FFFFlog! (Fear-Free Film Fundraising Blog)

Funder Feature: Gucci Tribeca Doc Fund

2010-06-21T14:29:00.001-07:00

If you are starting to plan (or worry) about where you will apply for grants for your documentary this year, then take a look at the Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund.

Their website says that:

The Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund provides finishing funds to feature-length documentaries which highlight and humanize issues of social importance from around the world. Funded films are driven by thoughtful and indepth storytelling, bolstered by a compelling visual approach.

As mainstream media moves away from in-depth coverage of world affairs, domestic issues and social conflicts, the documentary has become an important and much needed tool to draw attention to the serious issues facing our world today. At the same time, the craft of the documentary is expanding in exciting directions, merging diverse points-of-view with new technologies and responding to the immediacy of the internet.

They are looking for films that cover issues ignored by the mainstream media and which humanize people who are ignored or ostracized. Show them something unique and compelling

This fund gives away about $100,000 per year in grants that range in size from $10,000 to $25,000. That's probably not going to be enough to put your film to bed, but it would be a nice chunk of change to move it in that direction. Projects in development or production are not eligible -- surprise! To be eligible, projects must be at least 70 minutes long.

This is a ferociously competitive fund, so make sure to look at the site and check out the types of films that have won grants in the past.

You can submit an application for the next round of grants starting in October 2010 and continuing through January 2012. You'll submit online forms and also deliver materials to the Gucci Tribeca office. One of the required elements is a trailer at least 7 minutes long.

So start planning now if you want to apply -- you don't want to wait until December to start thinking about making that close of deadline in January.

In fundraising solidarity,
Holly Million

Overcoming the Fear of Fundraising

2010-03-18T09:21:00.000-07:00

I recently delivered a fundraising training workshop for the board of directors of a start-up nonprofit organization called San Francisco Village. I've done plenty of fundraising trainings in the past, so I'm a veteran of how to present this information to those who are not familiar with fundraising.

What I find each time I deliver the workshop is that there is an unmistakable pattern. Each time, everybody in the room starts off grim, tense. Their lips are pressed tightly together and their shoulders hover somewhere near their ears. I'm talking about fundraising, people! Wouldn't you be tense, too?

But what I find each time is that, although everyone starts off tense and fearful because they are about to enter a world that they do not understand and which makes them scared, by the time the workshop is over, they are energized, excited, and raring to go.

So what happens? Well, that's the unmistakable pattern I was talking about. They start off tense. I introduce them to the basic concepts of individual donor fundraising. They stay tense. I start talking about why they are involved in this organization. They seem to open up a crack. And then we go through an exercise where we collect "message points" for why this organization is worth supporting, and then we break into groups and role play actual fundraising. And by the time we are done with this, they are levitating out of their seats and on fire. It happens every time.

So why is this so? Because there are some key things you can do to overcome your fear of fundraising. This is true whether you are volunteering for a nonprofit or raising money for a film.

First, connect with your passion — why are you involved? Is this story personal? Have you been touched by this issue? Do you know someone who has? Why do you want to do something about it? You are as much a part of the story as the story itself.

Second, collect your message points — create a list of reasons why this cause is worth supporting. How will this work change the world and make it a better place? What makes this organization or this film unique, effective, exciting?

Third, practice talking about your passion — talk with your friends and colleagues. Role play. Test the messaging and the pitch before you go out and try it on somebody outside your circle.

Fourth, take a risk and see what happens — what could really go wrong if you ask somebody for support? They might say no? Tragedy! If they say no, you need to find out why, and then work with them to get to a yes. If you think it's too early to ask, just ask. You might be surprised by a yes.

Fifth, don't think it ends with the ask — all fundraising begins with a relationship, and it continues with a relationship. You don't show up and ask a stranger for money and then disappear into the sunset. You stick with that person, through rain or shine, thick or thin, like bosom buddies. If they give you money, your relationship responsibilities have just begun.

If you follow this advice, your fears will shrink, and your success will increase.

Try it at home!

In fundraising solidarity,
Holly Million

(Photo by Petr Kratochvil)

Hella Hot Tips Open Donor Gateway

2010-02-19T16:24:00.000-08:00

I’ve been raising money for twenty years. During my career, I have asked people for all kinds of money for all kinds of reasons. However, whether I’m asking for $1,000 or $100,000, I have found that there are some key concepts that rule. These are my Hella Hot Tips for how to ask people for money. The good news is that this isn’t brain surgery. It’s common sense. If you take these key concepts and use them as your guide for individual donor fundraising, you, too, you'll find that the gateway to individual gifts will open to you.

Hella Hot Tip #1 — Put yourself in your donor’s shoes

You walk into a donor’s home or office because you have something to say to them. What you really need to do is listen to what they are saying. Understand what they are looking for. Understand what is getting in the way of their saying yes. Work with them to remove the obstacles so they can say yes. What do they get out of this?

Hella Hot Tip #2 — ALL fundraising is about relationships

You need to build a relationship with the donor or prospect. It doesn’t begin with your asking for money. It needs to start before that point. And it doesn’t end with their gift. You have plenty of work to do afterwards because you will want to ask them again later. There’s no use in calling up somebody you neglected for five years to ask them for money for your new film. When it comes to your donor prospects, be the constant gardener.

Hella Hot Tip #3 — There is no magical Rolodex

Everywhere I go, people are searching for the magic list – somebody else’s list that they can get a hold of that will give them the names of the people to ask for money. It doesn’t exist. You have to create your own list. It starts with who you know, then goes to who they know. Sit down and start writing out names. Have everybody in your organization do the same. Eureka! You now have a prospect list.

Hella Hot Tip #4 — Focus on six degrees of bringing home the bacon

Kevin Bacon is reputed to have been in so many films that every other actor is connected to him and through him to everybody else. This is called Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. It’s based on Six Degrees of Separation. In the 1960s, a social scientist determined that we are ALL connected by no more than six degrees of separation. Anybody you could want to know is already part of your network. You just need to connect the dots.

Hella Hot Tip #5 — Your fundraising is only as good as your ideas

Spend time honing your message. What is your mission? What is your vision? What are your immediate objectives? What major ideas inform your actions? Who are you and why are you here, doing this thing? Now spend time getting good at talking about what you do. Practice. Create stories that show your impact. Who have you helped? What is their story? Put a face on this thing. Inspire me.

Hella Hot Tip #6 — Go out and ask, already!

It seems ridiculous that I have to say this. But you have to ask in order to raise money. Lots of people get stuck in the courtship and can’t seem to get to the consummation. When in doubt about timing, amount, etc. – just ask. The worst thing that can happen is that they will say no. The best thing that could happen is that they will say yes.

Hella Hot Tip #7 — There is no such thing as no

A board member of a nonprofit I used to work for once said of me, “For Holly, all roads lead to yes.” That’s true. I don’t believe in no. If I ask someone for money and they tell me no, I understand that this “no” is not the ending place. I need to find out why they said no. Is it the amount? My timing? Do they have unanswered questions? Do they want to do this a special way, maybe different from the way I’m asking them to do it? My job is to work with them to find a way to get past the no. I have to be patient and realize that it takes two, three, maybe more attempts to get the yes I want. Be persistent. Persistence pays off.

In fundraising solidarity,
Holly Million

(Photo by Peter Kratochvil)

A Helluva Camp Featured Presenter — Michael Williams

2010-01-20T15:50:00.000-08:00

Just three more days until A Helluva Camp for Indie Filmmakers! The camp is taking place at the Ninth Street Independent Film Center, 145 Ninth Street in San Francisco on Saturday, January 23, 2010.

For more information, to register, or to see the full line-up of presenters, visit www.goldenpoppy.com.

One of our featured presenters is Michael V. Williams.

Michael Williams is a producer/editor in the San Francisco Bay Area with over twenty years of experience in the television industry. Michael is that rare breed of professional that brings expertise to both producing and editing television and video projects. His company, VernonVision, is a fully equipped facility offering the latest non-linear editing technology including Final Cut Studio, Motion Graphics, Variable video compression up to 10-bit uncompressed, Serial digital & component input/output, Output to Video, DVD, CD-ROM, or Web. Mike is the founder of GuruTube.net. GuruTube provides objective information on a variety of subjects delivered by industry experts. Through the medium of video, the viewer is better able to understand and retain the content as well as the context. The goal of GuruTube is for Web video to become a primary means of information and education. GuruTube’s video presentations do not sell a particular brand or product. The focus of each video is simply the best, most recent and most useful information available.

Mike's presentation at A Helluva Camp for Indie Filmmakers is entitled "Get Your Film on the Internet Today."

A Helluva Camp for Indie Filmmakers is one full day, includes breakfast, lunch, and Peet's coffee and tea, and a whole line-up of presenters on subjects such as fundraising, distribution, marketing, and the latest technical info for indie filmmakers.

Discount registration of $145 before January 22, 2010.

Find out more at www.goldenpoppy.com
Or, email holly@goldenpoppy.com

In fundraising solidarity,
Holly Million

Five Essential Tips for Bang-Up Events

2009-12-30T20:55:00.000-08:00

Seems like lately, all the filmmakers I know are ready to party! They’re all throwing fundraising events to raise cash for their films.

While I applaud their resourcefulness and dedication to a fundraising tactic relying upon individual, not foundation, money, I confess that I tremble at the thought of what they are getting themselves into. So many babes in the party-planning woods!

They are about to find out how much time, energy, resources, and focus it takes to host a successful fundraising event. How can they ensure the biggest bang for their buck and avoid getting burned?

Well, I’ve compiled five essential tips based on my 20-plus years of event organizing that I hope will help all these stalwart filmmakers host bang-up fundraising events.

Tip One: Give yourself twice as much lead time as you think you need.
Events are more complicated than they look. You have to shepherd your event from start to finish, deal with the location, invitations, supplies, parking, you-name-it, then marshal the resources and get them to gel. For example, I know some folks who gave themselves three months to organize a fundraising event. They were starting with no budget, no mailing list, and no help beyond the four of them. When I said they were going to need closer to six months to a year to pull off the event they envisioned, they scoffed. They didn’t believe it would be that hard. Well, three months whirled by, and in the end, they cancelled their event because they couldn’t pull it together in time. So learn from their bone-headedness. Take the amount of time you were planning to devote to organizing your fundraising event…and double it.

Tip Two: Know from square one how you’ll make money.
“I organized my sister’s bridal shower, so how hard can a fundraising event be?” How much money did your sister’s bridal shower raise? That’s what I thought. A fundraising event is not a social event. This is not a cultivation event. It is a fundraising event, and people need to know that right up front. Say so on the invitation. Say how attendees are expected to contribute financially. Do they buy a ticket? Are they going to be asked directly for a gift once they get to the event? Will it be both? Tell them. That way, they’ll bring their checkbooks and credit cards with them. You also need to know what they’re going to be asked for, who is going to ask them, when they are going to ask, and how they are going to ask. When it’s time to ask for the money at the event, keep it short, direct, and politely insistent.

Tip Three: Write a budget out on paper.
That’s right. On paper. I can’t tell you how often I’ve seen people “wing” the financial side of their event. They don’t know how much they plan to spend, so how can they possibly know how much money they will make? You have to anticipate everything that will cost you money — did you include napkins? Unless they’re going to be donated, you will be paying for them. You also have to track how much you are spending. And then there’s the income side. How many tickets do you need to sell to make $X. Are you projecting to raise more money than you spend. Good! There’s your profit.

Tip Four: Expect something to go wrong.
I’ve been organizing events for a long time. In all my years doing this, there has never been one event I’ve organized that did not have something go wrong. We had an outdoor event, and it rained. We had a fundraising luncheon for 500 people, and the florist forgot to deliver the flowers (Never did hire that bum again). When you expect something to go wrong, you won’t freeze when it does. You’ll know your job is to stay calm and loose and solve the problem. That event where the florist forgot the flowers? We sent two volunteers out to buy 50 potted hydrangeas (one for each table) at a fraction of what the other flowers were going to cost. The problem was solved and the room decorated in under 90 minutes.

