A Radical Vision of Your Future as a Filmmaker

But it’s not just any old version of the the future. You don’t need my help for that.

If you want more of the same, just imagine where you'll be in 5 years if you follow the same old path every other indie filmmaker does...

My guess is that—after zipping around the festival circuit, trying to get some kind of distribution deal—it ends in frustration and burnout, just as it does for so many of us.

But we're not talking about any of that today.

Instead, I'm going to share a bold, exciting vision for what your life could look like two years from now—once you take the distribution of your films into your own hands.

Plus, if you pay close attention to this vision, you might even notice a handful of powerful tactics for making a living with your films.

Some folks have even been inspired to take notes while reading this.

So without any further ado, here’s what I see in your future.

You just put the finishing touches on your latest feature film. It’s your second one in as many years.

Not only that, but this film is your best work yet, and you’re super proud of it.

That alone gives you an immense amount of satisfaction. But you know the best is yet to come.

Over the last two weeks, you’ve been teasing your audience, hinting that the film is complete, sharing the trailer and small snippets from your favorite scenes.

Your audience is hungry and impatient. They’ve been hearing about this film for months, and they’re dying to see it.

A few of them have even sent you the “shut up and take my money” gif.

It makes you smile.

On the day before you officially “launch” the film, you go out to get coffee with a filmmaking friend you haven’t seen in awhile.

After telling them your latest film is complete, they ask which festivals you’ll be submitting to.

When you mention that you’re avoiding festivals altogether, they look concerned.

Little do they know, you’re going to spend the money you would have used on submission fees to rent out a local theater for a screening.

And since you’re selling tickets, and making it an exciting "one-night-only event," you plan to actually make money from screening your film and doing the Q&A afterwards.

“But what about the possibility of getting a distribution deal,” your friend asks?

You nod your head. “That could be nice, but the film will be profitable even if I don’t work with a distributor.”

Secretly, you also know that no distributor could ever give you the type of freedom you have with your audience.

You understand that holding on to your intellectual property is one of the most profitable decisions you can make in the long term.

After all, this launch is just the beginning. You know the real money comes from continued sales over the course of months and years.

Your friend doesn’t understand any of this, though.

"Oh, so you're just going to put it on iTunes and Amazon," they ask?

"Nope," you respond. "I'm selling it straight from my website!"

Your friend looks even more concerned for you. It's clear they think you're a bit... delusional.

After all, you’re breaking all the rules of the indie film business. Surely you’ll fail and never make your money back.

You’re not worried, though. Tomorrow is launch day.

---

You wake up at 9:30am, well rested, with a twinge of excitement.

After making a delicious cup of coffee, you type up a quick email to your list letting them know the film is now available for purchase.

You also mention you’ve got a sweet “premium package” for your biggest fans.

It's got deleted scenes, director's commentary, BTS features, interviews with cast and crew, and plenty more.

You hit send.

Within the hour, orders start rolling in. Just a few at first, and then a bunch. 

By the end of the first day, you’ve got just over five grand in your bank account.

Not too shabby for a day’s work.

But you're just getting started.

The next day, you reach out to a handful of influencers you’ve been building relationships with over the last year.

These folks run blogs and podcasts and YouTube channels and have popular social profiles that your target audience pays attention to.

Plus, since you've been building *real relationships* these folks already know, like, and trust you.

You've built up genuine goodwill and social capital, so they're more than happy to tell their audiences about the launch.

Over the next few days, your army of influencers pushes your film far and wide into the niche.

In fact, to the people in this niche, it seems like you’re “everywhere, all at once.” Your film is showing up constantly in their newsfeeds and timelines and communities.

Even better, the people who watched your film already—the "early adopters"—are enthusiastically spreading the word.

Sure enough, within two weeks your revenue rockets past your production budget, and you're well into profit territory (without having spent a single dollar on ads or promotion).

You purposely kept the budget low, and focused on telling a compelling story targeted to the people in this niche, and now those efforts are paying off.

You text your friend that the film is profitable mere weeks after your conversation. They respond in stunned disbelief:

“How’d you do that??!! What is this strange magic and can you teach me?!”

You feel a deep sense of satisfaction.

You’re not done yet though.

---

Over the course of this launch, you’ve had thousands of new fans watch your film and join your email list.

As a smart business owner, you know that this is more valuable than any revenue you got up front.

You understand that the real money comes when you maximize the lifetime value of these new customers and fans.

So you get back to work.

Since these lovely folks haven’t seen your first feature yet (and you’re sure they’d love it), you put together a quick email sequence for them.

The sequence tells the harrowing story of getting that film made. The trials, tribulations, and ultimate triumph.

You share the story of how your lead actor disappeared halfway through the shoot, and how you frantically searched to replace him.

But more than sharing filmmaking information, you share how the story and themes of the film tie into the group identity of your niche.

And it ends with a call to action. “Here’s a 25% discount code if you want to watch the film.”

"Oh, and by the way," you add, "I've also got a premium tier with loads of extra bonus goodies. If you're interested :)"

Sure enough, thousands of dollars of additional revenue rolls in to your indie filmmaking business.

But most importantly, you’ve created a handful of new “superfans.”

These are the people who love your work so much they’ll buy anything you ever make.

They’ll get the posters and the t-shirts, attend your live screenings, and fervently spread the word to their likeminded friends.

It’s been a crazy couple of weeks since you and your friend sat down for coffee. A lot has happened, and you’re a bit worn out.

So you take a week or three off. Hell, maybe a full month, with some traveling you've been hoping to do for awhile.

You earned it.

Once you get back to work, there are two items on the agenda.

First, you set up a new email sequence so that everyone who joins your list automatically hears the story of your first two features. And they get the chance to buy them.

Not only that, but you set up a Patreon account, and pitch it to your superfans.

They jump at the opportunity, and now you've got some sweet, sweet automatic revenue for your business.

And finally, you get to work on your next project. 

It’s something you’re excited about, and you’ve got legions of raving fans who can barely wait to pay you for the privilege of watching it.

Life doesn’t get any better than this.

---

That’s all I’ve got for you on this trip to the future.

Pretty rad, huh?

Like I mentioned before, all of this stuff is possible. If you put in the work, you can make this happen for yourself in 2020 and beyond.

It's not magic. All it takes is a strong foundation in ethical marketing and selling, and a bit of know-how when it comes to building niche audiences.

And that’s exactly what I'll show you how to do—step by step—in the Film Audience Blueprint.

If you're keen to learn more, click over to the next page.