Jon Reiss Talks DIY Distribution and More...

Jon Reiss (authur of "Think Outside the Box Office") talked with The Film Panel Notetaker blog about several things involving DIY distribution vs. the old model. One of the things that stuck out to us in particular dealt with filmmakers who have films that are absolutely designed/suitable for a limited, DIY theatrical release. He suggests utilizing your festival premiere to kick it off, instead of waiting until much later. This also works perfectly if your premiere is in one of your target theatrical markets. As we gear up to utilize this strategy with our upcoming slate of features, it really is a helpful, inspiring interview. Check it out after the jump:



Perhaps it was inevitable that Jon Reiss would be the one to write a book on self-distribution. Reiss (pronounced “Reese”) began his career with Target Video in the 1980s, a group that taped performances of important punk bands of the time, and toured them across the world. Later, he directed music videos for the likes of Nine Inch Nails. The producer of his 1999 documentary, Better Living Through Circuitry negotiated a split theatrical/DVD release. When the initial attempts to distribute Bomb It didn’t pan out, Reiss decided to take it upon himself.

Reiss’ adventures in self-distributing Bomb It are detailed in his new book, Think Outside The Box Office. Think is now available at Amazon.com, and will soon be available at a number of other online retailers as well. However, if you are looking to get the free chapter updates (which Reiss hopes to start later this month), as well as some bonus materials, purchase the book from his website, thinkoutsidetheboxoffice.com.

Erin: You debuted Bomb It at Tribeca in 2007. You did everything you were expected to do in order to secure distribution: you saved your premiere for a major festival with a history of acquisitions, a sales agent, and a publicist. You managed to pack the theatres, but nobody came calling.

Jon: 'We actually had a number of lowball offers, but no offers that made financial sense. Offers such as $10,000 for all rights for 20 years, which we declined.'

Erin: 'When you realized the distributors were not interested, did you think, “Gee, I did all this for nothing?"

Jon: 'Every filmmaker who was unable to make a sale had that. Hopefully, filmmakers are a little more understanding now that the market isn’t there anymore. You shouldn’t take it upon yourself.'

Erin: After your initial disappointment, why did you decide to persist? Was Bomb It’s DVD offer encouraging in that regard?

Jon: 'Yes. I was really happy to be working with them (New Video/Docurama). I’d met the New Video people a number of times over the years, and I’d heard good things about them. I’d talked to other filmmakers who’ve worked with them before–I’d heard that they actually pay people! I’d met Liz Ogilvie, who at that time was running New Video. It seemed like a good finish-up. At the time, I was disappointed that there had been no theatrical component to it–that’s what I was in search of. Someone had agreed to do theatrical distribution, but ended up not doing it. When they didn’t do it, I decided to take it upon myself.'

Read the full interview HERE.