Tip Five: Avoid this reaction: “Oh, no! Not another event!”
These days, everybody is getting hit up day and night for cash. How many appeal letters did you receive from worthy causes and organizations this holiday season? I got three times the normal amount. And how many events have you been invited to? The past two weeks, I’ve gone to an event every night. Seems like half are “benefit” events. Considering what your event is up against, you better make it stand out. What is going to make somebody skip that other event and come to yours, even though you’ve already made it clear this will cost them? Come up with a special enticement or feature. Is it at a house, club, or locale that is exclusive and normally inaccessible? Does it feature high-quality entertainment or a celebrity or some really fun activity? Is the food sumptuous? The libations luscious? What is the draw?

Trust me. If you can get them to show up, you can certainly get them to write you a check.

In fundraising solidarity,
Holly Million

(Fireworks photo by Petr Kratochvil)

News Blast for A Helluva Camp!

2009-11-30T12:35:00.000-08:00

NEWS RELEASE Contact: Maureen Futtner
For Release: December 1, 2009 (415) 637-3280

MINI-CONFERENCES BOLSTER CREATIVE AND SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS
“A Helluva Camp” provides training for nonprofit rebels and indie filmmakers

San Francisco, CA - As the economy faces a ‘jobless recovery,’ creative entrepreneurs are emerging in all sectors and industries. While gumption counts for a lot, entrepreneurs still require hard skills and information to successfully launch an enterprise. Fundraising expert and author Holly Million helps big thinkers translate their vision into practical plans with A Helluva Camp, day-long mini-conferences presented by Million’s Golden Poppy Productions. The series of workshops is designed to provide filmmakers, nonprofit idealists and other social-change agents with a solid knowledgebase and up-to-the minute information. A Helluva Camp for Indie Filmmakers takes place on Jan. 23, 2010; A Helluva Camp for Nonprofit Rebels is on Jan. 30, 2010; and A Helluva Camp on Film Production from Idea to Internet is offered on April 24, 2010. All workshops are at the Ninth Street Independent Film Center, 145 Ninth Street, San Francisco. Registration ranges from $125 to $250 with discounts for early registration. Registration includes breakfast, lunch and Peet’s coffee and teas. For more information visit www.goldenpoppy.com or call 415-902-0558.

Million developed A Helluva Camp to equip today’s change-agents with the tools necessary to transform the broken-down systems in today’s world. The series also aims to foster the “can-do” spirit emerging amid the economic shake-up. “The rewards go to the person willing to make her own opportunities, not wait for opportunity to pull up in a limo,” says Million. “If you’re a motivated, creative individual, you’ll seize this moment to start your own venture, launch your own creative project and make your own job.”

With topics such as “Caviar PR on a Baked-Bean Budget” and “How to Ask People For Money,” A Helluva Camp provides thorough and compelling content with a fired-up attitude. Million is committed to presenting relevant information in a fun and accessible format. The mini-conferences feature instructors who are not only working professionals, but also entrepreneurs in their own right.

Tom Lin, a veteran of the online advertising world for such corporations as Microsoft, Google and Yahoo, participated in Million’s recent workshop on Web 2.0 tools for film fundraising. “I'm very familiar with Web 2.0 and, as a filmmaker, I've attended classes that speak to these tools, but none of them successfully brought it all together until I participated in Holly's workshop,” notes Lin. “Hers was the best I've ever attended. Thanks, Holly!"

###

ABOUT A HELLUVA CAMP (TM)
A Helluva CampTM is sponsored by Golden Poppy Productions, LLC, Ninth Street Media Center, A Million Images, GuruTube.net, Women's Film Institute, New Documentary Editing

— A Helluva Camp (TM) for Indie Filmmakers— January 23, 2010
This camp is designed for new filmmakers and people switching to the film field and presents info on fundraising, marketing, the latest technology, distribution, and much more.

— A Helluva Camp (TM) for Nonprofit Rebels — January 30, 2010
This camp is designed for people who are starting new nonprofits or who want to change the ways of existing nonprofits and presents info on fundraising, PR, the latest technology, board development, and much more.

— A Helluva CampTM on Film Production from Idea to Internet — April 24, 2010
This camp is geared to somewhat more experienced filmmakers who want information on shooting, capturing, editing, and uploading footage to the Internet to take advantage of new, affordable ways to get their media into the world.

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Funder Feature: Cinereach

2009-11-11T15:34:00.000-08:00

Hey, filmmakers! How often do you hear about new film-specific funding opportunities? Not often these days.

Well here is a relatively new funding opportunity you need to check out. And it comes in three flavors: Cinereach Grants & Awards, The Reach Film Fellowship, and Cinereach Productions.

Cinereach is now accepting letters of inquiry and sample work for their winter grant cycle. The deadline is December 1, 2009, and they will request full proposals from select projects in January. Each year Cinereach grants over $500,000 to well-crafted feature films that depict underrepresented perspectives, resonate across international boundaries, and spark dialogue. Grants usually range from $5,000 – $50,000 and are awarded to films at any stage.

Cinereach was created in 2006 by young filmmakers, philanthropists, and entrepreneurs to champion vital stories, artfully told. The young nonprofit facilitates the creation of films that challenge, excite, innovate, offer new perspectives and inspire action. Cinereach has awarded well over $2.5 million in grants and achievement awards to more than 40 feature films.

Recent Cinereach funding recipients include October Country, a new documentary by Michael Palmieri and Donal Mosher, which won Best American Documentary at Silverdocs and Entre Nos a fiction film by Paola Mendoza and Gloria La Morte, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.

For more information, visit the Cinereach website. And good luck! Let me know how it goes.

In fundraising solidarity,
Holly Million

(Lightning photo by Mark Coldren)

A Helluva Camp for Indie Filmmakers Jan. 23, 2010

2009-10-30T15:24:00.000-07:00

Register Now for A Helluva Camp™ for Indie Filmmakers

This camp is for indie filmmakers who want new ideas and new ways to succeed in an increasingly competitive world.

We spend one full day covering topics that aren’t covered in most film schools, and our instructors are working filmmakers or real-life movers and shakers in their fields of expertise.

This is a fantastic opportunity to network with other filmmakers and experts in many fields. You don’t want to miss this one!

And compared to what other camps and conferences are charging these days, A Helluva Camp is a real bargain!

Date:
Saturday, January 23, 2010

Cost:
$125 by December 31, 2009
$145 between January 1, 2010 to January 22, 2010
$165 at the door

Location:
Ninth Street Media Center
145 Ninth Street (at Mission)
San Francisco, CA 94103

Breakfast and Lunch included! Featuring Peet’s Coffees and Teas!
Register Now!
Email confirmation will be sent to you.

For more information about the line-up or to sign up for this unique indie film camp, visit Golden Poppy Productions, LLC.

Sponsored by:
Golden Poppy Productions, LLC
Holly Million, Fundraising Consultant
A Million Images, LLC
Ninth Street Media and Arts Center
The Women's Film Institute
GuruTube.net

Free Fundraising Webinar!

2009-10-30T14:55:00.000-07:00

I'm presenting a free film fundraising webinar through the Women's Film Institute, the presenters of the San Francisco Women's Film Festival. Here is what they had to say about the presentation in their latest e-newsletter:

Free Webinar on How to Ask People for Money

This webinar is FREE and demonstrates how to develop relationships with individual donors and ask them to make a financial contribution to your film. Learn how to fundraise fearlessly and make a successful ask. We'll discuss how to identify donor prospects and cultivate them, what tools you need to do this kind of fundraising and how to go face to face to ask for money. Webinar will be held on Dec. 3, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. Space is limited and RSVP by emailing: sfwomensfilmfestival@gmail.com

About Holly Million:

Holly is a consultant, author, and filmmaker with nearly two decades' worth of experience in fundraising. In addition to securing funding for "A Story of Healing," which won a 1997 Academy Award, Million has raised money for documentary and dramatic films that have aired on PBS, HBO, and other broadcast outlets. She is the author of "Fear-Free Fundraising: How to Ask People for Money," available on Amazon.com. She is writing a new book, "A Helluva Guide to Indie Film Fundraising" to be published in 2010.

She is the founder of Golden Poppy Productions, LLC, the presenters of A Helluva Camp for Indie Filmmakers on 1/23/2010 and for Nonprofit Rebels on 1/30/2010 in San Francisco, CA.

Fore more information on A Helluva Camp or to register visit:

http://www.goldenpoppy.com

Show Your Donors Some Love

2009-10-29T15:08:00.000-07:00

So you’re drafting a fundraising prospect list for your indie film? Looks like it’s shaping up to be the most extensive list of individual donor prospects known to mankind. Good job!

Your list covers your personal connections (everyone from Uncle Ernie to your former Econ 101 professor), people your personal connections can introduce you to who care about the same issues your film covers, and known suspects in the community who just love film. You have really done your homework and you even know how much you plan to ask each one of these prospects for.

So what’s the problem? Well, I’ll bet you know what you want from them. But do you have any clue what they want from you?

That’s right. You know you want their money. But what do these fine people get for giving their cash to you and your film? Stumped? Here are a few tried and true ways to both entice as well as reward your individual donors, along with a few totally off-the-wall tips to demonstrate that the sky really is the limit when it comes to thanking your donors.

Tip One: Credit Where Credit Is Due
Some people would love to see their name on the big screen, even if it’s tucked somewhere far down the list past where you thank the caterer and your accountant. In exchange for people’s financial support, promise to include them in your film’s credits. Want to make things really interesting? Offer different levels of credits for different sized gifts. Somebody wants to be the executive producer? Or assistant to Mr. Waters? They’re going to have to pay.

Tip Two: Ask for Their Opinions
There’s an old saying that goes, “If you want money, ask for advice, and if you want advice, ask for money.” It’s surprising, but very few filmmakers think to ask people on their lists for ideas, information, and advice. Do you need a location? Do you need a graphic designer? Do you want feedback on your screenplay? The more you ask people for ideas, the more they will feel connected to your film. And when people feel connected to something, it increases their willingness to put some skin in the game.

Tip Three: Put Them on an Advisory Board
I secured a gift of $5,000 from an individual who was an artist who was passionate about women’s issues for a short narrative film I was making that focused on these issues. Although most short narratives don’t need the support of an advisory board, I created one anyway, seeing how it would both attach known names to my project and reward the people who cared most about my film. I invited my major donor to join this advisory board, and she was surprised — and pleased — by the invitation.

Tip Four: Put Them in the Film
Oh, my God! Did I really just write that? Am I out of my mind? Quite possibly. At least where some potential donors are concerned. I don’t recommend putting just anyone in your film. And I’m not talking about putting them in a speaking role if they can’t act their way out of a paper bag. But is there some scene in your film where you need a bunch of extras? Can they blend into the background somehow? If you have a really big potential donor or investor, this may be the ticket to get them to write that check.

Tip Five: Did I Mention the Tax Write-Off/Investment Potential?
If you’re making a non-commercial film that is fiscally sponsored, then you can offer your individual donors a tax write-off for their contributions to your film. You get their money, and they get to take a tax-deduction for making that gift. If you’re making a commercial film, then be prepared to talk about the potential return on investment. How is the investor going to make back her money? What are the risks involved? What are the potential payoffs?

Tip Six: Invite Them to Your World Premiere at Festival X
There is that special category of donors who just love the concept of making a film. They are probably themselves closeted filmmakers, but they won’t or can’t make the leap into making a film of their own. However, you’re a filmmaker. By inviting this potential donor to become part of the film scene by coming with you to a festival would start them swooning. You don’t know which festival you may get into, but for some people, it won’t matter one bit.

