Distrify - Film Distribution & Marketing Blog

Distrify Inks Exclusive Facebook Partnership With Butterfly Media

Mon, 20 May 2013 11:53:21 +0100

Distrify, the world leader in direct to audience video-on-demand, announces an exclusive deal with Butterfly Media which extends its reach offering for pay-per-view video content via Facebook to a network of 300 million users worldwide.

The deal, which will see Distrify’s cinematic content reach 10,000 pages, potentially reaching one in four of all Facebook users every month via the online social media platform, makes it the exclusive provider to Butterfly Media of films and other video content on a VOD pay-per-view basis.

Butterfly Media runs a global engagement network over Facebook with more than 300 million engaged users and millions of active story-tellers at all times. The new partnership with Distrify will now deliver the company’s VOD digital content and merchandise through to this huge network of highly active social media users.

Andy Green, COO and Founder of Distrify, says, “The best movies segmented by page with use of Distrify data and Butterfly data delivered to this highly engaged audience - this is a very, very big offer, a real game changer. Distrify already gives filmmakers and distributors the best opportunity on offer to maximise profits and this exclusive partnership will expand, focus and multiply their revenues.”

Butterfly Media offers a network of social media pages where network brands and advertisers can engage quality fans and create loyalty and buzz, as well as generate sales -leading to sustained social media attention, traffic and loyalty. Through the partnership with Butterfly Media, Distrify will place highly relevant films to targeted audiences through their likes, interests and activities. Up to 300 million users every month will see films directly through their news feed and be able to purchase them immediately.

Omri Dolev, CEO at Butterfly Media adds, “We founded Butterfly Media for the purpose of creating high user engagement and offering valuable content. We believe that matching video content to the relevant audience via the Butterfly Media network creates great awareness across social media platforms and user loyalty. We are very excited about this partnership and the opportunities it offers our business and our users worldwide.”

Kobi Shely, Head of Marketing Partnerships at Distrify says, “I’m very excited about our partnership with Butterfly Media. We are the number one provider of films via Facebook and the highly engaged audience that Butterfly Media reaches is already sharing and buying our films around the world. This deal will massively increase the choice of films available to everyone.”

Distrify is the fast-growing online cinema with integrated viral marketing tools offering filmmakers and distributors the opportunity to reach audiences worldwide and the world leader in direct-to-fan transactional video on demand.

The company already works with the biggest players in the film industry and social media working including the BFI, Artificial Eye, The Guardian, worldwide music film distributor Omnivers, and Creative Scotland.

The Distrify model turns every trailer for a film into an instant VoD player allowing the customer on discovering a film to click ‘rent’ or ‘buy’. Film fans are rewarded for sharing trailers with their contacts and film critics, online publishers and film fans are able to curate their favourite film collections and earn money for their efforts. Not only does Distrify offer international distribution, but it also ensures that the majority of the revenue earned back by films is passed back to the filmmaker.

Grow your audience with InkyBee's discovery tool

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 10:00:13 +0100

A few months ago, we told you about InkyBee, a clever service that helps you find bloggers and websites that could be interested in sharing your film. They have finally launched the service, and you can sign up today to kick-start a blogger outreach campaign for your film.

With InkyBee you enter a set of relevant keywords related to the subject matter, cast, location, etc. of your film. InkyBee buzzes around the web and brings you a list of all the potential blogs that discuss these topics. You can quickly identify which blogs are relevant, have the most reach, and have an engaged community of readers.

You can then start reaching out to the influential bloggers that might want to embed your film and earn cash rewards for helping you promote it. It’s a great opportunity for both you and the bloggers.

If you’re new to blogger outreach, we also highly recommend watching InkyBee’s intro video and reading their outreach guide.

And sign up today to take advantage of their founder pricing which expires on 30 April.

Announcing new Distrify price plans!

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 14:42:07 +0100

Today we are excited to announce some big changes at Distrify. We have been helping filmmakers and distributors sell their films for nearly two years now. What started as a crazy idea for a new website for our production company has become a fully featured film sales and marketing toolset used by hundreds of rights holders for thousands of films available all over the world.

