How to Find, Approach & Close Investors For Your Film
Summary
One of the biggest challenges you’ll face as a creative is finding financiers and raising funds for your film. You may have a great script, a great cast and crew, but at the end of the day no money means no project. It seems like everywhere you turn these days there are thousands of films getting made, so where are all these filmmakers finding their financing? And what makes these projects so special and attractive that financiers are ready, willing and able to write a big check? The answers are simpler than you think.
The key that separates a successful producer, filmmaker, director or actor or screenwriter looking to control their own content from those still struggling is the ability to raise and close the money necessary to make the project a reality. For many, the belief is that a great script is all you need to attract investors. Although story is still king, it's not the only factor that goes into a financier separating your project from all others that are presented to him or her. To set yourself up requires work, research, and a targeted plan of attack. It requires a full understanding of the financial prospects of your project, the marketplace, and potential distribution and recoupment strategies. And most of all, and this may surprise some people, it requires you to be personable, collaborative, and to have an ability to listen and adjust where necessary.
Tom Malloy has raised over $25M in funding for films. He co-owns the distribution/foreign sales company Glass House Distribution, and two production companies - Trick Candle Productions and Blood House Productions. Over the years Tom has produced almost two dozen feature films and has worked with Dakota and Elle Fanning, Elisabeth Moss, Amy Smart, Billy Zane, Eliza Dushku and many more. Throughout all these projects he's mastered the art of raising capital to greenlight a project. And, he's going to share with you how you can find money for your own project!
In this exclusive Stage 32 on-demand webinar, Tom focuses in on how to identify, attract and sell investors who are a fit for your project. He'll introduce the HNI (High Net Worth Individual) and how you can find and approach them. You will learn how to tailor and perfect your financing pitch so that it's personal, professional and stands out from the pack, and learn to be prepared for any responses, feedback, or kickback you might receive. As important, you'll learn the three mistakes commonly made when approaching and pitching an investor. Tom will show you how to research investors, and give you an actual list-making technique that works. Then, once you have your plan, he'll teach you how to get and win meetings. He'll teach you which markets are worth attending and how to put a plan of attack in place once you get there. Finally, Tom will teach you 5 tips on how to close your investor.
This is proven advice from someone who has a track record of over a decade being successful and finding financing.
Praise For Tom's Teaching
"Solid gold Tom! Thanks for all the handy tips to put into place. You made the process seem so much easier to find people to actually invest in my film!" -- Steven R.
"I have a tremendous amount of confidence in the projects I put in front of investors. What I've learned is I don't have the right strategy or message to make them understand why I have such confidence. This webinar changed all that for me. I realize now that I had much of it backwards and was missing many key components that made my pitch, and frankly, my follow up methods lacking. I'm grateful."
David W.
What You'll Learn
- Our Focus is Money – How Do You Get It?
- What Are Your Goals with Your Project?
- What Are HNIs (High Net Worth Individuals)?
- How Do You Attract a HNI Investor?
- Where Are the Investors?
- Finding the Money
- Why You Should Always Be Ready
- Identifying the Partners That Make Sense
- The Issue with Crowdfunding
- What You’re Going to Learn Through the Process
- Approaches to Getting an Investor
- Your Pitch Can Make or Break EVERYTHING. Here’s Tips.
- How Long Should the Perfect Pitch Be?
- Three Mistakes Commonly Made when You Approach an Investor
- How to Use Six Degrees of Separation to Your Advantage
- Email Example
- Finders Fee Example
- How to Research Investors
- Who is the Ideal Investor?
- A List Making Technique that WORKS
- How Do You Get to a Meeting?
- Putting an Action Plan into Place with Your Ideal List
- How to Approach Investors
- How to Use the List You’ve Created
- How to Set Meetings and Present Yourself
- Networking Tips
- A Descriptions of the Cliques in the Industry and How to Navigate
- The Art of Not Giving Up
- Why Working the Markets Need to Be a Priority
- AFM – The American Film Market
- Cannes – Marche du Film
- How to Work Them
- How You Can Network at These Markets
- Six Essential Tips You Must Follow at the Markets (Including a Note on Drinking)
- Examples of Tom’s Successes That Have Come From Markets
- How to Lead to The Close
- Walking a HNI Down a Path
- Five Tips that Work When Closing an Investor
- Q&A with Tom
Who Should Attend
All levels of screenwriters (advanced, intermediate and beginner) looking to learn how to identify, attract and sell investors who are a fit for your project.
All levels of directors (advanced, intermediate and beginner) looking to learn how to identify, attract and sell investors who are a fit for your project.
Producers (advanced, intermediate and beginner) who want to learn how to identify, attract and sell investors who are a fit for your project.
Actors who want to learn how to identify, attract and sell investors who are a fit for your project.
Executive
A critically acclaimed actor, Tom wowed Hollywood with his stunning turn in the indie-cult favorite Gravesend in 1998, which was produced by Oliver Stone. Tom became a trend setter as one of the first successful triple-hyphenate Actor/Writer/Producers and made it his business to learn as much about the filmmaking industry as possible. Over the years, Tom has raised more than $25 million in private equity from independent financiers and has written, produced and starred or co-starred in nearly all the films that his company Trick Candle Productions has made (save the two documentaries).
Some of these films include Hero of the Underworld, directed by John Vincent, and stars Malloy, Quinton Aaron, and Nicole Fox, the film Ashley, directed by Dean Ronalds, which was in theaters in 2013, Love N' Dancing, which was directed by Rob Iscove (She's All That), and stars Amy Smart, Tom Malloy, Billy Zane, Rachel Dratch, and Betty White; the psychological thriller The Alphabet Killer, directed by Rob Schmidt (Wrong Turn, Crime & Punishment in Suburbia) and stars Eliza Dushku, Cary Elwes, Tom Malloy, Timothy Hutton, Michael Ironside, and Oscar Winner Melissa Leo; and a thriller directed by Mary Lambert called The Attic, starring John Savage, Malloy, and Elisabeth Moss.
As an actor, Tom has also appeared in principle roles on Law & Order SVU, Third Watch, Kidnapped, The Seige (with Denzel Washington) and Anger Management.
In addition to his work as a filmmaker, Tom is an accomplished author whose book Bankroll: A New Approach to Financing Feature Films is considered the "gold standard" of indie film financing instruction. A second edition came out in 2012.
Tom has also competed and taught classes in the smooth, hip-hop dance style known as West Coast Swing. He was trained by seven time U.S. Open Champion Robert Royston in Swing and has trained in Salsa with World Champions Gary and Diana McDonald.
For 10 years, Tom was a nationally known motivational speaker for adults and kids and traveled across the country spreading his positive message to students of all ages. Over the years, he has spoken to more than 100,000 students.
Finally, Tom has mentored numerous film students, and Executive Produced and Produced their short films, and continues to do so.