Tip Seven: Tell Other People How Great Your Donors Are
Whenever you host an event, thank the people who have shown their support. When you put up your website, list those who helped you get where you are today. Proclaim publicly that these folks are your heroes, and they will bask in the glow of your appreciation.

Tip Eight: Show How Your Film Has Changed the World
For donors who give to your film because of its subject matter, knowing that the film went on to great things will make them feel good. Did your documentary about food safety change national policy on food safety? Did your expose of corporate malfeasance bring the bad guys to justice? Show that impact, and those donors will see your film as the greatest thing their money has ever produced.

In fundraising solidarity,
Holly Million

(heart photo by Peter Kratochvil)

Web 2.0 Tools for Film Fundraising Class Rocked!

2009-10-22T14:59:00.000-07:00

I taught a three-hour class called "Web 2.0 Tools for Film Fundraising" last night through the San Francisco Film Society. That's a picture of me with most of the class attendees. Thanks to Vance Snyder for taking the picture!

This class focused on what Web 2.0 is all about, what specific tools are out there, and how to put them to work in support of your indie film fundraising. We covered everything from blogs to wikis to social networking to folksonomies and explored the inner workings of popular sites and tools such as Blogger, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Vertical Response.

I created a class document that I emailed to all the students after the class that contained hotlinks to all of the dozens and dozens of sites I shared during the class. What a deal!

I'll be offering the class again in coming months, so either stay tuned on this blog, or sign up using the form on the right-hand side of the blog to receive email announcements.

For two hot examples of how indie films are doing exciting, bold, and brilliant things with Web 2.0, check out the website of low-budget fright phenomenon Paranormal Activity and the site of polar opposite The Yes Men Fix Everything. You will be amazed at what Web 2.0 can do for your film.

If you are interested in learning more about connecting your film to the Internet, consider signing up for A Helluva Camp on Film Production from Idea to Internet, taking place on April 24, 2010. For more information or to register, visit Golden Poppy Productions, LLC.

Put the Web to work for you!

In fundraising solidarity,
Holly Million

A Helluva Camp Featured Presenter — Richard Levien

2009-10-07T15:05:00.000-07:00

Editor and filmmaker Richard Levien is presenting at two different camps I am organizing in 2010. Richard will present on "A Low-Budget, Kick-Ass Trailer" at A Helluva Camp for Indie Filmmakers which is taking place in San Francisco on Saturday, January 23, 2009. He will also be part of the four-person team of experts presenting at A Helluva Camp on Film Production from Idea to Internet on Saturday, January 30, 2009.

For more information about both camps or to register, visit Golden Poppy Productions.

Richard has a PhD in theoretical physics from Princeton University, but has found his real passion in film. As a freelance film editor, he co-edited the feature documentary D Tour, which won the Golden Gate award for Best Bay Area documentary at the 2009 San Francisco International Film Festival, and will appear on the PBS series Independent Lens in Fall 2009. He edited and did motion graphics for the short film "On the Assassination of the President" which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2008. He also edited the cult Internet hit Store Wars, which was seen by 5.5 million people in the first 6 weeks of its release.

Levien's first film as a director is Immersion (2009), a short film about a ten-year-old immigrant from Mexico who speaks no English, and struggles to fit in at his new school in the U.S. "Immersion" debuted at the Slamdance Film Festival in January 2009. It has also played or will play at the San Francisco International, Seattle International, Sarasota, Palm Springs Shortfest, Mill Valley, Chicago International Children's, Media that Matters, New Zealand International and Brussels International Independent Film Festivals. It won the "No Violence" award at the Ann Arbor Film Festival, and the Golden Gate award for Best Bay Area short film at the San Francisco International Film Festival.

At the same festival, Levien won the $35,000 San Francisco Film Society/Kenneth Rainin Foundation Filmmaking Grant, the first in a cycle of grants that will infuse $3 million dollars into narrative feature filmmaking in the Bay Area in the next five years. Levien won for screenwriting and script development of La Migra, the story of an 11-year-old girl whose mother has been taken away by U.S. immigration police. He is working with author Malin Alegria on this project.

Levien was born in Auckland, New Zealand in 1968. He enjoys a good cup of tea and follows the (mostly ill) fate of the New Zealand cricket team. He is one of the few New Zealanders who played no part whatsoever in the making of the Lord of the Rings film trilogy.

For more information about A Helluva Camp or to register, visit www.goldenpoppy.com.

A Helluva Camp Featured Presenter — Rod Minott

2009-09-22T13:00:00.000-07:00

I'm organizing A Helluva Camp for Indie Filmmakers on January 23, 2010 in San Francisco. For more information on this and other camps in the series, visit Golden Poppy Productions.

One of our featured presenters at the camp is Rod Minott, who will be presenting on the subject of "Grant Proposals That Don't Suck." We could all benefit from a discussion on that topic!

Rod Minott is the founder of Glisan Media, a San Francisco-based media company that focuses on video-journalism story production as well as consulting services for independent producers interested in producing programs for public television. Rod began his broadcasting career in 1984 as an on-air daily news reporter for the Boise, Idaho CBS station affiliate, KBCI TV2. In 1985 he joined public television as an on-air reporter/producer for Oregon Public Broadcasting in Portland. Rod has also been a reporter/producer for public television stations KTEH in San Jose, and KCTS in Seattle. From 1994 until 1999, Rod served as the Seattle-based on-air correspondent for The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer on PBS. From 2005 until 2007 he worked at the Independent Television Service (ITVS) in San Francisco as Program Manager for the LINCS (Linking Independents and Co-Producing Stations) funding initiative. He also oversaw ITVS’s online digital initiative, “Electric Shadows.” Rod lives in San Francisco. He can be contacted at: phone-(415) 553-5969 email: rodminott@hotmail.com His website is: www.glisanmedia.com

Register now for A Helluva Camp for Indie Filmmakers and gain exciting knowledge from presenters like Rod Minott!

For more information or to register, visit www.goldenpoppy.com.

In fundraising solidarity,
Holly Million

A Helluva Camp for Indie Filmmakers x 2!

2009-09-02T13:07:00.000-07:00

Hey, filmmakers!

I have launched some special camps to satisfy your jones for real information that's useful and up to date! Plenty of opportunity to network with your peers as well as experts in many avenues of the film field.

To find out more, visit www.goldenpoppy.com. You can also register on the website.

A Helluva Camp™ provides condensed, content-rich, cutting-edge, & fun mini-camps & mini-conferences. Our goal is to give you information & training you can’t find anywhere else about subjects that are exciting, practical, & up to the minute! Our goal is to fire up the can-do person in all of us.

Register now for our upcoming camps!

• A Helluva Camp™ for Indie Filmmakers — January 23, 2010
(Info on fundraising, marketing, the latest technology, distribution, & much more)

• A Helluva Camp™ for Nonprofit Rebels — January 30, 2010
(Info on fundraising, PR, the latest technology, board development, & much more)

• A Helluva Camp™ on Film Production from Idea to Internet — April 24, 2010
(Info on shooting, capturing, editing, & uploading your footage to the Internet)

* Each camp is one full day.

* Includes breakfast, lunch, & free Peet’s coffee & teas.

* To see the line-up of presenters, find out more details, or to register for any of the three camps, visit www.goldenpoppy.com.

* Or, email holly@goldenpoppy.com for more information.

Writing a Kick-Ass Funding Proposal

2009-08-31T20:27:00.000-07:00

You need several things to land a foundation grant for your film. One, a well-edited trailer or work sample. Two, the hutzpah of Attila the Hun. And three, a kick-ass written proposal. Okay, so you have the first two. Is it the written proposal that is baffling you? Well, be baffled no more. Here are all the basic ingredients you need to bake up a tasty grant proposal.

A good proposal begins with good ideas. You have to know what you are trying to create and what success looks like for that creation. With a film, your proposal is only as strong as the ideas, images, and people your film contains. Do you have strong characters that give the audience somebody to identify with or whose story will move them? Are existential truths revealed through your film? Are there ideas, themes, lessons, and morals to give your film shape and life? Have you thought through what the film is about, and is there a driving rationale for what it contains?

A good proposal includes a plan. Who is your film aimed at? How will they see it? How are you going to raise the money to make the film? How long will it take you to make the film? You need to be able to answer these questions with some sophistication. Don’t say your film is aimed at everybody. Nobody believes that. Are you planning to have your film screen in festivals? Put down a really well considered list of festivals with an explanation of why you picked them and what your chances are for getting in. Don’t list the top ten festivals in North America and walk away. That will just look plain lazy. Will you use some creative tactics to help your distribution plan? Then give some juicy details about how that will work and what it will look like.

A good proposal paints a picture. Can a reader envision this film? Can they see the characters and what they’re going through? Can they visualize what’s going to be on the screen? One way to help your readers do this is by using actual quotes from the film. Having the words of real people from the film on the pages of the proposal helps bring it alive. Another way can be to tie current events to what your film will be about. Put in some description of what’s happening in the world and show how your film directly connects with this. A film is visual. Make your written proposal as visual as possible.

A good proposal is convincing. One of the things program officers, board members, and panel reviewers will all do is to decide whether they believe you can accomplish what you say you want to accomplish. You can make your proposal more likely to convince them by doing the following things. One, use affirmative language, not tentative language. Don’t say, “I would like to interview Joe Schmo, expert on the subject,” say, “I will interview (or even better, have interviewed) Joe Schmo, and he says X.” Include information about distribution to show you not only have a plan, but you are already taking steps to make it so. Do you want to be on Discovery Channel? Then call up Discovery Channel and talk to a producer. Now you can put that in your proposal. I helped one director I was working with by setting up a meeting with a producer at HBO. She met with him, and he was polite but noncommittal about the whole deal. However, the fact that the conversation had taken place allowed me to write in the proposal, “the director met with producer ‘Mr. X’ from HBO to discuss the project and share our trailer. HBO sees this project as being a potential fit for their CineMax outlet.” All of that is absolutely true.

A good proposal is well written. Well written means engaging. A good proposal has energy, verve, zing! The sentence structure is active. There’s a certain muscular quality to the writing. It is not flabby. Every word on the page must contain valuable information that presents the case for funding. There are no typos or grammatical errors. Yes, I need to say that last line, because some proposals go out in the mail in absolutely awful shape. Proofread! If you’re not good at that, have somebody else do it.

A good proposal includes partners. You are just one person. Wonderful as you are, unless you are Ken Burns, you alone will not be enough to convince the foundations you can pull off your film as proposed. Solution? Surround yourself with an experienced team who enhance your skills and abilities. Find a known filmmaker who has been around the block a few times who can serve as your executive producer. Hire an experienced director of photography and editor. In addition to the crew, how about an advisory board? Ask experts in the field to serve as advisors to your film, and include their bios on the proposal. Last, nonprofit partners are often a big boost to your credibility with foundations that are used to funding nonprofits. They can understand a nonprofit and its programs a helluva lot more than they can understand Joe Q. Filmmaker and his film. Nonprofits can bolster your resources by helping secure interviews with key people, adding advisors to the advisory board, helping to screen and distribute your film to interested audiences, and assisting with joint fundraising efforts that truly benefit both partners.

A good proposal is tailored to the funder. You cannot imagine how many people think applying to foundations is a one-size-fits-all deal. They write one boilerplate proposal and don’t change a word with each submission. That is a formula for failure. Your proposal needs to shift and evolve with each application. That’s why you’re going to all that trouble of poring over the guidelines, sifting through the records, and becoming bosom-buddies with that nerdy program officer. Why would you go through that and then use the same proposal every time? That’s right up there with recycling used underwear! Please, be more civilized.

