Are Independent Films Profitable? How can I finance my movie?

   No independent films are not profitable- not on their own and that is because filmmakers are stuck in an antiquated mindset of a business that has never been profitable. It is NOT your fault. It is what we as industry professionals from Producers to Actors, have been conditioned to believe. 

The reason that securing funding for your independent film is your biggest challenge is because nobody pays out. Distributors do not pay. Streaming platforms do not pay independent filmmakers. Additionally, this is a predatory industry of pure secrecy and segregation. BUT there is money to be made!

Distributors don't operate the way they lead you to believe, this is why filmmakers earn zero and stay at a loss on each project. Streaming Platforms don't pay independent filmmakers, they are now mostly owned by studios and rely more and more on ads revenue which leaves little for films, especially in an oversaturated market of billions of movies streaming at once. 

 Then on top of that, predators lurk on every set even those with high credentials use those credentials to take advantage of the hopeful often turn out to be successful only BECAUSE they prey on your dreams. Oscar winners included.

What I mean by secrecy and segregation is that there is one great big gate between independent film and the major studios. The secrecy part is that they have ways of doing business that is proprietary to them! Independent filmmakers do not own theme parks, distribution companies nor steaming platforms. Independent filmmakers have been led to maintain the same antiquated mindset of the business formula. Although you question it, you still are led to believe it is about art and making a high-quality movie with a great story and performances and you are in!

The truth is that has nothing to do with the movie business.

Yeah- up to 10 years ago, I thought the same thing. I thought woah, if we just spend high dollar and get the right team- we can make a profit, get global distribution and turn that profit to make more movies! Yay! 

Yeah. Um, No. 

Boy did myself and my team learn the hard way! Why did I NOT look at the pattern of independent filmmaker's who spent 20 plus years making movies every year, yet they never made a penny! Why did I continue to listen when they said, "this one is going to be huge!" Only to never see it go anywhere but collect dust in the garage pile of DVD's. I did what they did each and every movie and told myself- this one will be different! I just thought like everyone else and told myself- we just have to do better!

 I decided to get myself and a team together to invest in my dream project. We self-funded this movie. We did so through personal money and bank loans. Little did I know how real and devastating life was about to get. And it's not like we had all this money laying around- I mean we had to hustle and sign our life away only to pay back $15,000.00 per month in bank loans! I do NOT recommend this avenue to any filmmaker. Not at this budget.

We did not spend a dime until we felt we had hired the appropriate executives who mastered the business. These executives we hired are those who mastered distribution and who had a library of films out there with studios. When we met and discussed business options with an Oscar and Emmy winning Producer- we thought, ok, we hit the jackpot. 

It turns out that Oscar winning Producer and his buddies hit the jackpot meeting us.

We were the people who believed in dreams so much that we were willing to put our money where our hearts were. Like most filmmakers, we are people who grew up on movies and loved the fantasy world of creation. We were the perfect prey for them to eat alive. And they did.

At the time, they signed on and they seemed pretty happy to be involved- we moved forward and paid them six figures that they required to come on as our Executive Producers. Of course, they were happy- we were fairy tale suckers allowing them to live the Hollywood predator dream off us! Their role was to secure a distribution deal with a studio that provides a return. They oversaw all the contracts, and the appropriate procedures were put in place for a SAG independent film with celebrity cast. The quoted budget started at $560,000.00. With the professionals overseeing production- it more than doubled. Red flag again. 

However, the blessing is that I saw what they were doing once production began, so I studied. I went to lunch, traveled with and shadowed them as I learned every single business secret they use to get ahead. 

Going back to production, back when we had all our faith and trust in our Oscar winning partners whose job was to get distribution, to oversee the business process from pre-production to distribution and delivery, we felt secure in this investment. 

I began signing the checks as we went into pre-production. Oh wow- they had to add so many costs. We had to employ so many of their friends. SAG made us provide jobs for everyone who was SAG even when we did not need those positions. Teamsters were found hidden in the bushes during production. It was financial madness- like floating in the middle of the Atlantic being circled by starving pregnant sharks and some Jellys.

