Building Your Audience Before Your Release - Case Study for "1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture"

Register for our upcoming case study and other news: an Emmy nomination, the latest from HotDocs, ADA: My Mother the Architect opens on May 8th.

May Case Study: Building Your Audience Before the Release: The Journey of 1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture

Hot on the heels of the New Platforms Webinar, please join filmmaker Sharon “Rocky” Roggio and I for an in-depth case study on how to build your audience before your release. This will be a great way to see how a filmmaker used one of the platforms we discussed in April to significant success.

In this session, Roggio will unpack the behind-the-scenes strategy that brought her award-winning documentary 1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture to life—and to audiences around the world.

I’ve often spoken of how filmmakers need to not only treat connecting their films with audiences as part of the filmmaking process, but you need to consider it with similar stages pre-production, production and post.

You’ll learn how Roggio built a passionate, engaged audience early on through grassroots outreach, in-person conferences, and digital platforms like Instagram and TikTok. This approach not only helped secure funding, but created a distribution-ready community even before the film's festival debut.

Whether you’re a first-time filmmaker or a seasoned producer looking for new approaches to audience development and direct/independent distribution, this session offers a transparent look at what’s possible when you lead with impact, purpose, and community.

Date: Thursday, 29th May 2025 @2pm ET/11am PT

Cost: Free

The Body Politic is nominated for an Emmy!

We’re thrilled to share that THE BODY POLITIC, which we had the pleasure of consulting on and releasing theatrically, has been nominated for a 2025 National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Emmy Award for Outstanding Politics and Government Documentary.

This powerful film, which had its national broadcast premiere on POV on PBS this past November, follows Brandon Scott, the idealistic new young mayor of Baltimore, as he risks his political future to enact a bold plan to save his city from chronic gun violence. This film shows the power of what democracy can achieve when it functions at its best. The film is that much more powerful today - as democracy is under such threat in our country - I highly recommend watching. It is available on Kinema (another platform from the New Platforms webinar) for screenings or home viewing. Note they are using the Pay What You Wish model - at the link below.

Congratulations to director/producer Gabriel Paz Goodenough, producer Dawn Langford and producer/DP John Benam and the entire team!

HotDocs 2025

Last week at Hot Docs, I had the privilege of moderating a panel with Sue Biely (Story Money Impact), Ally LaMere-Shedden (Route 504 PR), and Christie Boschmann (@ThatDocumentaryGirl), where we explored essential strategies for getting independent documentaries seen and supported.

We systematically went through using impact/outreach, earned media/publicity and influencer engagement to help connect films with audiences. Part of the discussion concerned filmmakers’ relationship to the creator economy which I’ll be writing about in an upcoming post. I also was able to do a “Hot Take” presentation on the Future Film Coalition - and was excited to hear from a Canadian distributor and a German producer who were eager to set up similar organizations in their home countries. Film workers of the world unite!

ADA: My Mother the Architect Opens in NY on May 8th

My good friend and super talented filmmaker, Yael Melamede - has her new film, ADA: My Mother the Architect, opening NY this week before going nationwide.

Some of Israel’s most iconic buildings—Ramat Hanadiv, Ben Gurion University, and the Israel Supreme Court—share a common thread: the architect Ada Karmi Melamede. In an industry long dominated by men, Ada Karmi Melamede built a formidable architectural practice, but at what personal cost?

In the film, Yael explores the profound tension between career and motherhood and a unique mother-daughter bond.

As you know, I’m a big fan of creating events around your screenings - and Yael and her team have an event for nearly every screening.

Premiering in NYC at Angelika Film Center May 8th with filmmaker Q&As and special Mother's Day screenings. Check out the trailer and get tickets.

I hope to see you there!