The Asian American Committee (AAC) meeting on October 22 featured the panel discussion, Selling Your Project: Festival Circuit, Awards and Distribution, the follow-up to their September discussion, Selling Your Project: Pitching, Packaging and Financing.
During a conversation moderated by AAC Panels Subcommittee Co-Chair, Director/Producer Sam Kadi, Producer Ted Hope, the former Co-Head of Movies for Amazon, discussed how to strategically navigate the festival circuit, awards season and effectively manage the complexities of the rapidly evolving film distribution process.
Hope revealed his extensive history in film acquisitions and explained how he searches for outliers containing a ‘specific genius’ and knowing when to leverage buying power to fight for those films. He shared his story of falling in love with Director Kenneth Lonergan’s feature, Manchester by the Sea, and divulged his strategies during the subsequent bidding war that led to Amazon acquiring the film.
Hope suggested filmmakers look for creative ways to build loyalty with audiences over time and noted how consistent engagement can help manufacture media buzz on projects and create an authentic fanbase for a filmmaker’s work.
About the Asian American Committee:
The Asian American Committee (AAC) was created as a networking group to provide a forum for interests and issues that concern Asian-American Guild members. Through outreach efforts in the entertainment industry that emphasize career development and skills enhancement, the committee provides a variety of networking opportunities as well as screenings, seminars and discussions with industry professionals.