, you keep 70% of net
Apple TV (via iTunes)	$3.99–$14.99 per rental / purchase	Apple keeps 30%, you keep 70% of net
Vimeo On Demand	$2.99–$19.99 per rental / purchase	You keep 90% of net, Vimeo takes 10%

– By Peter Spirer

By Nick Beaulieu and Doug Block

With the upcoming nationwide release of their documentary feature MY OMAHA hitting over 100 cinemas on October 12 via the In Real Life (IRL) Movie Club, Slamdance’s Peter Baxter asked director Nick Beaulieu and producer Doug Block how their collaboration came about, what happened on the festival circuit and taking charge of their own hybrid distribution.

Peter Baxter: First, what was the impetus behind making My Omaha?

Nick Beaulieu: I wanted to understand how two things could coexist at the same time in Omaha, which was: the extreme inequalities affecting Omaha’s Black community and the constant celebration of Omaha’s standing as one the “best” cities in America for the middle class. To me, that was the biggest story in our city. Later, when I met activists like Leo Louis II, who plays a big role in the film, I started to recognize the significance of my own role as both the filmmaker and as someone from the white suburbs of Omaha. So I took a personal angle from there and the story opened up in a lot of ways. As the political landscape in America became more and more polarized, the film explored not just racial division, but political and cultural division within a family. In my case, between me and my dad.

Peter Baxter: How did your collaboration come about?

Nick Beaulieu: I discovered Doug through the D-Word, which he founded. It’s an online community of documentary filmmakers. They had started doing a weekly zoom call during COVID, mostly as a way for people to stay connected during the lockdown and vent about the chaos of the moment. Those calls were a lifeline for me because at the time I really didn’t belong to a filmmaking community outside of a few friends. From there, I learned he was a personal filmmaker and he worked as a consultant. This is right around when I was discovering that the personal documentary genre was so rich. I watched Doug’s “51 Birch Street”, a film about his father, and that really spoke to me. It was like discovering the perfect addition to the team. And fortunately when I reached out Doug agreed to start consulting with me.

Doug Block: Nick’s first request was that I do a story consult, and the version he sent was over 3 hours long and very raw. But it had several components that stood right out to me. A very likeable protagonist in Nick, which is essential for any personal documentary. An extremely charismatic figure in Leo, who’s the moral center of the film. And then there was Nick’s Trump-loving dad Randy. There’s a fantastic scene right near the start of the film where Nick and his dad have a long debate about Trump that grows increasingly tense, and ends in silence. I knew right away this film had the potential to be a difference maker in terms of exploring the political divide in America. The challenge was how to interweave Leo, as well, and the explosive racial divide story thread. For years I continued consulting with Nick, alternating between sessions focusing on story and producing, and it was remarkable to see how much it improved over time. I resisted for quite a while but ultimately I knew I would have been upset if I didn’t officially take on a producer role.

Peter Baxter: What was your original festival strategy?

Nick Beaulieu: It was not that sophisticated. Basically: start by only applying to top tier festivals and cross our fingers we get into one of them. We were thrilled to get into Slamdance. I had fallen in love with the festival as an attendee many years before. It was a perfect match because our film was so independently made. A lot of documentaries start on a track after getting large grants from ITVS or one of the Documentary Labs and they have an advantage in the industry. We didn’t have that, so I felt like we were fighting for attention in a very competitive landscape when we were submitting to festivals.

Doug Block: I’m not sure there’s any other festival strategy for a doc or indie filmmaker than to premiere at the most prestigious festival they possibly can, starting of course with Sundance, and take it from there. It’s easy to say this in retrospect, but getting accepted by Slamdance was actually better for us than Sundance in that a personal doc made on a shoestring like MY OMAHA could easily have gotten lost amidst the hullabaloo of Sundance. Slamdance is the ideal launchpad for first-time filmmakers, it supports them like no other festival that I know of. And it’s respected throughout the industry. So very clever of us to get selected by them, right?

Peter Baxter: How did your festival exhibition actually work out and shape your distribution strategy?