In fundraising solidarity,
Holly Million

(Photo by Angie Perkins)

Upcoming Film Funding Classes

2009-08-22T08:06:00.000-07:00

Obama embraced fundraising like no political candidate before, raising over $750 million in the course of his campaign. That's the real secret to successful fundraising -- embrace it!

Want to become more intimate with the intricacies of fundraising? I'm teaching several film fundraising classes through the San Francisco Film Society throughout the rest of this year. Need to learn how to pitch? Want to find out how the Internet can enhance your film fundraising? I have the straight dope for you.

I'm teaching my long-running, popular class "How to Ask People for Money" on August 29 and September 12. The first session is sold out, but space is still available for the second class. This is an eight-hour-long, hands-on experience that has you learning what goes in to donor prospect identification, cultivation, and direct asks. By the end of the day, you are pitching your film to a live panel of real film experts who give you gentle, constructive feedback to improve your odds the next time you go out to bat!

I'm teaching a reprise of "How to Ask People for Money" on October 17 and again on December 5. I teach a simplified version of the class as a webinar on November 7.

I'm also teaching "Using Interactive Web Tools for Indie Film Fundraising" on October 21. Filmmakers are embracing blogs, tweets and social networking to help cast, market, distribute and raise money for films. Find out how Web 2.0 tools can enhance your donor cultivation and communication.

So there are plenty of class dates to choose from. Register now!

In fundraising solidarity,
Holly Million

(Obama artwork by Petr Kratochvil)

Film Fundraising Client Feature — New Media International

2009-08-22T07:35:00.000-07:00

I've just agreed to consult with Sean Ramsay of New Media International, the producer of Victory Day. Victory Day is a feature narrative that tells the story of photojournalist Sam Cassels, who finds himself involved embroiled in a tangled web in Russia that involves sex-traffickers, criminals, and oligarchs. Shot in Russia, the Czech Republic, and Australia, Victory Day won the "Best Political Film" award at the 2009 Action on Film Festival.

I'll be working with Sean to write a fundraising plan to raise up to $100,000 for a 5-city theatrical premiere for the film.

Drawing from his experience as a Reuters photojournalist and war correspondent with over a decade based in the former Soviet Union, Sean wrote the story for Victory Day. It is an expression of the emotional truth of a journalist who wants to change the world. In finding that his proffession is incapable of doing of it, the character is driven to do it by direct war. Sean plays the lead role as firebrand journalist Sam Cassels.

As part of its 5-city premiere, Victory Day will be screening in San Francisco in the late fall of 2009.

Next on The Money Couch: Social-Media Tools for Film Fundraising

2009-07-30T08:45:00.000-07:00

Next on my Internet radio show, The Money Couch, I am featuring an interview with filmmaker and marketing and PR expert Maureen Futtner who will talk about How Social Media Can Support Your Film Fundraising. The interview takes place Monday, August 3, at 7 PM PDT. Find us on Talkshoe.com or click the widget on the top right of this blog.

We'll talk about what social-media sites and tools are must-haves and what social-media changes about film fundraising and what it does not.

With 20 years of experience in media and communications, Maureen Futtner is hard-wired to promote good causes and good people.

Maureen has successfully pitched stories to the San Francisco Chronicle, KALW radio, the Examiner, San Francisco Magazine and the Business Times, among other publications. Her work has been reviewed by the Village Voice, New York Newsday and the Boston Phoenix. Maureen has appeared on NBC-Bay Area and ABC7News, and her documentary films have been screened at festivals throughout the country.

Maureen founded the nonprofit theatre company Sleeveless Theatre and was its co-artistic director for 10 years. After receiving her Master's degree in Interdisciplinary Arts from San Francisco State University, Maureen worked as DVD author and project manager at Video Arts, a professional digital film studio. She has served on the boards of the Central Market Community Benefit District and the Jon Sims Center for the Arts. While development and communications director at Urban Solutions, Maureen produced the organization's signature event, the San Francisco Neighborhood Business Awards.

Maureen is a member of Media Alliance, Bay Area Women in Film and Media, the San Francisco Film Society, SPUR, City CarShare, and the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. When not seeking out the world's fine stories, Maureen loves to run up the hills of San Francisco, play the guitar and banjo, and spy on California's beautiful birds.

Please join Maureen and me on The Money Couch for an enlightening conversation about social media and film fundraising.

Film Fundraising Client Feature — Gravitas Docufilms

2009-07-22T19:38:00.000-07:00

From time to time in this blog, I will shine a spotlight on my indie filmmaker clients.

Because I am producing three documentaries and one feature narrative, my bandwidth for directly raising money for films is pretty much used up. However, I am increasing my direct consulting with indie filmmakers in ways that will equip them with professional tools to use in fundraising and teach them how to present their case to potential funders.

My services include writing a business plan or fundraising plan, writing a proposal or treatment, and teaching filmmakers how to pitch.

I really enjoyed my recent work with Paul Mariano, Kurt Norton, and Barbara Grandvoinet of Gravitas Docufilms. Gravitas is producing a documentary called Lost Forever. Lost Forever asks you to imagine that your favorite movie no longer existed, that it was lost and gone forever. Imagine you could never watch it again,never relive those fond memories. Imagine that future generations would never even know it existed. Lost Forever shows how the National Film Registry is working to protect some of our greatest films and shares some amazing first-hand accounts of how film has touched people or even changed their lives.

I helped Gravitas write a fundraising plan that included a seed-money campaign, write a proposal to use with foundation and individual funders, and trained them how to pitch the film to potential funders.

We not only got a lot of work done together, we had a good time, too!

Thanks, guys!

Your "Friends" Are Virtually Worthless

2009-07-01T21:26:00.000-07:00

There’s a lot of buzz swirling around Web 2.0 and how it’s going to change — well, everything. Indie filmmakers, too, are embracing blogs, tweets, and social-networking, experimenting with how these tools can help them cast, market, distribute, and, yes, raise money for their films.. And yet, all the time, filmmakers say things to me like, “I have raised only $250 for my film through my Facebook page. Why aren’t people giving more?”

Why? Because if you don’t use Web 2.0 tools correctly, your “friends” are virtually worthless. So here is some advice about what Web 2.0 changes about fundraising and what it absolutely, positively does not.

Problem: “If We Build It, They Will Come”
There is a common misconception that money is going to pour in from this vast universe of online denizens who now know about you and your film simply because they have stumbled upon you online. Problem is, fundraising depends on relationship, and the virtual world is predicated on anonymity. Unless you take your contacts off Facebook and Twitter and make them flesh-and-blood friends, you can’t expect them to donate to your film in any significant way.
Solution: Find out who among your online friends is really interested in what you’re creating, and start to nurture an off-line relationship with them. I’ve converted numerous people I “know” online into real contacts by first emailing back and forth with them, then talking on the phone, then meeting in person. The cultivation does not stop there, it just goes on and on. After all, what are friends for?

Problem: I’ve Got a Blog/Facebook Page/My Space Page, But Nobody Visits
Yes, I know you have a blog. I’ve visited there. But the last diary you have up was posted in 1978. Your Facebook and My Space pages are pretty much the same. Has anything happened with your film since then? Just asking.
Solution: In order to drive traffic to your website, blog, or social-networking site, you need to give people a reason to go there. If the content is static, there will be no attraction. Ideally, you will post new content at least once a week or even daily. Tweak your social-networking pages to constantly give updates about the latest and greatest on your film. Make it interesting, and people will continually “drop by” to see what’s new.

Problem: You Think You Asked Them, But You Didn’t Really Ask Them
This is a common mistake I see happen everywhere people are trying to raise money, not just in the indie film world and not just online. People put their need out there on the Internet, thinking they have made a request for support, but then all they hear is the deafening roar of crickets.
Solution: You must be more direct. Your Facebook page displays your fundraising goal and a link to “donate now.” Warm. You sent an email appeal out to 10,000 potential supporters asking them to each give $25. Warmer. You hosted an event for 30 people who knew it was a fundraiser where they would be asked to write checks on the spot. Getting Warmer! You picked up the phone and asked 10 friends to each write a check for $100. Getting Hot! You sat down with Uncle Warren and asked him face-to-face for a large lead gift to leverage other donations. Hallelujah! You have learned that, at the end of the day, being direct when you ask is really the key to raising money.

Problem: They’re Just Not That Into You
You’re passionate about your film. But not everybody is passionate enough about it to give to you online. Oh, sure, you will pick up converts, but there are some things you just can’t compete with. After September 11, 2001, I (and millions of others) made online donations to the American Red Cross, the Fire Department of New York, and the New York Police Department without any of these organizations having to ask me for money. Why? Because the need was obvious, urgent, and on a vast scale. Hurricane Katrina, Asian Tsunami, terrorist attack? The word goes out and the online donations come in. Your film can’t compete.
Solution: Don’t assume that your film ranks high on people’s lists. Don’t try to compete online with causes that are in a different league. They can almost exclusively do anonymous, online, and mostly indirect fundraising. You can’t. While Web 2.0 tools can enhance your donor cultivation and communication, when it comes down to actually raising money, you need to be personal, offline, and mostly direct in your approach.

In fundraising solidarity,
Holly Million

(Photo by Petr Kratochvil)

Funder Feature: Sundance Documentary Fund

2009-06-29T10:31:00.000-07:00

Hey, documentarians! One advantage you have is an ability to present your film as a "mission-driven, social-benefit project." In other words, your film's gonna change the WORLD! Narrative filmmakers have a harder case to make in that realm (although not impossible, as I've done it before), so most grants go to docs. Here's a marquee grant that all social-message docs should take a look at: The Sundance Documentary Fund.

Back in the day, the Sundance Documentary Fund used to be the Soros Documentary Fund. This is a very competitive grant. You really need to have all of your ducks in a row before you attempt this one. Even better, there are two funds, one for Development, and the other for Work-in-Progress. So if you can snag the Development grant, you know that increases your chances of grabbing the Work-in-Progress grant. Work-in-Progress covers films in production or post-production. Almost nobody funds production anymore, it seems. Which is why they say, "For everything else, there's VISA." But here is a rare exception.

The Development Fund gives grants up to $15,000, and the Work-in-Progress gives grants up to $75,000, although most grants fall in the $20,000 to $50,000 range. There is a checklist of application materials available online. As with most competitive grants, for which hundreds if not thousands of filmmakers are applying, you need to have outstanding ideas that are clearly and compellingly communicated, a solid team, a solid plan, and for the work-in-progress grant, a kick-ass trailer that blows their socks into the next county.

I recommend forming your own "review panel" to read your application and critique it before you send it off. If you want to enlist more public commentary, you can do what filmmaker Brad Lichtenstein did and post your Sundance Documentary Fund application online, on your blog, soliciting input from random strangers. You know what they say about the kindness of strangers.

In fundraising solidarity,
Holly Million

(Photo by Andrea Schafthuizen)

The Victory Lap: It Came From Kuchar

2009-06-15T12:46:00.000-07:00

I was talking to my good friend, Jennifer M. Kroot, about the string of film festivals she has been traveling to for the past couple weeks and will continue traveling to for a couple weeks to come. Jennifer is not a big fan of travel in general. But this time, it's different. It's her chance to bask in the afterglow of all the hard work she has done to take her documentary film, It Came From Kuchar, from a little twinkle in her eye to a great, big, feature-length documentary that is totally first rate.

I reminded Jennifer that these festivals are her "victory lap," the payoff for the struggle, the Herculean efforts at fundraising we went through, the long, dark nights and days in the edit suite, and on and on.

We raised nearly $110,000 in grant monies for the film with the rest of the budget coming from individuals. The Creative Work Fund</span> deserves a rousing round of applause for providing the first big grant. I can tell you that the first grant is always crucial to get the fundraising skids greased up. I can also tell you that this was some of the hardest fundraising I have ever done, because when we started foundations were already turning away from film. Luckily, we finished our efforts before the latest economic meltdown.

