Daren Smith | Indie Film Producer💡

Independent Film Producer, Author, Creative Entrepreneur & Strategist. Producer at Craftsman Films | GP at Producer Fund.

[Daren Smith | Indie Film Producer💡 @darentsmith]

Taking a break from this place - come find me (and posts about how to profitably invest in indie film) over on LinkedIn

https://t.co/tiqPeU3chy

[Daren Smith | Indie Film Producer💡 @darentsmith]

Peacing out for the weekend. See ya'll next week!

[Daren Smith | Indie Film Producer💡 @darentsmith]

Reach? Or resonance?

Watch the full episode here: https://t.co/APTFrK6NLN

Learn more at https://t.co/GlxlMkppY7

[Daren Smith | Indie Film Producer💡 @darentsmith]

Last week I got invited by Craig Detweiler to come present on the topic of film financing. What a great group!

Standing room only is putting it lightly - we had about 50 students and filmmakers gather around to learn and ask questions.

The three principles I shared were:

1. Solve Bigger Problems
2. Decide if you want to be an Architect or an Artist
3. Align with the demand in the marketplace

Thanks to Craig and Windrider Summit for the opportunity!

[Daren Smith | Indie Film Producer💡 @darentsmith]

Is streaming a good model for indie filmmakers?

Watch the full episode here: https://t.co/APTFrK6NLN

Learn more at https://t.co/GlxlMkppY7

[Daren Smith | Indie Film Producer💡 @darentsmith]

What does success look like for you and your film?

Watch the full episode here: https://t.co/APTFrK6NLN

Learn more at https://t.co/GlxlMkppY7

[Daren Smith | Indie Film Producer💡 @darentsmith]

As a filmmaker, you've got to understand what's going on in the marketplace

Watch the full episode here: https://t.co/APTFrK6NLN

Learn more at https://t.co/GlxlMkppY7

[Daren Smith | Indie Film Producer💡 @darentsmith]

The five questions I'd ask before investing in any indie film...

1. Who is the audience and how do we know?
2. What's the distribution path?
3. What's the budget to upside math look like?
4. What must go right vs what could go wrong?
5. What's the teams repeatable track record?

If you only ask one question, it's this: where is the current demand that we're solving with this movie?

Save this post. Next time a pitch hits your inbox, use these questions and see who's still standing after.

[Daren Smith | Indie Film Producer💡 @darentsmith]

My new book, BLOCKBUSTER, comes out in a few months...

But you can read it for free now! Check it out at https://t.co/TxlXDyj3LS

[Daren Smith | Indie Film Producer💡 @darentsmith]

Where do returns come from in indie film?

Here's the 60-second map of how money actually comes back to investor's bank accounts

In film you have "windows", different phases of release or sales.

Think of it like this:

Theatrical = Signal (is the movie good, do people like it and are they telling people about it, is the industry taking notice?

VOD/EST = Cash

Licensing = Bulk sales

Then you have the long tail

What changes when you're thinking about indie film instead of studio films is distribution terms matter more than critics opinions.

If you fumble the financial structure or make a bad deal, you could wreck your profitability. But properly structured, you could be profitable before the movie even hits theaters.

This is where having a model that builds and compounds audience attention over time, creates resonance with the distributors in the marketplace, and where there's a direct to consumer element wins out.

If you're evaluating your exposure to meaningful media right now, DM me and I'll answer any questions you have about the process.

[Daren Smith | Indie Film Producer💡 @darentsmith]

Marketing starts on DAY 1

Watch the full episode here: https://t.co/APTFrK6NLN

Learn more at https://t.co/GlxlMkppY7

[Daren Smith | Indie Film Producer💡 @darentsmith]

Someone recently called out the film fund pitch. And they're right - simply funding multiple movies rather than one at a time doesn't solve anything, it just funds more movies.

Funding movies is only 1/4 of the process.

Yes, you need a good, diversified model for investing in films, but you also need to cover the downside.

That means disciplined budgets and talented craftspeople making the best movie possible.

Then you need distribution to ensure it reaches the market in a meaningful way.

And you need the audience to know your movie exists, show up to see it, and tell all of their friends about it.

It's not just about portfolio math, it's about a better holistic model

When you have good processes in place - greenlight constraints, budget discipline, and distribution relationships - that creates not just profitability, but predictability.

That's the part the critics left out. It's not just a new funding model, it's an entire model for funding, producing, marketing, and distributing indie films.

Done right, every film grows leverage for the next one, and the outcomes get more and more predictable.

If you're curious about how we've set it up at Craftsman Films, shoot me a DM with your target check size and I'll tell you which structure typically fits better.

[Daren Smith | Indie Film Producer💡 @darentsmith]

Keep going UNTIL it happens

Watch the full episode here: https://t.co/Yw1Ip73Y8r

And learn more about the new model for producing profitable indie films at https://t.co/GlxlMkppY7

[Daren Smith | Indie Film Producer💡 @darentsmith]

My new book, BLOCKBUSTER, comes out in a few months...

But you can read it for free now! Check it out at https://t.co/TxlXDyj3LS

[Daren Smith | Indie Film Producer💡 @darentsmith]

Most film investments fail NOT because the movie is bad, but because they used a broken model.

Investors often hear a creative pitch - here's the story, who's in it, why we're passionate about it. Rarely is there a plan for marketing, or distribution, or a path to profitability.

Still, maybe they feel compelled, so they invest

The reality, however, is that returns aren't driven by passion or emotion, but by disciplined budgets + marketing execution + a clear distribution plan.

A good script is needed for sure, but it's not a strategy

What investors need to look for instead is a plan to not only make a good movie, but a plan to reach the audience and get them AND the movie to the theaters.

If this resonates, follow me and head over to https://t.co/3JDnTBF18b where I regularly demystify film investing and producing backed by a real, working model.

[Daren Smith | Indie Film Producer💡 @darentsmith]

One of the more important mindset shifts you need to make if you're pitching investors...

Watch the full episode here: https://t.co/Yw1Ip73Y8r

And learn more about the new model for producing profitable indie films at https://t.co/GlxlMkppY7

[Daren Smith | Indie Film Producer💡 @darentsmith]

Investors prefer lines, not dots. Here's what I mean:

Watch the full episode here: https://t.co/Yw1Ip73Y8r

And learn more about the new model for producing profitable indie films at https://t.co/GlxlMkppY7

[Daren Smith | Indie Film Producer💡 @darentsmith]

Why you need to think and act like a producer...

Watch the full episode here: https://t.co/Yw1Ip73Y8r

And learn more about the new model for producing profitable indie films at https://t.co/GlxlMkppY7

[Daren Smith | Indie Film Producer💡 @darentsmith]

My thesis with Producer Fund I is there’s a lot of stranded and idle capital that wants to allocate into mission-aligned, meaningful media, but there currently isn’t an investor-grade way to do it responsibly.

I’m not solving a supply problem. I’m solving a system problem.

[Daren Smith | Indie Film Producer💡 @darentsmith]

How many people do you need to talk to to raise the money for your indie film?

Watch the full episode here: https://t.co/Yw1Ip73Y8r

And learn more about the new model for producing profitable indie films at https://t.co/GlxlMkppY7

[Daren Smith | Indie Film Producer💡 @darentsmith]

My new book, BLOCKBUSTER, comes out in a few months...

But you can read it for free now! Check it out at https://t.co/TxlXDyj3LS

[Daren Smith | Indie Film Producer💡 @darentsmith]

Why are investors hitting delete when you send them your film project?

Watch the full episode at ⁨https://t.co/CY7YGxwm9E

Learn more about the new model for indie film at https://t.co/TLIoNSUxEw