by Voyage | Apr 23, 2014 | Uncategorized
Filmmakers are always trying to convince somebody to read their work, when they should really be striving to create work that people (and producers) actually want to read. If you can do that, then the path to success will become much clearer and you greatly increase your chances of achieving a positive outcome for your project (i.e. financing, production, distribution). So here’s the million-dollar question: How do you get a producer to come after you? And just as importantly, how do you create material that people will line up to read? This end goal must be broken down into a series of questions you should constantly be asking yourself as a writer or filmmaker in Hollywood. So let’s jump right in… Question # 1: What’s My Market? The best way to begin this process is to gain a thorough understanding of how the various markets in Hollywood work, and then really explore what the buyer for a specific market (your market) needs to fill their project pipeline. What are their agendas and objectives that must be fulfilled in order to successfully do their job and elevate their own stature and career? This is where we start getting into the needs of the producer, which is extremely important for you to understand as someone who wants to get their project noticed… Producers, like the rest of us, want to be successful. They are always looking for that next great project that is going to make money, elevate their career, or make them look good in front of their peers. They’re looking for a project that is going to...
by Voyage | Apr 18, 2014 | Uncategorized
How do I get my materials to a Producer? This is a question I often get asked. It’s a great question. In fact, it’s the primary reason that people get in touch with Voyage Media to begin with. The funny thing about it is that they’re usually thinking in terms of how do I get the contact information for a certain person? Or how do I get my material in front of somebody? And the reality is that the answer is very different from what they think they need, because they’re asking the wrong question. If you have a film or television project you want to sell, the key question you should be asking is: How do I get a producer to chase me for my project? I’m going to break this question down into different components and give you the answer to each one. Why Voyage Media Doesn’t Give the Easy Answer Our entire business is built around answering this question—meaning everything we do at Voyage, whether it’s a service or we do it for our own projects—everything we do is about getting your material in front of actual buyers. But it has nothing to do with, or very little to do with getting someone’s contact information. I could teach you how to find contact information through a page resource called IMDB.pro. And I can certainly teach you how to research names and find buyers and get their contact information. That’s easy. I could even give you the names and phone numbers of 6,000 producers. But it would be difficult for you to use that information in...
by Voyage | Feb 10, 2014 | Uncategorized
In the interest of sorting out the seemingly endless debacle that is indie film distribution, I sat down with our CEO, Nat Mundel to talk about distribution. After all, every filmmaker needs to find an audience, and there are ever-new strategies for getting your work seen, heard, and talked about. Click the PLAY button below to listen to the interview now! [audio_player style=”5″ url=”http://www.voyagemedia.com/Audio/Nat_Distribution_Interview_SB0214.mp3″ auto_play=”N”] – Nat is our CEO here at Voyage Media, but what you may not know is that he also runs a company called TodPix – a company that specializes in distribution and distribution strategy. With that in mind, it seemed like a no-brainer to ask Nat some important questions about how the next wave of filmmakers can break down the iron doors of Hollywood. Archives April 2023 (1) December 2022 (1) October 2022 (1) June 2020 (1) April 2020 (1) February 2020 (1) January 2020 (1) October 2019 (1) August 2019 (1) June 2019 (1) January 2019 (1) April 2018 (1) March 2018 (1) February 2018 (1) January 2018 (1) December 2017 (1) November 2017 (1) October 2017 (2) July 2017 (4) April 2017 (1) February 2017 (1) January 2017 (1) December 2016 (1) November 2016 (1) October 2016 (1) September 2016 (2) June 2016 (1) May 2016 (1) April 2016 (1) February 2016 (3) January 2016 (1) December 2015 (2) November 2015 (1) October 2015 (2) September 2015 (2) August 2015 (2) July 2015 (1) June 2015 (1) April 2015 (1) March 2015 (1) February 2015 (2) January 2015 (6) December 2014 (2) October 2014 (1) September 2014 (3) August 2014 (3) June 2014 (2) May 2014 (5) April 2014 (3) February 2014 (1) January 2014 (2) December 2013 (1) April 2013 (1) December 2012 (2) July 2012 (2) April 2012 (2) March 2012 (2) December 2011 (1) November 2011 (3) October 2011 (4) September 2011 (5) August 2011 (3) May 2011 (2) April 2011 (1) March 2011 (2) November 2010 (2) August 2010 (1) June 2010 (1) March...