If you would like to see the fruits of our labors, come see It Came From Kuchar on Sunday, June 21 at 6:30 PM at the Castro Theatre when the film screens in the Frameline LGBT Film Festival. Both Kuchar brothers, George and Mike, will be on hand to receive a lifetime achievement award from Frameline.

Oh, yes, and I'll be there, too, along with my husband, Chris Million, the DP of the film, to answer any questions you may have about that fundraising highway to hell that we survived. Glad to swap war stories anytime!

In fundraising solidarity,
Holly Million

Don't Fear the Funder: Film Funding Panel

2009-06-12T09:11:00.000-07:00

The San Francisco Film Society's Film Arts Forum is a bimonthly information-sharing, discussion, networking, professional development jamboree. It’s an opportunity for local filmmakers and cineastes to meet one another and talk about their craft. SFFS gets the conversation started with dynamic presentations, topical panels, works-in-progress screenings and trade secrets. Past events have of offered a behind-the-scenes look at the Sundance Film Festival, a debate about online distribution and excerpts from two local documentaries. It’s an entire conference in the span of a few hours.

On Monday, June 15, I'm moderating a panel called "Think Like a Funder" which features film funders who will share what they are looking for in the projects that come cover the transom. The fifth SFFS Film Arts Forum will take you into the decision room of Bay Area–based independent film funders Independent Lens, ITVS International, Global Film Initiative and KQED. This is your chance to ask your questions, press the flesh, and generally overcome any fear of funders. They are real, flesh-and-blood humans, just like you and me!

The event takes place at the Mezzanine, 444 Jessie Street in San Francisco.

I will profile each of the featured funders on this blog for those not in the San Francisco Bay Area. I want you to have a shot at the money too!

In fundraising solidarity,
Holly Million

(Cartoon by Fritz Ahlefeldt -- LINK)

The Leading Causes of Film Trailer Failure

2009-06-08T22:28:00.000-07:00

Ultimately, it is the sample/trailer that causes a film project to be funded — or rejected. Here are some of the common trailer snafus that can torpedo your funding chances as well as some tips for how you can create a trailer that can “make” them love it.

Problem: The trailer doesn’t match the proposal. It’s a Catch-22. The funder touts how they want to fund films that push the envelope, films that go where no other film has gone before. You know that’s you. You are thinking big. And you write a vivid description of your narrative/documentary/animated film shot in HD and distributed via Twitter. They love you and think you are a genius. Then they see your trailer, you know, the one for the film you haven’t raised any money for. You do your best to simulate your vision in the trailer. You don’t have the camera you want to use. You can’t pay for the animation. Of course the trailer is just a pale imitation of your unfunded vision. Sorry, they don’t get it.
Solution: Under-promise in the proposal and over-deliver in the trailer. Tone down your vision on paper so that it doesn’t sound like something completely unattainable. Then blow their socks off with the best trailer you can muster with limited funds.

Problem: The trailer tries to say too much. Who the hell are all these people? They are saying a lot of things. They’re doing random things. I’m being lectured by a voice-over narrator who is reading a long list of information. I’m watching a blow-by-blow five-minute condensed version of a 90-minute film. Blah. Blah. Blah. There is no meaning.
Solution: Less is more. You can’t tell the whole story of your film in five minutes. Don’t try. You will not succeed. Give them a tasty slice, not the whole freaking cake.

Problem: The trailer fails to hook them in the first 10 seconds. They say they want a 10-minute sample. But it’s the first few seconds to hit their eyeballs that will seal your fate. They’re bushed. They’ve watched umpteen trailers. You’re number 43. If they watch past 43 seconds, you’re doing good. Like a thoroughbred in a high-stakes race, how your project comes out of the gate determines whether you’ve won or lost.
Solution: Lead strong! Forget the wind-up and deliver the pitch. Have the viewer enter the action in progress. Slight disorientation is remarkably focusing.

Problem: The trailer lacks emotional punch. I was sitting on a grant panel a few years back. We’d read hundreds of proposals and watched dozens of samples. Then somebody popped another DVD in the player and BOOM!, we all sat up. The screen was filled with raucous crowds of women in a prison in Colombia. They were cheering on beauty pageant contestants strutting on a walkway. There was color everywhere! Ribbons! Balloons! Guards trying to hold back the screaming women. Everybody on the panel was screaming along with them. When the sample ended, we looked at each other as if to say, “What was that?!” We didn’t get any additional information from the trailer about what the film was about. But we knew we wanted to see the film just because of how the trailer made us FEEL. This was not the case with the majority of trailers we had seen.
Solution: Find the emotional intensity in your project. Collect it from the scattered corners of the film. Gather in a ball. Insert in trailer.

In fundraising solidarity,
Holly Million

The Doctor Is In! One-on-One Consulting

2009-06-03T09:06:00.000-07:00

I often get asked if I am available to produce independent films. Right now, my hands are full directly producing three documentaries and one feature narrative. But that doesn't mean I can't help you. I've been consulting one-on-one with independent filmmakers for many years, and I've found a way to support projects that is cost effective and really useful for filmmakers, too.

Currently, I provide four main services: 1) writing a fundraising plan for your film that outlines where the money is coming from and how you will raise it; 2) writing a treatment, proposal, or business plan that can be used to secure grants or present to individual donors or investors; 3) teaching you how to pitch your film in a face-to-face meeting with investors or donors; and 4) providing ongoing coaching and support throughout the making of the film at an affordable cost.

If you think these services would help you launch your film fundraising effort today, send me an email at holly@hollymillion.com. You can visit my fundraising consulting website at HollyMillion.com.

Hope to see you soon!

Upcoming Film Funding Deadlines

2009-05-29T09:41:00.000-07:00

Finding foundations that fund film is about as hard as finding a dinosaur egg. Actually, given the economy, it's getting harder to find ANY foundations that are funding anything. Seriously. Thank God there are 70,000 foundations around the country. Somebody must have some money for your film! Okay, here are two dedicated film-loving foundations that you should take a look at.

Pacific Pioneer Fund
August 15 is the next deadline for emerging documentary filmmakers to apply for grants between $1K and $10K. Visit their website for more information. What do they mean by "emerging?' Somebody who has made at least one feature documentary before but who has not been a working filmmaker for more than 10 years. However, there are always exceptions, and this foundation is no exception.

The San Francisco Foundation
The Fund for Artists Matching Commissions has a new deadline of June 19, 2009. Visit their website for more information. The San Francisco Foundation is a relative newcomer to funding films, but their arts program officer is a working filmmaker who deeply appreciates all the struggle that raising money for a film represents, and he has been a true-blue champion of creating funding opportunities for filmmakers. Bravo!

Next on The Money Couch: Events for Indie Films

2009-05-22T13:04:00.000-07:00

Coming up Monday, June 8, at 7:00 PM Pacific Time on my Internet radio show, The Money Couch: Indie Film Edition, I'll be interviewing film fundraising and house-party guru Morrie Warshawski. We will be talking about "Successful Fundraising Events for Indie Filmmakers." Sure, you've wanted to raise money through an event, but do you know what it will take to make the event a success? Morrie knows.

Morrie Warshawski is a consultant, facilitator and writer who has spent 30 years specializing in the nonprofit sector. His work is characterized by a commitment to the core values of creativity, thoughtfulness, tolerance and transparency. Warshawski works with nonprofits that are having difficulty achieving their goals. He helps them reach their dreams through strategic planning.

Morrie is also the author of Shaking the Money Tree: How To Get Grants and Donations for Film and Video, 2nd Edition and The Fundraising Houseparty: How to Party with a Purpose and Raise Money for Your Cause - 2nd Edition.

The Money Couch: Film Edition is hosted on Talkshoe.com, the site for live Internet radio. You can also stream past episodes of The Money Couch: Film Edition and The Money Couch: Nonprofit Edition online or download free MP3s of past episodes to listen to on your iPod, PDA, or computer.

Come join us on The Money Couch.

See My Fundraising Videos on GuruTube.net

2009-05-20T15:02:00.000-07:00

I'm plugging a new website called GuruTube.net that my friend Michael V. Williams has launched. According to the website, GuruTube is a "new website dedicated to objective, informational videos by widely acknowledged experts in a variety of fields and disciplines." I have two videos on the site, one dedicated to nonprofit emergency fundraising, and the other an overview of the nuts and bolts of what it takes to be successful at indie film fundraising.

Other gurus on the site include David Meerman Scott, a marketing strategist, keynote speaker, seminar leader, and the author of the hit new book World Wide Rave, as well as Paul Gillin, a long-time technology journalist who’s worked almost exclusively online since 1999. He advises marketers and business executives on strategies to optimize their use of social media and online channels to reach buyers cost-effectively. In addition to consulting and writing, he does speaking engagements and seminars. He has a knack for simplifying complex concepts and making technology trends understandable.

Check out GuruTube.net and continue to visit the site as it grows and expands. Now you can get your dose of expert advice in video form.

How to Ask People for Money Webinar

2009-05-18T18:29:00.001-07:00

Are you tired of barking up the same old foundation trees for grants for your film? Have you noticed that the well of grant funding has shriveled and dried up? That's why you need to learn how to ask people for money.

Individuals are certainly feeling the pinch of the economy, but unlike institutional funders, individuals have more discretion with how they spend their money, even in bad times, and there are different factors that motivate them to give in good times or bad.

I've been teaching a popular class called "How to Ask People from Money" through the San Francisco Film Society for over a year. Now, I am proud to introduce a webinar version of the class. The webinar takes place Saturday, June 13 from 10 AM to Noon and is hosted on DimDim.com. The webinar is a bargain at $25 per SFFS member and $35 for non-members, and you will leave with greater knowledge and power over your individual donor fundraising than you ever would have imagined.

Asking people for money....it's easier than you think! Come take my webinar. Click this link to register.

Six Degrees of Bringin' Home the Bacon!

2009-05-06T10:47:00.000-07:00

Here’s a question I get asked all the time in endless variations. “Holly, there is this guy in town I think might be interested in my film. How do I ask him for money?” In response, without even knowing who Mr. Potential Donor is, let me tell you what I would do.

My first step in planning a major-donor solicitation or “ask” is playing my own version of the well-known game, “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.” Legend says actor Kevin Bacon has been in so many films that every other actor is connected to him, somehow, through these films. My personal version of the game is “Six Degrees of Bringing Home the Bacon.” First, I search my brain to figure out who I already know who has a connection to the potential donor. Within my network of friends, family, colleagues, and passing acquaintances, there has got to be somebody who knows him directly or who knows somebody who knows him. I guarantee the same is true for you. Put the word out among your friends, your LinkedIn connections, everyone you meet. For example, a friend wanted to interview Richard Branson for her film and wondered if I knew how to get a hold of him. Flattering. I didn’t, but a few days later, I met another filmmaker who had interviewed Branson and could give me his contact information. That same week, at a party, I also met a woman who turned out to be Branson’s personal assistant! Just like that, my friend was only two degrees away from the bearded billionaire!

Six Degrees of Bringing Home the Bacon is fun and profitable. Try this at home. You'll see.

Tonight on The Money Couch: James David

2009-05-04T15:49:00.000-07:00

Joining me on my Internet radio show, The Money Couch: Nonprofit Edition, is PR expert James David. We'll be talking about "How Free Press Makes You a Better Fundraiser." While this is the nonprofit edition of The Money Couch, the tips James shares will be just as applicable to indie filmmakers. The Money Couch "airs" Monday night at 7:00 PM Pacific Standard Time. Click the link to go to Talkshoe.com, the site which hosts The Money Couch in both editions.