Nick Beaulieu: We did not get into nearly as many festivals after Slamdance as we thought we would. Which was disappointing, but it made the ones we did play feel extra sweet – like Ashland Independent Film Festival and Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival – I can’t say enough good things about both of those. I suppose how it shaped our strategy is it forced us to go local quicker and also to think outside the box for how we could get on the national radar when our festival expectations were not being met. I was nervous about losing momentum. I wanted people to feel like MY OMAHA was building towards something. We worked really hard to get the best possible premiere set up for Omaha, which is already paying off. And we are extraordinarily fortunate that the IRL Movie Club approached us.

Doug Block: Film festivals have become extraordinarily competitive, but I was still surprised and extremely disappointed in the number of festival rejections. Especially since I can’t imagine a more timely and important (not to mention, well crafted) film that speaks to the issues that are dividing this country. And I felt terribly for Nick, being a first-timer. You won’t find bigger or more fully engaged audiences than festival goers, and it was a shame he couldn’t fully experience that. That said, we had many long discussions about distribution possibilities, and the old model of being discovered by distributors on the festival circuit is all but gone. In fact, even seeking out a traditional distributor was (and remains) not the goal for us. We agreed that community centers, faith-based institutions and other one-off events where after-screening discussion is prioritized is the way to go. MY OMAHA didn’t start out as an “impact” film, we just wanted to tell the best, most compelling story possible. But once we realized we had one on our hands, it’s been all about where and how it can make the biggest impact.

Peter Baxter: You were able to secure nationwide theatrical distribution from the In Real Life Movie Club. How will this release work and mobilize an audience?

Nick Beaulieu: The genius behind this format is that there is a great incentive for both the theater and the audience. The theater gets a generous stipend just to play the film, which is an easy sell for them. And the audience only pays $5, which is a price you can’t get anywhere at the movies now. It’s all possible because the founder, Annie Roney, is able to find philanthropic sponsors who believe in both the spirit of the program and in the movie. I would love to see this model grow because it’s really advantageous to everyone involved. The structure itself naturally leads to large-scale theater adoption and large attendance.

Doug Block: Ever since Covid, the film industry has been trying to figure out how to get butts back into theater seats, and it’s especially been an issue for documentaries. It’s also been near impossible for them to get media attention or make even a blip in the cultural landscape. So getting selected for the In Real Life Movie Club has been a godsend on both fronts. I mean, to be able to say we’re showing in over 70 U.S. cinemas on October 12th is a dream, no matter what else happens. But it’s now just our launchpad. It will be followed two nights later with a huge premiere screening at Film Streams in Omaha, followed by a week-long run. And then we’ll go from there.

Peter Baxter: You’ve set an ambitious plan to continue the theatrical experience independently. How will you leverage the first phase of your theatrical release and make the second successful?

Nick Beaulieu: We’re hopeful that the IRL release will generate some press that we can use to our benefit. Most of the IRL locations, which we’re up to 70 theaters at the time I’m saying this, are in small markets. We think that if we can show this film has the kind of resonance that can get people to the theater in smaller cities, it will also have an audience in major markets like New York, LA and Chicago.

Doug Block: We’ve hired Jim Browne and Argot Films as a service deal distributor to book the film into cinemas throughout the country. He’s very experienced, widely respected and extremely selective, so we’re proud of the company we’re keeping. We understand that live events are the best way to lure audiences to see films in theaters, so most of our bookings will be for one-off screenings that we can make special with Q&As, panels and special guest appearances. One of the attractions of the In Real Life Movie Club is its goal of facilitating discussion among audience members via a series of on-screen prompts in place of the usual filmmaker Q&A.

Peter Baxter: From here, what have you set-up for the rest of your distribution windows and what strategies are you planning to use to make them profitable?

Nick Beaulieu: I received a small grant for Impact, which I used to hire a company called Carrot Impact to help us create an Impact and Outreach campaign. They’re helping us do many things, and one of those is helping us onboard Gathr, which is a platform that allows people to request and organize their own screening. You can build in all sorts of layers to it, like pricing based on organization type or size and additional fees if the filmmakers participate in the screening. We’re hoping that all of the buzz that comes from IRL and our Omaha premiere will lead to people making more requests for the film.

Peter Baxter: Can you break down your distribution and marketing costs and the work hours you have spent on your release, to date?