We have been humbled by the feedback we’ve received and overwhelmed by the success of Distrify. A few of the highlights from the last couple years include:

the event at Edinburgh International Film Festival day when we launched Phil Hawkins’s Being Sold - we didn’t really know if Distrify would work, but we set up a bell to ring every time someone purchased during the presentation - by the end of the hour the bell was ringing non-stop!
sending thousands of dollars to filmmakers in Nigeria (who were some of the most impressed by our transparency)
working closely to support innovative distribution and crowd-funding for our Indian friends (more on this in an upcoming blog post)
watching films go viral on Twitter and Facebook, resulting in first-time filmmakers earning thousands of dollars in only a few hours
receiving emails of gratitude from filmmakers who had previously never made money from their films but are now re-investing in equipment and future productions - thanks to regular income from Distrify
having distributors tell us we are outselling iTunes
selling in our 100th country and then only a few weeks later, the 150th!
paying commissions to hundreds of fans who share and recommend films

Today we are introducing a new range of plans designed to optimise our toolset for both independents and distributors. We are also adjusting our pricing to give our successful sellers an opportunity to earn more from their films. For customers upgrading to our new premium plans, we are launching a variable fee structure based on your product type and price point. Our Indie plan has been streamlined to be the most cost-effective (FREE!) way to get started selling your first film online.

The new plans make it easy for people who want to sell multiple films to quickly upgrade and start uploading your library of films. We’ve done away with our old per-film fee in favour of charges based on the amount of data you upload and store, and storage charges are automatically waived if you are making sales. There’s a calculator on our plans page that should help you understand how this works.

The overall result of our new pricing structure means we can provide better tools and greater revenue share to our top sellers. We are also launching a number of exciting new features that we’ve been testing over the last few months. Over the next few days we will announce these new tools and explain how to use them on our blog.

Please head on over to our plans page and have a look at what’s on offer. If you’ve been itching for an upgrade, now’s your chance! If you have any general questions, feel free to post in the comments below, or email us with account-specific questions.

—Peter & Andy

Distrify announces first ever cat-friendly online film rentals

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 08:00:44 +0100

Under continuous pressure from cat film fans worldwide, we have finally introduced a fully translated version of the Distrify player in Lingua Feline. Lingua Feline the 9th language available on the Distrify service and extends Distrify’s unique direct-to-cat film marketing platform to 76 million new potential users who speak Lingua Feline as their native cat-tongue.

Cats are fiercely independent creatures and this innovation allows them to select and watch films without the help of their owners for the first time in history.

“With the rising popularity of cat videos online, we realised we had to meet the demand and make our film rental service available in a language that our cat-fans could understand,” said Distrify’s CEO Peter Gerard.

Cats around the world are now able to paw at their tablets and start streaming classic films like Cat Ladies, Rent-a-Cat or The Tiger Next Door, all from the comfort of their own litter box or sofa.

When asked for comment, Bali, a film aficionado from Barnet enthusiastically said, “Meow meow meow Distrify meow. Meow, meow, awards, meow, meow, Palm Dog, meow, discrimination, meow, puurrrrrrrrr.” Distrify’s COO Andy Green responded by stroking Bali and offering a piece of fish.

Distrify have curated a special collection of films in Lingua Feline including food-themed films and cat-horror films.

Distrify and The D-Word extend partnership for curated online promotion of documentaries

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 22:00:00 +0000

Curated collection features award-winning films from around the world

Distrify, the online leader in social cinema, announces an expanded partnership with The D-Word, the worldwide online community for documentary professionals. With a 10,000-strong membership including Oscar-winning documentary directors and producers, The D-Word is the most active online community dedicated to the art, craft and love of documentaries. The partnership makes films like Urbanized and War Photographer instantly available to documentary fans around the world.

