Depressed yet? Start by asking yourself the hard questions. Sadly, Netflix is no longer the blank check it once was or that I imagined it to be and the streaming giant is taking fewer and fewer risks on independent films. Thankfully, Amazon is sweeping in to fill the gap, and their most aggressive play has been their Festival Stars program.

For many independent films, this could already mean recouping a big chunk of your budget. But again, appearances proved to be deceiving. I discussed my concerns with Orly, and she helped me see that with so few broadcast and financially meaningful SVOD options for docs, having a guaranteed significant platform deal with a financial commitment and additional revenue share is actually a great thing.

Plus, one can build in lots of other distribution around the Amazon deal and end up with as robust a release as ever there could be. Orly says one should treat Amazon as a platform online store but as a distributor and that can provide for all the distribution potential. So the analysis needs to be what is that distributor doing, if anything, to create additional value that merits taking a piece of a deal you can get on your own? Is it that much more money?

Your Funding Choices Matter

Is it a commitment to do a significant impactful release? Are the terms sensible in light of the added value and your recoupment needs? Can you accomplish the same via DIY? But know what you are choosing and why. Independent filmmakers are, yet again, in uncharted territory when it comes to distribution. We like to acquire films before their festival premiere in order to work with filmmakers to shape an effective festival strategy. That way we can launch in the US and build critical attention and then work our way out to Europe, Asia and Latin America.

However, if only North American rights are available we can work with that as well. Our films have been programmed at all of the above with the exception of Sundance and Cannes.

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Most filmmakers submit to us directly or are referred to us and we sort through the submissions. We also work closely with agents, especially in Europe. We like to find the hidden gems. We also occasionally acquire worldwide rights. The release plan is decided title by title, there is no quota for windowing. Our sales division, Magnolia Pictures International, also takes on titles that Magnolia may not be distributing domestically.

Generally, beyond strength of storytelling and filmmaking, we're always looking for unique voices. Among the things we look for in an acquisition prospect is an identifiable audience that we are confident we can reach and motivate through a creative and cost-effective marketing campaign. Other factors we consider are originality, critical reaction, festival history, and our passion to share the artist's vision with an appreciative audience.

CAST : Cast and above-the-line talent are factors we consider, but because we release many foreign films, we don't limit ourselves to American names.

Instead, we pay careful attention to films programmed in major festivals as well as those represented by sales agents we trust. That's not to say that everything will have a traditional window.

It's to say that the first question we ask ourselves is: What's the best way to maximize the theatrical distribution of this film? It's still the best way to see movies and we're committed to living in a world where people leave their house every once in a while. Having said that, we are also big believers in innovation and flexibility. With only 10 films on our slate, we can tackle each one individually to customize the best strategy for that film. TERM : An important part of the model for any one-stop-shop, all rights distribution company is to create a library with long term value.

If I can describe it to a room full of non-film industry people and it generates conversation, that's a good start. CAST : From a theatrical standpoint, it's only one of many things that can be a draw. The minute you limit yourself to one of these things, you're being myopic.

But for ancillary reasons, it's important for determining value. If we love something, we will build the social media numbers. And we scour festival lineups all over the world for hidden gems and directors who we might want to work with. It's a triumvirate of one-of-a-kind experiences: two time capsules from the 20th century and one bridge into the 21st. I'm also really proud of our Best Makeup-shortlisted sexy troll film Border , which everyone in Hollywood seems to want a link for.

As for territories, we're always taking at least U. We work with established auteurs as often as up-and-coming filmmakers, and we're always looking to expand our brand and push ourselves to release content that energizes and impassions audiences.

Healthy, organic social engagement from a cast can be a major marketing boon and a reliable means to communicate with and excite audiences about an upcoming release, but there are myriad other factors that determine whether or not we acquire a film. Genre festivals like Fantastic Fest and Fantasia always consistently exhibit exciting content that we're eager to get our eyes on, and markets like AFM and IFP are great opportunities for us to get in early with projects still in their development stages. For fiction films, it's always easier to take on films with great star power, major festival buzz, and high exposure, but at the end of the day, as simple as it sounds, we are just looking for well told stories that will educate and entertain.

Stories that audiences will go out of their way to see and discuss with their friends at the water cooler the next morning. It's hard to fake good social media engagement these days. We have released well over films and know all the tricks. If your social media is just filled with mindless promotion of the umpteenth festival you were in and all your great achievements, it's more or less a yawn to look any further.

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We hope to average around 10 titles per year for the first few years, then scale up, as needed. We are currently making inroads to theatrical partners for future releases.

TERM : 7 years, but negotiable. We are interested in longterm partnerships, and the success of our filmmakers is as important to us as our success. CAST: Always helps, but just one piece of the puzzle. Quality, execution, a terrific edit and many other factors can compensate for lack of cast.

The bar is higher than ever, but no single element guarantees success, including cast. Besides the question of reliability of the numbers and the difficulty on some platforms of actually reaching those numbers of fans who supposedly have engaged, the big question is whether that group constitutes an "audience" as we define it, ie.

So for now, for us, social media numbers are an interesting X factor that does not impact our decision making but might guide some decisions during release, depending on the specific content, the specific platforms and specific numbers.

We believe festivals are terrific places to both acquire films and to meet filmmakers. We are open to unsolicited submissions. However, we are a theatrical releasing company and finding success at the box office is always our first priority. We are seeking artistic and commercially minded acquisitions with a strong point of view. We must feel like we can identify the audience for a film and have confidence that we know how to reach that audience.

Positive reviews are also important for us, or films we anticipate will be critically embraced. For example, has stellar reviews or is groundbreaking in some other meaningful way, we may be willing to engage. But we also like to work with burgeoning talent and on films that we feel have a strong voice. We will take blind submissions. A Girl. A Dream. A stronger focus an effort was put on the streaming side in We can geo-block our releases where necessary but otherwise our titles are available worldwide on SVOD.

TERM : Our agreement is for 2 years with an automatic renewal for an additional year. We also provide an option for the filmmaker to terminate the agreement after 6 months. Have we seen this before? Are you engaged from beginning to end? The 3 Why's - Why this story? Why now? Why is this person the right one to tell it? CAST : As we are a young platform looking to gain subscribers, titles that have recognizable talent do help us with that. However, it's not a requirement in our acquisitions process by any means.

New releases do better on our platform when the filmmaker has a large social media following, aka pre-built audience. You can either submit via our website at seedandspark. For new titles we take all rights for North America. For library titles, we license from independent rights holders and studios.

Broad rights always preferred.