Spout keeps the Slamdance conversation going

As I said more than once during Spout’s sponsored day at the Slamdance Film Festival, I just dig getting a bunch of people in a room and talking about what works and what doesn’t, regardless of the topic. I don’t care if you’re discussing lawn care solutions, social media marketing or, as was the case at Slamdance, alternative marketing and distribution methods for filmmakers, the back and forth of ideas and examples gets my blood pumping.

The day started off with a get-to-know-you brunch with some of the filmmakers and others who were attending the festival. This was a great opportunity to have some good food and good conversation and get to meet some people in a one-on-one (more or less) setting.

Later on the day was the main event – a panel discussion on how to cut through the media clutter with your marketing and then find a distribution option that’s best for a particular movie and its target audience. Joining me on the panel were:

–Heidi Van Leer (Slamdance TV)
–Danae Ringlemann (IndieGoGo)
–Andrew Mer (SnagFilms)
–Chris Holland (FilmFestivalSecrets / B-Side )
–Jay Schwartz (IndieShares )
–Matt Dentler (Cinetic Rights Management )

The hour long conversation that ensued was full of the good ideas and remarkable insights you would expect from such an assembled group. The room was amazing, full of good questions that spurred a lot of debate and discussion. That room was also pretty well packed and only became more so as the hour went on.

I’d be hard-pressed to pull one key take-away from the discussion. But I do remember one comment that I made, something emphasized by Matt and others, that while it seemed like the companies assembled on the panel all were doing the same thing that was not strictly the case. We’re all taking different approaches toward the same goal (getting worthwhile movies seen by an audience) but have our own strengths and so all compliment each other more than anything else.

The experience at Slamdance was fun, educational and just generally enjoyable and I hope it was the same for those in attendance. All of us at Spout were thrilled with how it turned out and excited to support a festival that is truly by the filmmakers and for the filmmakers.

–Chris Thilk, Director of Marketing

By Chris Thilk

Chris Thilk is a freelance writer and content strategist with over 15 years of experience in online strategy and content marketing. He lives in the Chicago suburbs.