Distrify has previously announced deals with Films Transit International, Story, Danish Documentary, and the British Film Institute. Documentaries from these companies, including award-winning films like The Monastery by Phie Ambo and Steve Jobs - the Lost Interview will form a part of The D-Word Collection.

The D-Word, founded by filmmaker Doug Block in 1999, has partnered with Distrify since June 2011, but will now run Distrify’s first official Curated Collection, as part of Muvies.com - Distrify’s new curated VOD platform launched this month with the support of the MEDIA Programme of the European Union. The D-Word has compiled a featured selection of films targeted at documentary professionals and enthusiasts alike.

Ben Kempas, a co-host of The D-Word and a producer at the Scottish Documentary Institute, says: “This is a brilliant way to share the films we like, not just our own documentaries but any film available through Distrify. They’ve made it really easy: you just click a ‘collect’ button, define a category, and it’s up there. We’re also going to curate a collection here at the Scottish Documentary Institute, where we really want to make use of the option to write personal reviews of the docs we love.”

The D-Word Collection includes categories focused on films made by members as well as featured strands chosen by editors. The D-Word earns a revenue share through Distrify’s unique automatic affiliate system, and viewers of The D-Word collection can quickly and easily join in – clicking to rent, buy, or share any film in the collection.

While the films may have different geo-restrictions, the Distrify collection is automatically filtered to only return search results that are available to each viewer, giving documentary fans a personal experience without disappointment. Viewers who subscribe as followers of The D-Word Collection will see newly reviewed films in their Distrify Dashboard on a regular basis.

“I have been a member of The D-Word since I made my first feature documentary in 2004 and love the true spirit of the community on d-word.com,” says Distrify co-founder Peter Gerard, who was also responsible for the redesign and rebuild of The D-Word’s unique community platform in 2007. “Many docs start as ideas here and are then nurtured through every phase of production and editing by the community. It’s great that thanks to Distrify, The D-Word is now a place to discover and watch docs as well.”

The D-Word collection is now available on d-word.com integrated next to the rest of the online community’s tools, including private and public discussions, member database, classifieds, and a members’ film marketplace. While members have been able to promote documentaries and provide links to purchase in the existing marketplace, the new Collection from the Distrify partnership will be their first curated platform for instant viewing of documentaries.

“This is only the beginning,” says Gerard. “Soon anyone, from a well-known critic to any film fan, will be making and promoting collections of their favourite films – with the ability for your followers to watch instantly and for you to earn a revenue share from your recommendations.”

“Led Zeppelin: Celebration Day” is launching in over...

Tue, 25 Sep 2012 09:41:48 +0100

“Led Zeppelin: Celebration Day” is launching in over 1200 cinemas around the world in October. Just click CINEMAS in the Distrify Player to find a screening near you. Enter your town or postal code, or click “Auto-Find” and we’ll locate your nearest showtimes.

To find out more about Distrify’s patent-pending showtimes service, get in touch.

Guide to blogger outreach from InkyBee

Tue, 07 Aug 2012 16:26:15 +0100

Our friends at InkyBee have published an excellent free e-book about blogger outreach. We recommend working with bloggers to promote films and to encourage them to support your film as affiliates. But how do you go about contacting them? Here’s what InkyBee says:

Blogs provide a powerful way of getting your messages directly to a very targeted and engaged audience. But, you can’t just spam a blogger with your press release. Bloggers hate that! To help you through the process, we’ve written this free guide to give you all you need to reach out to bloggers effectively. We’ve taken great care to use techniques that bloggers actually like and that are proven to work.

Download the free ebook now and try their blog discovery tool

Distrify and Drafthouse team up for Klown day-and-date release

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 17:51:24 +0100

Drafthouse Films, the film distribution arm of the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, announced today their partnership with new innovative digital distribution platform Distrify, which allows audiences to view and share content via robust web integration and social networking. The platform allows consumers to share content with a direct point-of-purchase link transforming the Internet into a communal VOD platform. Sharers of the content are eligible for Distrify’s affiliate revenue system which incentivize sharing from fans and online communities to maximize sales. Klown, the highly anticipated July 27th release from Drafthouse Films will be available for rent on the Distrify platform beginning day-and-date with the film’s release in theaters.

