Breakthrough Distribution Helps Indie Artists Stay the Course

by Eric Kohn

The heyday of independent filmmaking has ended. Long live the heyday of independent filmmaking.

At one point, avaricious producers and film festivals sustained by curious celebrities with deep pockets guided the course of many a film career. Now, filmmakers are turning away from all-inclusive distribution deals and striking out on their own. Thanks to the burgeoning marketing and distribution techniques permitted by the internet, they can do it -- and a number of services have sprouted up to meet their needs.

A sensible outlet for filmmakers interested in profiting from their work, Breakthrough Distribution is one of the companies that has emerged as response to this recent trend. By offering DVD replication services along with tailor-made marketing campaigns to filmmakers, Breakthrough Distribution, which launched in 2006, allows filmmakers to take advantage of three possible strategies: Hybrid distribution, self-distribution or retail distribution. In all three cases, filmmaker can retain most of the rights to their works, creating a healthy alternative to studio deals and the binding contracts of larger digital distribution models, such iTunes and Netflix.

Self-distribution has become ideal for indies

The company's president, Jeff Rosen, became involved in the world of independent film almost incidentally, through his colleague, David Lieberman, who provided DVD and CD replication services for BMG Entertainment. Lieberman brought his work to a smaller scale after meeting pioneering film consultant Peter Broderick, a major advocate of hybrid distribution, which involves the partitioning of rights for various outlets. Broderick, a sort of indie maverick involved in the discovery of filmmakers like current Batman director Christopher Nolan, knew several artists in need of inexpensive replication services. While Lieberman developed the infrastructure to service them, he asked Rosen to work on an e-commerce plan that matched the specific audiences.

"Part of my background was with banks and consumer marketing," said Rosen, whose earlier clients included Conde Nast. "I helped put together a relationship with a payment processor and a solution that was easy for the filmmakers to manage." A 'zine publisher might hire Kinkos to make copies of the magazine, but they still want to control where the publication winds up; similarly, Breakthrough Distribution found a way for filmmakers to handle distribution of their films without rescinding their rights. In addition to DVD authoring, the company employs custom marketing services, which include "core audience identification," viral schemes and web site design, all for a nominal fee compared to the massive advertising campaigns usually employed by the larger entertainment industry.

"We looked at it as a way to collaborate with the filmmaker based on his or her energy and resources," Rosen said. "Some work is required of the filmmaker to go out and do screenings." However, Breakthrough Distribution provides more than simple duplication services. The company helps negotiate deals with various companies and cultivate tailor-made marketing campaigns to suit the content. "I realized that there were thousands and thousands of people making films, many of which were quite excellent," Rosen said. "We were encountering filmmakers who had played Sundance and didn't want to find a deal with a distributor because they didn't want to get locked into a relationship where their film did a million dollars on home video and they didn't get paid. It doesn't make sense for them to give all their rights for an extended period of time when their film cost them $300,000 or more." One of the better alternatives Rosen discovered involved selling a single copy of a film to educational institutions for increased value. Without citing specific examples, he claimed that some of the company's clients have made half a million dollars directly out of such deals. And that's hardly a cap, considering that the filmmakers can still profit from other distribution deals.

It's a practical trajectory for many films that would otherwise fade from view after festival runs. For example, recent Breakthrough clients to take advantage of hybrid distribution include the fastidiously gory horror movie Bloodcar and Four Eyed Monsters, which rose above the tiny niche marketplaces they would have reached with paltry theatrical deals. "We have five or six filmmakers who won Sundance," Rosen said. "Winning a festival does not -- in any way, shape or form -- translate into economic success."

Having dealt with over 200 filmmakers in the last two years, Rosen is now focusing on the development of an open-sourced database -- the next step in rejecting the old model. In this case, the project involves a suggestion process -- akin the ones available on Amazon, Netflix and elsewhere -- that would recommend small independent projects based on a consumer's previous choices. It's edgier than it sounds. "If there's value for the fan to participate," Rosen explained, "the fan will buy more indie films and possibly buy less studio product." Step up, Hollywood.