James David is the communications manager for Goodwill Industries of San Francisco, Marin and San Mateo Counties. James has had a multifaceted, diverse career in public relations through his clients at agencies and through his work in house. His past clients have included mobile startups such as Microsoft spin-off Zumobi, Web sites such as Digg.com as well as publicly traded consumer technology brands such as Sony Electronics. He has also worked in cause marketing for clients such as the Ford Motor Company and Arianna Huffington's 2000 Shadow Conventions. In terms of in-house experience, he has previously worked as the public relations manager at a publicly-traded social networking company as well as served a communications consultant for Washington, D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams' Office of Communications, beefing up their existing team in the weeks before Y2K, staying on with the office to work on city's census awareness campaign.

James is always enthusiastic about public relations and sharing his tips, so I know this will be a great show!

Drink up knowledge at my upcoming classes!

2009-04-27T16:58:00.000-07:00

Because knowledge is power, especially in these tough times, check out my upcoming fundraising classes.

For filmmakers, I'm offering my tried and true, highly popular "How to Ask People for Money" class through the San Francisco Film Society again in the next couple of months. First, I'm introducing a new webinar version of the class on June 13 for the low, low price of $35. This is a condensed version for people who want their information like their breakfast drink, in "quick," or even "instant" form so you can chug it and run.

I'm also offering a live version of "How to Ask People for Money," which is known for its action-packed format, on August 29 through SFFS at $200 for non-SFFS members and $180 for SFFS members. I'm developing a new version of this class for the staff and board of nonprofit organizations and will deliver it in webinar form on August 15 and October 3 from 10 AM to noon.

For all your friends working in the nonprofit field, or for yourself if you are curious, I am offering my new class "An Actual Emergency: How to Fundraise in an Economic Meltdown" in webinar form on June 20, August 8, and October 23 from 10 AM to noon Pacific Time all three days. The enrollment fee is a bargain at $35! I'm also teaching a more hands-on, live version of the class on September 12 for a fee of $90 per person.

For more information about the nonprofit classes or the film classes, please email me at holly@hollymillion.com. You can learn more about my fundraising consulting or my classes at hollymillion.com.

The Malcolm X School of Fundraising

2009-03-25T13:55:00.000-07:00

I am a graduate and proud alumna of the Malcolm X School of Fundraising. The motto of my alma mater? "Raise the funds by any means necessary." By any means necessary, you say? As in lie? Cheat? Steal? No, silly! It's never necessary to become a lawless madman or madwoman in order to raise funds. However, you do need to play the game to win. And that sometimes means bending the rules, not breaking them. There are some key ways this credo comes into play when an indie filmmaker is applying to foundations for grants.

One prime example is the foundation that insists you have to submit a treatment for a film you have not yet shot. A good example is the National Endowment for the Humanities. How can you describe your film if you have not yet shot it? Tricky, right? Nope. Write it up. Fake it. Write the most brilliant, detailed treatment ever submitted. Is that what’s going to end up on film? Probably not. Does the funder know that? Not! Are they going to insist that you submit a big, shiny, flowery, glorious treatment that gives a shot-by-shot description of what they’re going to see in the final product? Yep. Fake it to make it.

Many foundations now refuse fiscally sponsored projects but allow partnerships where one partner has its own 501c3 status. I had a situation where I wanted to apply for a grant from a foundation that had this rule. And they were pretty damn emphatic about it. We had already established a fiscal sponsorship with another production company that had its own 501c3. To make this proposal legit, we signed a separate agreement creating a partnership solely for the purpose of this one grant. We submitted the application under their 501c3. And we got $60,000. Our partner got the same fee they would have gotten as our fiscal sponsor. If I had played by the rules rather than playing the game to win, I would not have been eligible to apply for that grant.

Are there other such examples? Myriad examples! Your job is to sleuth out the hidden truth behind the written guidelines, the real agenda behind what the website says, the actual facts of what they're looking to fund but can't say because of politics. Become cunning. It's the only way to win the funding game.

For more tips about playing the game to win, visit The Money Couch Internet radio show on Talkshoe.com, or read my Fear-Free Fundraising column on SF360.org.

Reporting From SXSW: Bay Area Well Represented

2009-03-16T07:52:00.000-07:00

Chris Million and I have been having a great time at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas. Here is a short video describing which Bay Area filmmakers and their films are having premieres at the festival.

Howdy, filmmakers! How'd you get those funds?

2009-03-14T09:24:00.000-07:00

I'm blogging from the SXSW Film Festival in Austin Texas, where It Came From Kuchar, directed by Jennifer M. Kroot, is premiering tonight at 5 PM. Jennifer called me back in October 2005 to ask me if I would be interested in producing her film. Being familiar with Jennifer's work on her narrative feature, Sirens of the 23rd Century, I said yes. Sirens of the 23rd Century screened at Frameline, Sci-Fi London and Anthology Film Archives. It won Best Narrative Feature at The New Orleans LGBT festival. Jennifer takes on ambitious projects and sees them through to successful completion. I knew her documentary would finish just as strong.

It Came From Kuchar is a hilarious and touching documentary about the legendary, underground filmmaking twins, the Kuchar brothers. As kids in the 1950s, George and Mike Kuchar began making no-budget epics in their Bronx neighborhood starring friends and family with their 8mm camera. In the 1960s the Kuchars became part of Warhol's New York, underground film scene. The Kuchar brother's films have inspired many prominent filmmakers, including John Waters, Buck Henry, Atom Egoyan, Guy Maddin and Wayne Wang (all interviewed in this film). It Came From Kuchar interweaves the brother's lives, their admirers, a history of underground film and a 'greatest hits' of Kuchar clips into a hilarious and touching stream-of-consciousness tale.

As a producer on the film, I raised a substantial portion of the budget from grants from foundations. The rest of the funds came from individual donors. Getting the grants was a little like going to the dentist for a root canal. I would not like to repeat the experience. Our first big opportunity to get a significant grant came just two weeks after Jennifer hired me, when the deadline for a letter of intent to the Creative Work Fund came due on November 3, 2005. The Creative Work Fund is a special arts fund made possible by a consortium of arts foundations in San Francisco. They fund a different field of art in rotating years. At that time, film was funded every three years. Now, it's every FOUR years. The trick to getting this grant is to have a working relationship between an artist and a nonprofit organization. The problem for us was, we did not have that partnership and the letter was due in two weeks. After barking up the wrong tree, we retrained our focus on the Legion of Graduate Students at the San Francisco Art Institute, the art school where George Kuchar has taught for over 30 years. The students, who love George like their beloved crazy uncle, were all too willing to help! With their involvement, we were able to secure a $35,000 grant for the film. That early money is like yeast! Once we had that grant and the imprimatur of the Creative Work Fund, we entered a different realm of fundraising, where people sat up and listened when we spoke and didn't immediately slam the door in our faces. It was not a picnic from there, but it sure beat the wandering in the wilderness where the grantless walk.

I'll be posting more about our premiere and interviewing Jennifer Kroot, George Kuchar, and others from SXSW.

Follow Me to the SXSW Film Festival

2009-03-09T18:01:00.000-07:00

I produced the documentary film, It Came From Kuchar, directed by Jennifer Kroot, which is having its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival in March. While at the festival, I am going to be blogging for SF360.org, the film website and blogs of the San Francisco Film Society, where I write a column called "Fear Free Fundraising." My husband, DP Chris Million, who shot It Came From Kuchar is also attending the festival and working on assignment as a vlogger for SF360.org. Chris is directing his own documentary, Jack London: Twentieth Century Man, which has received grant funding from the California Council for the Humanities.

Chris and I plan to post content from our festival explorations on SF360.org, but also on this blog. Stay tuned for interviews with Jennifer Kroot, George Kuchar, and other luminaries from SXSW. I hope to run into Kari Nevil, Jennifer Steinman, and Erin Essenmacher, three Bay Area filmmakers I know who are also having films premiere at the festival.

Since I am writing a new book, A Helluva Guide to Indie Film Fundraising, I will also be on the prowl for interviews with filmmakers who are willing to share their tales from the trenches on how they secured money for their indie films. If you are an indie filmmaker who plans to attend SXSW, please drop me a line. You may end up in my blog posts, Chris's video diaries, or in my book, where your exalted tales of fundraising victory will inspire generations of filmmakers to come!

Brick by Brick, Raising $500,000

2009-02-18T11:37:00.000-08:00

I've been writing about the feature narrative, "Nominated," and my involvement as the producer. Director Dan Pavlik, of Southpaw Productions, has written a fantastic script. In fact, Dan is a script-writing machine. He came to my house for dinner last Friday and slammed another screenplay down on the dining room table. "What? Another one?" I asked. "I got a drawer-full of them!" Dan replied. Some people just can't stop!

I had originally proposed to Dan that we try to hunt down some equity finance for his film. But that was long before the bubble burst. 2009 is not the year for us to hunt down equity finance, a rare bird in the Bay Area even in a good year. Instead, we are reverting to our hunter-gatherer roots. Dan and I have donned our animal skins and wooden clubs and are going out to hunt us some investors. One bonk on the head with the club, then we drag 'em off by their hair! I guess I've seen one too many caveman cartoon.

But seriously, we are going to take a grassroots approach to our fundraising needs. I proposed that we form a core team of 5 or 6 people who will sell shares in the film. Shares will be set at around $1,000, and there will be half shares, quarter shares, etc. The members of the team will be equipped with a sales package to help them promote the film. As they sell shares, they will be rewarded with either a cash cut or a fraction of a share, TBD. And of course, everyone on the team will also be graced with the title of producer in the credits. Sounds good to me!

By dividing the labor, we increase our chances of raising the half million needed to make the film. Together, our group has a bigger network than any one of us alone. Dan's already created the LLC to provide the business structure for the film. Now we have to consult our attorney, Richard Lee, to see if the LLC can accommodate the large number of investors we would like to have. Dan's recollection is that there are 35 members max for the LLC by law.

Stay tuned as we figure out the nuts and bolts of selling shares and getting "Nominated" filmed! In the meantime, check out our trailer.

"The Money Couch" Offers Filmmakers Online, Downloadable Fundraising Tips

2009-01-26T20:03:00.001-08:00

Are you looking for bite-sized tips and real examples of fundraising knowledge in action? Then tune in to The Money Couch: Film Edition on Talkshoe.com. I launched The Money Couch to address filmmakers' need for fundraising insights and information in short soundbites that can be listened to online or downloaded to a computer for future reference. Some of the recent topics covered on The Money Couch: Film Edition have included "What's in a Winning Proposal," "Hella Hot Tips for Individual Donor Fundraising," "Donor Cultivation for Filmmakers," and more. Future episodes of the show will feature interesting, knowledgeable guests including those representing funders, sponsors, investors, and filmmakers who are veterans of the fundraising process. If you have a suggested topic for us to cover on The Money Couch: Film Edition, please email me at holly@hollymillion.com. So tune in, turn on, and raise funds!

A Five-Pound Box of Money

2009-01-23T09:43:00.000-08:00

Pearl Bailey sang her famous Christmas ode to a "five-pound bag of money," appealing to Santa to keep the goods and give her the cash. She was a woman after my own heart. Except in my case, I prefer to receive my money in a box. It's sturdier. Over many years, I had to fight against a poverty mentality that seemed to wash my dreams out from under me, like waves undermining a sandy cliff. I didn't believe that I could reach for what I wanted let alone grab it. Fortunately, I don't believe that any longer. I have really come to see that the world doesn't work like that. There is something important that I want to share.

I have a little ritual, a kind of game I play, to help remind myself that abundance really is everywhere. To remind myself that I have everything I need to get anything I want. When I'm walking along the streets of San Francisco, coming in and out of the BART stations, going into Walgreen's or strolling down the Embarcadero, or when I'm in my neighborhood in Oakland, I'm focused on my surroundings as most normal people trying to avoid tripping and falling are. But there is one important difference. If a glint of copper should catch my eye, I'm crouching down, then carrying on. I'm picking up pennies. That's right. Lowly pennies. Hundreds of pennies. I bring them home, and I put them in a bright red box. I will mix in my loose nickels and dimes from my pockets, my wallet, and from under the couch cushions. And over time, the box of money fills, until it really does weigh about fix pounds. Then I lug it to my neighborhood Lucky Store where the friendly CoinStar machine welcomes me. I dump in the coins and convert them to cash.