Celebrated maverick filmmaker Terry Gilliam (Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas, Brazil) utilized the Distrify platform to self-distribute his latest project The Wholly Family with monetized placement on mainstream online media outlets and shares from fans. The international hit comedy Klown, which was recently tapped for a 2013 US remake by Warner Brothers with Danny McBride (HBO’s Eastbound And Down) and Todd Phillips (The Hangover) attached, will be the first day and date release with a theatrical on the Distrify platform. Championed by The Village Voice and IFC.com as “the funniest movie of the year,” Klown follows two wildly inappropriate friends and one unsuspecting preteen as they embark on a canoe trip down the Danish countryside plowing through one unspeakable taboo to the next.

“Distrify is the cutting edge of digital film distribution, and that’s where we want to be,” says Drafthouse Films COO James Emanuel Shapiro. “It’s exciting for us because it allows our partners and friends to host our films that we both love dearly and us all to profit in sharing these films. Websites who host the film can share in the revenue their site generates and the more films that are on the Distrify network, then the more the websites can feel like a curator themselves and really become part of the distribution landscape.”

“Audiences are excited by the connection to the film and its creators,” says Distrify founder/COO Andy Green adding, “monetizing this relationship fosters deeper trust and encourages ongoing participation from fans.”

See further coverage via IndieWire, Screen International, and VeryAware.

Recent Press Cuttings

Thu, 21 Jun 2012 09:50:01 +0100

The last few weeks have been quite busy for Distrify. Here’s a run-down of recent press coverage.

Announcements from Cannes:

Some coverage of our exclusive partnership with the British Film Institute:

You can start watching a selection of the BFI films now - keep checking back as we add more classics to the BFI Collection.

And a few other recent headlines:

How to find blogs relevant to your film

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 15:41:41 +0100

How to find blogs relevant to your film:

One of the great things about Distrify is how you can get bloggers to embed your film directly in a blog post and generate sales from their readers. And with Distrify’s unique and simple affiliate system, those bloggers can earn a share of revenue for referring sales. Chances are that during the making of your film (especially if it’s a subject-based documentary), you’ve already worked out who the most important bloggers are amongst your audience. You should be contacting them the moment your film is available for sale on Distrify.

If you’re looking for more bloggers to work with on the promotion of your film, there are a number of tools to help you search the blogosphere and identify which blogs write about relevant subjects. Some of these tools even give you an idea of the reach a blog has. We’ve been testing InkyBee from Forth Metrics to look up blogs, and they’ve just opened their beta to the public. Click here to give InkyBee a try, or head on over to their blog post that covers most of the blog-search tools available.

Exclusive Discount for Jon Reiss's London Film Distribution Masterclass

Tue, 05 Jun 2012 12:03:23 +0100

Do you want to know how to distribute your film in 2012? How to make the most of all you hard work? How to keep control AND the money your film makes?

Jon Reiss is well known around the world for his books and his excellent masterclass on film distribution, and he’s coming to London this month. Distrify is teaming up with Jon Reiss and Chris Jones to offer an exclusive £50 discount for his 2-day masterclass in London on the 23rd and 24th June.

Taught by critically acclaimed filmmaker and author Jon Reiss, the Think Outside the Box Office (TOTBO) 2 Day Distribution Master Class gives participants the knowledge and tools they need to create a distribution and marketing path for their films. This course is recommended for both filmmakers who have finished films, and especially those who are in the early stages of a film project who want to have a clear understanding of the radically changing landscape for distributing and marketing films.

