Hello Everyone!
My goal for July is to hit a few pre-production milestones regarding a few screenplays I have written.
You see, after a successful film festival run for a short that I wrote and co-produced (and helped finance out of my pocket), and after placing in several screenplay competitions over six years, I have finally found financiers that are interested in funding my projects, but of course, they will only do so once I have completed these goals.
One of the Executive Producers that I'm working with has advised me to perform the following steps to secure funding:
- Complete a well-rounded pitch deck that not only showcases the story, but also talks about ROI expectations including the marketability of the film/TV series.
- Form separate LLC's under the name of the specific project. For example, if the name of your film is, "Rex: The Wonder Dog", don't put all your eggs in one basket by producing it under your own personal or business LLC. Because it something goes wrong, the plaintiff can only go after your project's LLC not you or your personal business.
- Attach crew & talent.
I hope this advice can help others in this forum as well :)
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I think what you bring to our community, Ms. Letkowiski, is extremely important. Very helpful of you, I'll make a note of that. And your experience will be a great asset here on the platform. Thank you!!!
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Hi, Jackie Letkowski! Congratulations on the successful film festival run, placing in the screenplay competitions, and finding financiers interested in funding your projects! Thanks for the advice. I'm cheering you on to reach the pre-production milestones!
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Amazing success!
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Jon Shallit Maurice Vaughan 5 and @John January Noble Thanks so much!!! It's great meeting you all on this platform, and thanks for your contributions as well!
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Oh thank you very much for this information- that is very valuable!
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You're welcome, Jackie Letkowski.
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Jackie Letkowski your welcome !
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You're welcome Anastasia Milko !
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These sound like awesome goals - you've definitely got this in the bag!
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Thanks Dawn Prato !! I really appreciate it :)
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Solid advice. Well done on attracting producers, I wish I had your magic haha
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Thanks so much Lyndon Booth ! Attending film festivals is a great way to meet producers!
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You got this! Keep on
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Parisa Shelton Thanks so much! Same to you!
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This is such a solid and inspiring post, Jackie Letkowski, thank you for sharing your journey and the advice you’ve received! It’s a huge milestone to have financiers interested, and you’re absolutely right: those pre-production steps are often what separate a great script from a fundable project.
The pitch deck guidance and LLC strategy are especially helpful reminders for anyone looking to protect themselves while moving forward professionally. If you’re looking to build out your materials even further, you might want to check out Stage 32’s Education on pitch decks and packaging (https://www.stage32.com/education), or even schedule a Script or Pitch Deck Consultation with one of our executives to get direct feedback from decision-makers by emailing Success@Stage32.com.
Also, since you’re actively moving your projects forward, I’d love to invite you to join this week’s July Filmmakers Club challenge! We’re focusing on cross-cultural filmmaking and giving away a free Stage 32 Webinar to one participant. You can find the blog and this week’s creative prompts here: https://www.stage32.com/blog/july-filmmakers-club-week-2-strategies-for-...
Keep us posted on your progress—you’re doing incredible work!
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Ashley Renee Smith Thanks so much for your feedback! I will definitely work to complete the second week challenge! I actually met a few great filmmakers from other countries at both the Beverly Hills Film Festival and the Garden State Film Festival. I recently interviewed an award-winning filmmaker from Norway for my podcast "Film Nerd Pictures Presents..." If it helps, I could post the episode if it will help give others insight :)