It's never a huge amount of cash. But it's cash. And collecting all those pennies, which most people don't feel are worth the effort to pick up, helps me hone my awareness. What else are other people overlooking? What resources are already within my grasp that can help me make my film? Even if I feel impoverished, I have talents, tools, and the good, green Earth to support my creative efforts. Believing this helps ground me and inspire me at the same time. By practicing this ritual, I remind myself that I can achieve anything, make any film, reach any goal that I can dream of.

And so can you.

Hello, Greg Kinnear? Are You Out There?

2009-01-07T14:39:00.000-08:00

A while back, I posted a diary about the feature narrative "Nominated" that I have signed on to produce for director Dan Pavlik. "Nominated" tells the story of former child-star Mickey Monroe, who wakes up hung-over, in denial, and nominated for an Academy Award. The question is, can Mickey hold it together until Oscar night, or will he self-destruct in one spectacular grand finale? Dan has written a killer screenplay, one in fact that was a finalist for last year's Nicholl Fellowship. This screenplay has box office potential written all over it. There are just two eensy, weensy things that are keeping us from laughing all the way to the bank.

Like first off, the economy. Last year when we concocted our first plan for raising the money for "Nominated," we were looking at a $2 million budget on the top end, a $500K budget on the low end. We sipped our Eric Ross Pinot Noir and fantasized about equity finance. I started working my network for leads for investors interested in feature-length narrative films with potential commercial viability. And then the financial world melted down in a giant paroxysm not seen since Sodom and Gomorra bit it. With it, our dreams of big investment pretty much fizzled. Now we slug back Mad Dog and wrack our brains for new ways to scratch for cash.

Fortunately, we entered into the whole process with our eyes wide open. After all, the guys with the big, fat checkbooks aren't exactly standing on every corner, even in a jamming economy. Plan A was equity finance. There's also Plan B, which would require raising $500,000 in donations to the film through a fiscal sponsor or by selling shares in the film through an LLC structure. But wait, there is also a Plan C, which is our worst-case scenario. In that case, we would raise around $100,000 from friends, family, and our network to make an ultra-low-budget flick. Fortunately, Dan Pavlik is one of the most resourceful people on God's green Earth. He wrote his script in such a way to mitigate the need for fancy locations, props, and other expensive resources. We could do it on a shoestring if we needed to. But we would rather not.

And that brings us to the second thing that is keeping us from laughing all the way to the bank. And his name is Greg Kinnear. When we were hatching those plans, we made a wish-list of potential actors for the main roles in the film. At this juncture, we brought stellar Bay Area casting agent Nina Henninger on board to help us navigate these shark-infested waters. For the part of Mickey, one stand-out was Greg Kinnear. Dan knows someone who knows Mr. Kinnear, and this Mr. X sent the screenplay to Mr. Kinnear's office for his perusal. Well....we're waiting. If Mr. Kinnear says yes, then equity finance may still be an option for us. If he says no, we have another local actor ready to step in. But Kinnear is a name that attracts money the way a navy-blue peacoat attracts white cat hair. Of course, there's always that Catch-22 of narrative features -- the financiers want to know what A-list actor is attached before they commit. The actor wants to know if you have financing before he commits. How do we play this back-and-forth game? With a helluva lot of finesse. Let's start somewhere. How about Greg Kinnear? We know he has the screenplay in his hands. But has he read it? Is he going to read it? Today? Next week? Hello?

Mr. Kinnear, if you're reading this, can you please get back to us? Our funding depends on you.

What You Have in Common with David Lynch

2008-12-17T19:02:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you may feel alone as a filmmaker pursuing your dream, making your dark but brilliant narrative short or shooting your social-issue documentary or developing your comic-genius narrative feature. Then take some comfort in knowing you are not alone. You may especially feel alone when faced with your budget and the daunting task of raising the funds to make your sweetest vision come true. That computer screen looks like the frozen tundra when you sit down to write your grant proposal or donor appeal letter. And the only person calling on the phone is your mother, wondering if you are still pursuing that "film thing" or if you have found a real job yet. Sigh. It is lonely.

Don't get down. All filmmakers feel this way, even the ones with the big names, the accolades, the credits. Even somebody like writer and director David Lynch, the creator of Mulholland Drive, Wild at Heart, and Blue Velvet. If you want to draw some inspiration and some comfort from a man whose films may be outre or chilling but who has a very real and warm heart, then check out his book, Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity. David Lynch is one of my film heroes and role models. His film, Eraserhead, touched my life in a remarkable, therapeutic way just when I needed that kind of life-preserver tossed my way. So I was surprised to read in his book his admission that "When I was making Eraserhead, which took five years to complete, I thought I was dead...I told myself, 'Here I am, locked in this thing. I can't finish it. The world is leaving me behind....At one time, I actually thought of building a small figure of the character Henry...and just stop-motioning him through and finishing it. That was the only way I could figure doing it, because I didn't have any money." Just think. David Lynch in despair about finishing his film because he had no money.

He continues, "Then, one night, my younger brother and my father sat me down in a kind of dark living room. My brother is very responsible, as is my father. They had a little chat with me. It almost broke my heart, because they said I should get a job and forget Eraserhead. I had a little girl, and I should be responsible and get a job."

Thank God he didn't do the responsible thing. Instead, he found a way to complete Eraserhead, and his career was launched. Thank God he finished that film, because Eraserhead saved my life.

Don't ever forget that in the dark times when you're not sure where the money is coming from. Just focus on the film and have faith that you will find a way.

Cozy Up With Nonprofits!

2008-11-21T15:14:00.000-08:00

If you have been wondering whether building friendships with nonprofit organizations might enhance your chances for success with you film, let me help you decide. Get on it now! Forming partnerships with nonprofits is one of the smartest things an indie filmmaker can do right now to get a leg up on funding, finding good interview subjects, creating innovative screening opportunities, and much, much more.

Let me tell you about a partnership I have formed with the East Meets West Foundation in Oakland, CA. Contrary to what the name suggest, East Meets West (EMW) is not a grant-making institution. Instead, EMW is a nonprofit that provides access to healthcare, clean water, and education for people in Southeast Asia, specifically Viet Nam. As I was plotting my course for my film, A Permanent Mark: Agent Orange in America and Viet Nam, earlier this year, I did some research and compiled a list of nonprofits that work in Viet Nam. My goal was to secure letters of support, suggestions on Agent Orange experts to interview in Viet Nam, and also to score a real partner with whom I could apply for grants, including the Creative Work Fund. I wrote letters and made follow-up calls to over a dozen nonprofits, but it was EMW, located right in my backyard, that welcomed me with open arms. After meeting the staff, getting to know them, discussing their own video projects, having lunch with them, asking them for advice on Vietnamese restaurants in the area, and taking them shopping at my favorite second-hand store, I now can safely say that I not only have a nonprofit partner, I have some friends.

In October, I traveled to Viet Nam and spent one full day working exclusively with EMW's Viet Nam staff. They set up two interviews with children who are affected with cerebral palsy connected with Agent Orange exposure. We traveled together to both homes in two separate remote villages in Quang Ngai province. Their staff helped with translation, preparation, securing permits, and interfacing with local officials. The footage I secured at these interviews was beyond my expectations, and some of the most important to tell the story I envision for my film.

My original intent was fundraising-based, however, and that's where I have more news to share. I am completing a letter of intent to the Creative Work Fund, a joint initiative of several foundations based in San Francisco that fund the arts. Every four years, the fund gives grants for film. I helped secure a $35,000 grant for a friend's film, It Came From Kuchar, in 2006. Now, with the help of EMW, I am now applying for A Permanent Mark.

Finding the right nonprofit, forging a relationship with them, and nurturing that relationship have taken time and effort. Was it worth it? Yes, it sure was! And one key was that I thought not just about what I would get out of it, but I seriously considered what EMW would need and how I could help them. Giving and receiving. It is the key. I urge you to reach out and touch someone today at a nonprofit that shares the same goals and mission as your own film. MMMMMmmmm, cozy!

I Talked With a Zombie: George A. Romero Interview

2008-10-01T10:29:00.000-07:00

My upcoming book, A Helluva Guide to Indie Film Fundraising, will include a feature called “Baptized By Fire: Interviews with Veteran Filmmakers.” Here is a sneak preview of the kind of interviews that feature will present.

Baptized By Fire: Director George A. Romero

At the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, I interviewed fright-film legend George A. Romero, one of the nicest human beings and a true Pittsburgher. Here’s what he had to say about the low-budget/big-budget dichotomy.

HM: Night of the Living Dead had a $40,000 budget. How did you go about getting the money together?

GR: Actually, it was $70,000 cash, although the total budget was $114,000. We ended up a little short. It costs less these days to make films than it did back then. That’s the irony. That’s because it was all film back then. We were paying for everything, from dailies, workprints, everything. Now, with all the technology, it’s much easier. But back then, it was easier to get your film shown, because there were all those great independent theaters, like the Warner, in Pittsburgh, which when they weren’t showing Ben Hur 100 nights in a row might show your film. In those days, you could make a business out of taking those slots.

HM: So at the end, you ran over budget on Night of the Living Dead. How did you cover your costs? With credit cards?

GR: None of us had any credit cards! We just signed chits and called in favors from all the people we knew. We were very lucky. People just loaned us things and said, “If you ever make any money, you can pay us back.” The film returned $600K to $700K in its first release, and we paid every nickel back. Of course, we had 28 total investors, so when you spread the profit out over 28 investors, there’s not much of a return.

HM: Land of the Dead, which you released in 2005, had a much bigger budget. What was that process like?

GR: The process was easier because I didn’t have to convince some dentist on Smithfield Street to give me money. In fact, it came down to two companies dueling for it. In the end, we had a $19 million budget, but we weren’t rich. By comparison, somebody made a remake of my Dawn of the Dead that had a budget of $34 million. We were still doing it guerilla style, fighting the elements, freezing. We got great reviews for the film, but some of my fans were worried, wondering where we were going. We had Dennis Hopper in the film, after all. And I started to wonder, too. We began in a farmhouse, then went to a mall, which was a little bigger, and now we were going Thunderdome.

HM: From a creative perspective, what would you rather work with — a big budget or a low budget?

GR: I would rather work with no money at all! Universal was great to work with and gave us creative control, but we were forced to go in a certain direction due to sales mandates. This experience gave me an idea about merging media in a film, because I was seeing how people are getting sucked in by media. Everybody has a camera now. That’s what turned into Diary of the Dead. On that film, we had such limited time and the budget was so low, we said, “If we just shoot all the principal footage and then worry later about inserting other material, we will have been successful.”

HM: In Diary of the Dead, you chose to use real video footage of such things as Hurricane Katrina, 9/11, and other actual events to represent the outer world’s descent into chaos. By doing that, you really blur reality and fantasy.

GR: That was the goal. We were still messing around inserting things one week before answer print. In the hospital scene, we use real police band stuff from September 11.

HM: Many people have praised Night of the Living Dead for its realism, saying this contributed to its shock value. How much of that realism was your conscious aim and how much was a result of your limited funds?

GR: Night of the Living Dead was a complete accident. We cast an African American in the lead role because he was the best actor we found. Chilly Billy Cardill, the local journalist who hosted Chiller Theater heard about our shooting the film and offered to help. He was so supportive and eventually was in the film. Without his help, we never would have had a helicopter. But we consciously chose to make the last fifteen minutes of the film look like newsreel and create the sense of the world just crashing in.