Then the harassment started as soon as people learned that I was the owner. 

I had phone calls from guys who were telling me to deposit $10,000.00 into their account by morning. What in the heck?!  Of course, you know what I said?  F!!!! YOU! Meet me in a back alley, boy! 

I had old men thinking they were a Soprano calling me telling me that I must pay them thousands because they introduced someone who led me to meet the Oscar winning Producer. I repeated the same words as I did the last ones. 

In the end, I am in fact an Executive Producer who funded and owns a 1.3-million-dollar independent film Nation's Fire. I, as well as my investing and producing team went into this exciting business venture with the promise of a studio deal from our Oscar winning Producing team. Instead, we walked out with our heads down as we were forced to grieve our way to profitability. I was so hurt to learn that Oscar winners are liars too.

They never got us the distribution deal- they drug me though gravel on a string for 2 years! Our dream as investors and filmmakers was diminishing. Our child cast were nearing retirement. I was paying back bank loans in the five figures per month. We never saw a penny. When I called the Oscar winning producer I had hired- he said we got a deal- but we are the middleman distributor between you and a deal with Lions Gate- In this contract I laughed, this laughter turned to crying. The crying turned to breaking everything in my path. I learned and I learned this entire industry hard core. 

Do you know why they distribute movies with the studios time and time again but did not get a deal for ours? Well, that is because Their budgets were all UNDER 100k! That is right, they charged us more than double that JUST for their services. This means they knew from the beginning they were just eating our belief, hopes, dreams and our budget for lunch.  

Predatory behavior runs rampant in this brutal industry. This is just one reason that it is so hard to obtain funding from banks, private investors and family. It doesn't stop there.

I went to a new distributor and signed a percentage deal. The story, experience and devastating reality was exactly the same. 

One thing they failed to recognize, is through the entire seven years, I shadowed their every move. I learned the formulas used by Sales Agents. I learned and studied the business process used by Distributors. I learned and stored ALL contracts. I traveled the country. I met with filmmakers all over the country. I scoured through stories, contracts, lack of payments. I attended The American Film markets and listened, networked and learned with intention. 

Twenty-Four years in the industry. All the legal documentation from a movie full of Oscar and Emmy winners. The contracts, the process, the quality control, the deliverables, the screenplay rights, copyright, building a business, how to create a compelling pitch deck, how to obtain product placements, distribution costs, their true business model and finally- the process by which the studios use is all found within Filmmaker Berserk. I put 1.3 million into this. I put my money where my mouth is and i am sharing it all with you so that you have an opportunity to get ahead of the rest in an industry that prides itself on eating filmmakers alive.

At Filmmaker Berserk, we despise predators, and we put them out of commission.

This isn't Your Typical Business Program. 

There are various options for funding and that includes crowd funding, bank loans (we provide the names of banks who do movie loans within the Filmmaker Berserk program, we show you how to approach Investors through a compelling pitch deck, we also show you how to find investors of interest for your type of movie.) As an investor who reads pitch Decks daily- I will show you what makes me interested and what makes me throw them away instantly. 

The most important aspect of obtaining funding- is having a solid business plan in which you are a master of the industry in a streaming world. If you have zero knowledge of the industry itself you have zero chance of making a penny recouping any portion of an investment- and that right there is the ENTIRE problem.

Think about it, if the most valuable insights were freely available online, wouldn't everyone be successful? The reality is that true competitive advantages come from closely guarded information, tested strategies and insider knowledge that stays private. 

What we offer isn't common knowledge, it's years of real-world experience, millions in tested strategies and connections with industry leaders who don't share their secrets publicly. 

THIS IS THE KIND OF INFORMATION THAT SEPARATES THE AVERAGE FROM THE EXCEPTIONAL.

Become a Member of the Berserkergang and get the competitive edge you have been searching for. 

Go to Filmmakerberserk.com for more information.