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About me - Jon Reiss
I am a filmmaker but for the past 15 years I have been passionate about helping filmmakers connect their films to audiences. Because every film and filmmaking team is different, I feel that every film requires a unique distribution and marketing plan/strategy.
I got my first taste of distribution when I was part of a punk rock documentary collective Target Video where we shot seminal bands such as Black Flag, Iggy Pop, Throbbing Gristle, The Cramps and where I was one of the first – if not the first person to conceptualize and execute video tours throughout Europe, carting 500 lbs. of video deck and projector in a VW Bus across 15,000 miles.
My film Bomb It premiered at theTribeca Film Festival in 2007 when the independent film distribution system first collapsed in 2007. Faced with a number of no-money terrible distribution deals, I distributed my feature doc Bomb It with what many people felt was an innovative hybrid release. I wrote several articles for Filmmaker Magazine breaking down my process which led me to write the book Think Outside the Box Office: The Ultimate Guide to Film Distribution in the Digital Era. I gave two day workshops all over the world kicking it off with a keynote manifesto that I gave at CPH:DOX.
Since then I have consulted with hundreds of filmmakers and film organizations, helped create and run the IFP/Gotham Filmmaker Lab for ten years and recently created the 8 Above Distribution Lab to teach filmmakers how to distribute and market their films.
What can you expect from this Substack?
I will be offering both broad analysis about independent film distribution as well as a series of specific tips on the process of connecting with audiences and getting your film out into the world. Very soon I will be hosting case studies and chats with industry experts, initially as podcasts as well as monthly Ask Me Anything about Distribution.
Why the name 8 Above
Throughout every culture, in every mythology, and even within the art of filmmaking itself, sunrise and sunset are imbued with special significance. I work with filmmakers in transition, and these magic hours perfectly encapsulate my work. They occur when the sun is between 6 and 12 degrees above the horizon. ‘8’ falls right in between, holding a particular resonance to success and infinity – in other words, boundless possibility – which is the very thing I help filmmakers achieve with their films.
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