I love my competitors. It's validation that you’re doing something right.
In this industry, there is a sense of “us v. them”: Hollywood v. Independents. What’s so interesting is that Hollywood films have well-known actors, a huge budget, and tons of help getting off the ground. They only produce about 600 films per year, all of which fill the screens – they don’t necessarily fill the seats, but they certainly monopolize the theaters. These movies have the most buzz, the most budget to promote and they also have the highest expectations of return.
In the independent film industry, there are closer to 60,000 films made every year with very little money to make or market them. The expectations for return are different, which is exactly where IndieFlix comes in. We don’t focus on how much it cost to make your film, or the fact that you can throw dollars at marketing. We care about the story you’re telling and how you connect with your audience. A million-dollar, well-marketed movie does not bring a return if there's no story; we've all been witness to that. Many times Hollywood will spend more money to promote a film than to make it. Independents don’t have that luxury, and that’s why IndieFlix exists. We are a community of filmmakers, film lovers and everything in between. We believe filmmakers should make money and film lovers should be able to find and engage in interesting stories from around the world.
Competition in any industry is the clearest sign that there’s a demand. I love our competition and I have great respect for them. They keep me on my toes. They keep me sharp. We’re all after a similar end goal: supporting independent film and distributing to the masses but at IndieFlix we really care about the filmmakers. It's in our mission statement. And maybe because I am a filmmaker. I believe in our model. I know it’s a game changer. it's going to transform the industry by offering a strong viable alternative. We’re done living on exposure.