Nick Beaulieu: From getting into Slamdance until now, we’ve spent more than $50,000 on publicity, marketing, distribution and impact. I had a fantasy that all of the major expenses, which had been haunting me, were going to be over when we finished post-production. But there are so many little things that add up once you’re in the distribution phase. I just paid $450 to have a bunch of posters printed, which wasn’t something I had thought about a year ago. I’m fortunate to have received some grants to help pay for some of this, particularly from the Weitz Family Foundation in Omaha who generously helped get our whole team to Los Angeles for Slamdance. But about half of this expenditure has come out of my pocket. A lot of my time is spent staying caught up on emails across many different fronts. The hours are uncountable, there’s always something you could be doing. I’ve had to learn when to draw the line.

Doug Block: Alas, when I went from consultant to producer my workload increased tenfold and I stopped getting paid per hour. Brilliant decision, eh? However, it’s hardly full time work, so I can forgo pay for now. And I have an agreement with Nick similar to one I started using about 15 years ago when producing with another brilliant first timer (Jon Foy, RESURRECT DEAD). It’s cognizant of the fact that the film is being made on a shoestring and being funded, in part, out of pocket by the filmmaker. Once the film begins bringing in sales income I get a flat 10%, much like a sales agent would get. It’s very clean and it’s worked out well for everyone. If the film doesn’t sell at all, I get nothing (which happened once and I have no regrets – it’s a terrific film). And if revenue does come in, it’s very clear when and how much I get paid. There’s no nonsense or confusion over profit share.

Peter Baxter: What has been the toughest part of your filmmaking journey so far and how have you overcome it?

Nick Beaulieu: Maintaining my confidence in crunch time was the hardest part for me. In a film like this that’s so personal, with subject matter that’s so delicate, and when you’re finding the story in the edit…there was so much pressure. It was a battle to trust my instincts while also knowing when to trust other people who had more experience than me. I think that’s normal for most people’s first feature, but it’s intense when you’re in the thick of it and the self-doubt creeps in. The creative process had a lot of highs and lows with countless lessons baked in. Before this movie, I was a writer who worked very independently. I learned through trial and error how to collaborate making MY OMAHA. Now I’m really excited to work with other people from the get go on the next project.

Doug Block: To be honest, there’s been nothing tough about the MY OMAHA journey. From the beginning it’s been a pure pleasure working with Nick, who’s become a great friend. And I couldn’t be prouder of the film. Even the distribution part isn’t tough because I have no problem being shameless in talking up a film I love so much, and fighting to get it recognition.

Peter Baxter: What inspired you to undertake this hybrid distribution journey?

Nick Beaulieu: It was dictated by the state of the industry. I would have loved to sell the rights to our film to a streaming service after Slamdance and let them take care of everything. But that’s just not the reality for most independent films. If you want people to see your movie outside of the festival circuit, you have to own the process and understand that the way you distribute has to be just as scrappy as the way you direct and produce it. You have to sort of will your way towards reaching your audience.

Doug Block: Each film’s distribution journey is dictated by timing and circumstances. I was a producer on SILVERLAKE LIFE, which won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance back in the early ‘90s. We had many distribution offers, went with Zeitgeist Films for theatrical and P.O.V, made it their season premiere. Nowadays, winning Sundance is no guarantee of getting any distribution offers at all. So, now more than ever, it’s critical to have clear distribution goals. Who is your target audience, and what’s the best way of reaching them? Is it more important to make money or to get it seen widely? What’s the best way of getting the film on the industry radar so that the filmmaker can get a career boost? One doesn’t preclude the other, but goal setting should be part of your thinking from the beginning.

Stay tuned as we follow MY OMAHA’s distribution journey in Part 2 with What Happened Next. Meanwhile, thank you to Nick and Doug for their clarity of fact and sharing their great filmmaking experience to date.

https://www.myomahafilm.com/

@myomahafilm

Introduction

Release Timing +

Beyond the Marquee: The Power of Event Theatrical +

Community Community Community

Filmmaker Social Media Best Practices Guide +

Understanding How Independent Films Earn Money on Streaming +

Gross Payout Summary for Indie Filmmakers (2024–2025)

Gross Payout Summary for TVOD Platforms (2024–2025)

OMAHA Distribution Case Study Part 1: The Set-up+