HM: What advice do you have for up-and-coming filmmakers for how to succeed with their fundraising process? What’s most important to know?

GR: Just make the movie. Don’t worry about the money. You can’t tell people you know how, you have to go out and show them. The money will come later. Of course, it doesn’t hurt if you have a rich uncle. But make sure you show some sensitivity, some affection for the medium. Now I go to these horror conventions, and I get handed 100 student films and 95 of them are zombie pictures. And I say, “Oh, my God! What have I done?”

HM: You’ve created a monster.

Take My Class at SF Film Society

2008-09-24T16:02:00.000-07:00

Want to get hands-on experience asking people for money for your film? Sign up for my fundraising class offered through the San Francisco Film Society. Information on the class follows, along with sign up instructions. Hope to see you there!

How to Ask People for Money
Taught by Holly Million
Tuesday, December 2; Wednesday,
December 3; 7:00–10:00 pm
San Francisco Film Centre, Conference Room
39 Mesa Street, The Presidio
San Francisco CA 94129
Enrollment limited to 16; $180 for SFFS members/$200 for non-members

Class description: The universe of foundations that support films rarely changes, except that it is shrinking. At the same time, new filmmakers emerge every day, and all of them are applying to exactly the same places. That is why you must do individual fundraising. Individual fundraising gives you more control, easier access and more solid long-term relationships that keep paying off in the future. This class features a lively, hands-on process to help filmmakers craft the messages and tools they need to approach individual donors. You will put this information to work during the class and become prepared to take your show on the road. The second night of the class includes a mock pitch session with a panel representing potential funders.

Enroll and pay class fees online at sffs.org. For further information, contact Filmmaker Education Manager Michael A. Behrens, at filmmakeredu@sffs.org, or call at 415.561.5000.

A Helluva Guide to Indie Film Fundraising Is on Its Way!

2008-09-22T09:52:00.000-07:00

I'm pleased as punch to announce that I have begun work on a new fundraising book entitled A Helluva Guide to Indie Film Fundraising. In this book, I draw a detailed road map of film-fundraising Hell, noting the hazards and marking escape routes. Traditional fundraising tactics no longer cut it, especially in this hyper-competitive digital age where abundant, cheap technology has made it impossible to swing a dead cat without hitting another new filmmaker. A Helluva Guide to Indie Film Fundraising covers the universe of fundraising sources, from individuals to foundations to corporations to government funders. It also gives an in-depth look at all the tools in a filmmaker’s arsenal, from letters to the Internet to viral marketing to written proposals to kick-ass events. A Helluva Guide is a fun, straightforward, practical, yet radical guide to indie film fundraising geared to both up-and-coming filmmakers as well as veterans who are finding that their old bag of tricks is no longer producing results.

A Helluva Guide features several components that make it user-friendly and engaging. First, A Helluva Guide to Indie Film Fundraising is sprinkled throughout with “Hella Hot Tips,” useful tidbits of information that give advice in tight “sound bites” that readers can put to use immediately. Second, throughout the book are real examples of appeal letters, grant proposals, event fliers, and other useful road-tested tools that give readers a model to follow. Third, each chapter includes one “Baptized by Fire” interview with a successful filmmaker who has proven fundraising advice to share. In other words, A Helluva Guide to Indie Film Fundraising is fully loaded and ready to drive out of the showroom and directly onto the fundraising freeway.

Stay tuned for more information about A Helluva Guide to Indie Film Fundraising. The expected publication date is Fall 2009.

Follow the Birth of "Nominated"

2008-08-14T15:43:00.000-07:00

I recently signed up as the producer for a new indie feature called Nominated. Written and directed by Dan Pavlik, Nominated tells the story of washed-up former child star Mickey Monroe who's been "on the outs" for one long, hard skid. Now Mickey finds himself nominated for an Oscar. It could be his shot at redemption. Or -- more likely -- another round of stupendous self-destruction. His agent, Blake, tries to fend off disaster by tricking Mickey into staying at Blake's remote mountain cabin for a week so Blake can manage the press and keep Mickey out of trouble. Unfortunately, trouble has a way of finding Mickey, no matter where he goes.

Dan Pavlik and David Baptist co-wrote an excellent screenplay. So excellent that I agreed to come on board to help raise the funds to make the film. This one will definitely be a learning experience for me. Our budget is $2 million on the high end, or about $500,000 on the low end. We will be attempting to secure equity financing for the film, although such funding is hard to come by, and there are few equity investors in the Bay Area, where we and the film are based.

The good news is that we have signed on casting director Nina Henninger, an experienced hand at casting major commercial features in the Bay Area. We've also signed on Carl Lumbly, a veteran actor of television and film, to play the plum role of Ray, the blind, African-American neighbor of Blake's cabin getaway. And, best of all, an A-list Hollywood actor is now reading the script. We are keeping our fingers crossed that the screenplay "sings" to him, because if he signs on, then we really do have a shot at getting some real money.

Stay tuned as I give periodic updates to our process of running down the dough for this indie feature. If you want to see behind the scenes on an indie feature's fundraising process, this is the place to do it.

Cracking "Film-Hating" Foundations

2008-07-01T21:32:00.000-07:00

If you’re a healthy, normal filmmaker, your plans surely include applying to foundations. After all, that’s what we’ve been taught. Filmmakers get grants, then they make films. Sucker. The unfortunate truth is that the number of foundations explicitly funding films is shrinking while the number of filmmakers applying for grants is expanding. Think giant mosh pit. If you’re going to rely on these same, “usual suspects” for grants, expect a long, hard film row to hoe.

If you want to make a noncommercial film — narrative, documentary, experimental, or some exotic hybrid — then you must seek money from new sources. That money should include individual contributions, a subject we’ll delve into in posts. But, it should also include grants from foundations that “do not fund films.” That’s right. You need to walk right up and knock on the doors of these film-phobic funders. The fact is, they “don’t fund film” — until they do.

Who Fouled My Watering-Hole?
Fewer and fewer funders are supporting film. What happened? Why is this so damned hard? Sadly, somebody was there before you, and they fouled the watering hole. Many funders have become gun-shy of funding films because filmmakers failed to deliver on their past promises. Sure, grants were made, but not the mother-scratchin’ film. Or, the film was made, but not well. The program officer got her head bitten off by an irate board. She won’t be funding film again. Even if the foundation has no prejudices against film, they’re not primed to be receptive. They don’t understand film. They don’t understand how media impacts the world. Or, they’re just not imaginative. If they can’t see it, they can’t imagine it. If they can’t measure it, they can’t fund it.

Who Are These People?
There are approximately 70,000 private foundations in the United States, and untold legions of family foundations. Foundations exist as a mechanism to shelter money from taxes while at the same time encouraging charitable giving. By law, foundations must give away 5% of their assets each year in order to keep their tax-free status. That’s right. They must give away money. It’s the law! And you’re here to help.

In the foundation realm, program officers are gatekeepers, and board members are decision makers. Program officers employ a solid CYA strategy. They’ve learned what their boards like, and they plan to keep serving it up. If you fit what they’re looking for, you’re golden. If not, you’ve got your work cut out. This is why, with foundations that fund film, as well as other sources of funding, veteran filmmakers have an easier time getting grants. The vets are a known quantity. They’re low risk, unlike those greenhorns trying to crash the gate. As in other areas of life, so in grants: “The rich get richer.”

Tips for Success
All right, now that I’ve taken all the wind out of your sails, let me puff them back up. You don’t need no stinking film-funding foundations. That’s right. Because, while there are a couple hundred foundations that fund film with any regularity and which don’t bar the door and grab a rifle when they see a filmmaker approaching, there are just under 70,000 other private foundations out there. You can get grants from them if you know how to improve your odds.

Here are tips for increasing your chances of success. First, take the long view — look to develop a personal relationship with program officers. This is labor intensive but pays off. Go to “meet the funder” events hosted by local nonprofits such as the Foundation Center (which has offices in New York, San Francisco, and around the country). Second, read the foundation’s guidelines, and figure out how your film serves the foundation’s mission and objectives. Call the program officer and talk about your film. Describe its “mission,” how you expect it will impact the world, who it will impact, and how. If possible, talk to another filmmaker who has gotten a grant. Ask for insights into the process. Although it should go without saying, write a clear, concise, compelling proposal. Put a strong team around you that includes people who have skills you don’t, or more experience than you do. Write a clear plan for distribution and fundraising as well as a reasonable budget you translate to the foundation’s terms. I urge you to create partnerships with nonprofit organizations who can join your advisory board, help recruit interview subjects, help distribute or screen your film, and help give foundations that warm, fuzzy feeling of familiarity. Finally, note that they’re more likely to fund distribution and outreach than any other part of the process.

It works. I recently secured a $60,000 grant from an art-loving foundation that “does not fund film.” Until they funded mine.

Pony Up or Else! Fundraise Like a Wolverine

2008-06-24T16:39:00.000-07:00

Most people think filmmaking is creative, but fundraising is a chore. In fact, the latter pursuit is full of opportunities to be innovative, as I’ve learned during my 17 years as a professional fundraiser. I have raised money for narrative and documentary films for the majority of my career and for the last ten years have been a filmmaker myself. I have submitted hundreds of grant applications, made scores of face-to-face major donor requests, and have applied to most major government funding sources. Over the years, I have learned techniques for improving my batting average. Let me tell you what resources are out there and give you some general tips for increasing your chances of fundraising success. Of course, it also helps to have the determination of a rabid wolverine.

You’re the one that I want
The universe of foundations that support films rarely changes, except that it is shrinking. At the same time, new filmmakers are minted every day, and all of them are applying to exactly the same places. That’s why I urge you to do individual fundraising. Individual fundraising gives you more control, easier access, and more solid long-term relationships that keep paying off in the future. Potential individual donors include your family, friends, classmates, teachers, work colleagues, and everyone else you know. Yes, literally, everyone else you know. You say you’re afraid to ask people for money? You’re not afraid of money are you? Money makes films. Contributing to films is a way for closeted artists to participate in your creative process. Films with ideals and a vision for changing the world are inspiring. Please give people a chance to experience that thrill by giving you money to make it happen.

Who do I ask for money? Who don’t I ask for money? My personal database contains contact information for 3,000 people, and I constantly keep it updated. I put everybody in there: my hairstylist, my doctor, the guy I met on the Super Shuttle (a consistent donor, by the way). Last year my sewer line blew up, and I paid my plumber $8,000 to put in a new one. Think my plumber is on my list? Hell, yes! And guess what, he sent a donation for $500 when I asked.

Every time I make a film, I send appeal letters to my list of past and potential donors. I tell them what kind of film I am making, creating a strong emotional case for why the film is vital. I tell them how much money I need to raise, and I give them a range of amounts for contributions. I also tell them to mail a check in the enclosed envelope or to go on the web to make an online contribution. I tell them the contribution is tax deductible because the nonprofit organization Film Arts Foundation is my fiscal sponsor. I often reward donors who give at a specific level, say $500 or above, by listing them in the film’s credits or giving them a copy of the trailer. I usually combine an email version of the appeal with the mailed version, and I often pair a benefit event with the letter. When a potential donor is capable of making a large gift, I set up time to meet with him or her in person and ask for $5,000, $10,000, or more. These relationships require time to develop, and they need to be maintained diligently over time. By cultivating these donors, I can continue to ask them for hefty support in the future.

Coming up next...raising money from foundations.

I've got a film fundraising blog

2008-06-24T14:01:00.000-07:00

The world needs real information from a filmmaker/fundraiser who has raised money for her own films and for other people's films. You won't get this in film school. You won't find much about it on the Internet or in books, either. The world is changing, the rules are changing. How do you get your chunk of change? This launches the blog that gives you the goods on raising money for your indie film.