by Voyage | Jan 15, 2014 | Uncategorized
A few weeks ago we held our first community office hours. An opportunity for members of the film community – both the aces and the aspirers – to comingle with each other, some working Producers and Voyage Staff. And we filmed an interesting talk with Elizabeth Kushman (former VP Development & Production – Dimension Films), and Kelly Hayes (Director of Development – Walt Becker Company) in which they spoke about their experiences breaking down Hollywood’s iron doors, and the current and ever-changing landscape of media as it exists today, and their heartbreaks and triumphs along the carved path. So we invite you to take a peek. You’ll gain some interesting insights into how to choose the right project to develop, how to avoid many of the common (and uncommon) pitfalls writers & directors fall into when chasing after that golden project, how to get into the “tribal” mindset and how working as part of a community will help you take your project to that next level you’re looking to reach. Enjoy. P.S. Stay tuned for our next office hours get-together, which will be taking place in February. Archives April 2023 (1) December 2022 (1) October 2022 (1) June 2020 (1) April 2020 (1) February 2020 (1) January 2020 (1) October 2019 (1) August 2019 (1) June 2019 (1) January 2019 (1) April 2018 (1) March 2018 (1) February 2018 (1) January 2018 (1) December 2017 (1) November 2017 (1) October 2017 (2) July 2017 (4) April 2017 (1) February 2017 (1) January 2017 (1) December 2016 (1) November 2016 (1) October 2016 (1) September 2016 (2) June 2016 (1) May 2016 (1) April 2016 (1) February 2016 (3) January 2016 (1) December 2015 (2) November 2015 (1) October 2015 (2) September 2015 (2) August 2015 (2) July 2015 (1) June 2015 (1) April 2015 (1) March 2015 (1) February...
by Voyage | Jan 10, 2014 | Uncategorized
It’s the time of year to reflect on what we’ve done, what we’ve learned, and most importantly how our work has impacted our clients. This was a banner year for Voyage’s Professionals Program and Book-to-Screen programs. Here are just a few highlights from an incredible 2013… — Susannah Farrow & Dale Trott This extraordinary writing team has so far completed two Professionals Programs on two of their projects with us (they’re currently on their 3rd) and both projects were optioned by producers right out of the gate! One is now being set up with financing. Susannah & Dale are now also getting paid writing assignments, helping adapt novels into treatments and screenplays in our book program. Congrats, you two! —– Joe Downey Out of an in-depth Professionals Program, Joe optioned his first TV pilot to a well-known production company and the series is currently being considered by Gossip Girl showrunner Stephanie Savage. —– Rose Cole Rose was a well-known Internet personality and holistic healer. She came to us with a desire to go mainstream and get her own TV show. We helped her by developing an entire personal brand strategy, new website, reality format, treatment and sizzle reel – now her series has been optioned by producers, has a showrunner attached, and is currently being shopped to networks. ——— —- —– —— Javier Ortiz You may remember Javier from last year’s success stories. This year he’s gone even further. Not only did we get his first screenplay optioned by producers, we’ve now helped him get a Sundance Grand Jury-nominated director...
by Voyage | Dec 4, 2013 | Uncategorized
Sometimes the hardest part of making a film is coming up with that inception of something great. We’ve previously introduced you to our VALT publication, and what gets us excited about VALT is that it provides the easy access you need to great books, impactful projects, and original storylines that you’ll want to get behind. VALT introduces you to available titles, but beyond that it also includes loglines, coverage, pitch ideas, lookbooks, and screenplays that are suddenly accessible and now you’ve got a story idea and pitch materials at your fingertips. This makes the sales process easier, and allows you to enter into an often times exclusive market with some very valuable collateral. Others have seen the benefit – in just the past few months, we’ve optioned five titles. They’re included in the most recent publication so that you can see what projects other filmmakers have gotten excited about. Self-published content is hot right now in entertainment, for a number of reasons: Self-published books are less expensive to option and have a less complex chain of title to sift through than Bestsellers – you won’t have to go on a months-long search to acquire rights, and you won’t be paying 6 (or even 7) figures for the rights! In most cases you can even option a title for free! Self-published content has the thrill of undiscovered territory – you’ll be the first to bring to light a hot new story and potential franchise! If you are responsible for bringing a heretofore undiscovered great idea to market, you instantly become a power player. Popular directors are already taking...
