In about a month I'll be at a stage in my feature film development where my producer, my co-director and I will finally be ready to secure financing. While I have many years of experience in video production, feature film funding is completely foreign to me. As a first-time filmmaker, where do you start? Who do you contact? How do you secure meetings?
Financing / Crowdfunding : Where do you find investors? And how do you get those meetings? by Frank Romano
Where do you find investors? And how do you get those meetings?
Other topics in Financing / Crowdfunding:
Check out Trending Discussions
Register / Log In
1 person likes this
Put yourself in an investor's shoes. Why should he trust you with his money? What's your track record? Have you proved yourself by raising money for small films or other projects that returned a profit? Do you have some of your own money at stake in your project? If you don't believe in it why should someone else?
Erik A. Jacobson I certainly have answers to all the questions. The question I have is: how do you find investors? Are there resources connecting investors with projects?
2 people like this
Here are some resources. (Stage 32 Blog, Education, Lounge, Script Services , documentary.org, filmdaily.tv, hollywomen.com, grantspace.org , candid.org, pitchinvestorslive.com and pbs.org)
Tasha Lewis thank you!
3 people like this
Frank ~ You find investors where every other startup does....your doctor, attorney, dentist, insurance agent, broker, realtor, etc., plus friends, relatives, neighbors, and your own credit cards.There is no magic list. A know a guy who went to a yacht club, introduced himself as a boat newbie who wanted to learn, and offered to clean their yachts for free. He made lots of contacts and ended up getting some great movie financing out of those guys. How about you? When was the last time you got your hands dirty?
1 person likes this
Erik A. Jacobson Yeah, certainly that's a route (one I'm familiar with, since I started my own business back in 2011). I guess I'm speaking more about angel investors who specifically invest in entertainment projects. I imagine a first time filmmaker is going to have much better luck with friends, relatives and individuals who don't typically invest in films. And I know there's not going to be some magic list (just as there isn't for business startups). But coming from the corporate startup world, I know the avenues to connect with those kind of angel investors (meetups, co-working spaces, incubators, etc.). Curious if there are equivalent avenues for film production investors.
Your welcome Frank Romano!
1 person likes this
There are lists of companies in UK who invest and I have some US ones but not individuals. The companies usually want a certain budget, genre often. Individuals are as everyone says just pot luck and when you find them each film maker is going to keep them to themselves. Remember it’s you and your passion for the project they will invest in not so much the details of the script.
1 person likes this
Jane Sanger ah, that makes sense now that you mention it. Filmmakers are likely going to keep their investors to themselves. I've heard the same about investing in you more than the project, so I'm counting on that. Thanks for the insight!
1 person likes this
The pandemic has canceled film festivals this year. Maybe Sundance will host their festival in Jan 2021.
Anyways, if you’re serious about chasing money from strangers, first thing is spend your own money and setup an LLC for the movie and have an entertainment lawyer on payroll with legit contracts ready to sign.
2 people like this
Frank Romano In 20+ years in the industry, I have found no angel investor group who I would consider legitimate. Meaning, that there are some "groups" and "companies" and "consultants" who will imply and outright say they have access to to major investors or studios. But they then turn around and try to charge you several thousands of dollars to "prepare" your pitch, with of course no absolute guarantee of any funding, but with themselves insinuated into your deal in the case you do get something. Some of them fly through Stage32 periodically to try and entice people here to spend their money. So, the best advice I can say is network at industry events, network among your own family and business associates, and research and target-to-pitch legitimate production companies who might be able to become a producer if they like your project.
1 person likes this
Dan MaxXx I am going to partly disagree with you on that, as an entertainment attorney. Having an entertainment attorney available to you is good advice. However, incorporating in advance is something that is often advised, but in my opinion should not normally be done. I don't set up any corporate structure until I have spoken with a serious investor who is ready with a check. It's an unnecessary expense, and a legal/tax headache. A legit investor will have their own circumstances and preference as to equity and debt structure, and incorporating requires you to make those choices in advance of meeting that investor. These choices naturally include legal jurisdiction and corporate structure - both of which have significant impact on the kind of deal that can be made and the tax consequences. If there is an ongoing business and I am offering an investor only one option, then incorporating in advance is fine. But most indie producers are not in that situation, and an LLC (or any other particular structure) isn't necessarily the best choice for a given deal. In fact, it can even cost more - sometimes a lot more - because your investor wants a different capital or corporate structure, new share series, etc...
I hope you are successful in funding your project. In the (not so) near future we will be looking for a candidate to demonstrate the potential of a blockchain based production that will include a token funding component based on cryptocurrency. Not quite there yet but we see opportunities to attract a different type of investor from outside the industry. All the same rules would apply and all the same benefits would be available to investors. I have responded to a number of questions and concerns in this lounge and will be posting more info here as we develop this. Good luck Frank Romano
2 people like this
Shadow Dragu-Mihai, Esq., Ipg all of that is extremely useful advice. Thank you very much!