Jon Reiss’ approach is a practical, step by step guide to create a unique distribution and marketing strategy for your film. During the workshop participants will learn:

Goal Assessment
Audience Identification
Ways to connect with and build an audience for your work.
Social media, organizational partnership and crowdfunding essentials.
How to create a robust Live Event/Theatrical release that will.
How to create merchandise that audiences will want to buy.
A new approach to conceptualizing digital rights and their monetization.
How to coordinate the timing of their various rights and marketing strategies.
The importance of integrating this work as early as possible into the filmmaking process.
How to integrate the exciting new world of transmedia into their work and release.
What is a Producer of Marketing and Distribution and how they can help you.

In addition, participants are encouraged to consider how their work fits into their entire career so that they will carry their audiences with them into the future. The workshop culminates in live workshopping several of the attendees selected projects so that the entire audience can see the principals put into practice with their own films.

JON REISS: Named one of “10 Digital Directors to Watch” by Daily Variety, Jon Reiss is filmmaker (Bomb It - sold via Distrify), author (Think Outside the Box Office) and media strategist who works with filmmakers, companies and organizations to help them utilize the most recent techniques of direct film distribution and audience engagement. His upcoming books concern new models of artistic entrepreneurship and the Producer of Marketing and Distribution. He also teaches in the Film Directing Program at Cal Arts.

For more information and to book your place on the class, go to: www.distributionmasterclass.com

To get your £50 discount voucher, you must have your trailer or film on Distrify - email us to request the voucher code.

Here’s what former attendees have said about the TOTBO Master Class:

“Blew my mind, inspired and immediately enlightening. The workshop radically reinvented of how I think about communicating story and message.” David Newsom, Los Angeles. Filmmaker/Producer

“Practical advice based on case studies; innovative social network engagements, outside the box thinking- Fantastic! Absolutely cutting edge information - it feels like we’re in a small select group privy to secret info!” Ruth O’Donnell, London, Filmmaker

“So much great information- it was spilling out of my ears!” Adria Budd Johnson, Vancouver, Writer/Producer

“The workshop is an excellent starting point for any filmmaker preparing to launch their project into the current complicated distribution landscape!” Mischa Webley, New York, Filmmaker

“Of all the film courses I’ve been at, this was by far the best. If you want to distribute a film this course is a must.” Larry Cowan, London, Filmmaker

“My brain is buzzing, my heart is thumping, and my to-do list has grown considerably. I feel tremendously empowered.” Marisa Miller Wolfson, New York, Filmmaker

“No filmmaker should miss the opportunity to learn the invaluable knowledge Jon has given us!” Tom Mulcrow, London, Filmmaker

“The individual help that you gave to people about their projects was pure gold. There’s nothing out there like it.” Jules Rampton, London, Filmmaker

“Full of useful information that every filmmaker should know and was presented in such a way that was both practical yet, inspirational.” Dena Ashbaugh, Vancouver, Filmmaker

Here’s a great video interview with Andy Green, co-founder...

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 12:02:38 +0100

Here’s a great video interview with Andy Green, co-founder of Distrify, talking about how to sell your films online. The interview was conducted and filmed by Chris Jones, author of the best-selling Guerrilla Film Makers Handbook. You can rent his great multi-award winning short Gone Fishing here.

Distrify starts streaming video from the moon

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 03:48:18 +0100

Distrify is pleased to announce the immediate opening of our newest data-center: DISTRIMOON. The new data-center extends Distrify’s video streaming capabilities beyond the normal limits of a traditional earth-based Content Delivery Network.

“While our competitors focus on streaming video to small territories like the USA or Europe, Distrify was available globally from day one,” says Distrify CEO Peter Gerard. “With our expansion onto the moon, we can now provide high definition instant streaming to our users on the International Space Station.”

The moon-based data-center also enhances the film-viewing and sharing experience for viewers on earth. “When you watch a film via Distrify and you want to share it with friends, just point your smartphone at the moon,” explains Distrify COO Andy Green. “The signal will bounce off the moon and if your friends are looking at a full moon they will see the trailer for your new favourite film.”

While some critics have objected to the visual impact of Distrify’s data-center, most astronomers appreciate the ease of renting, buying and sharing films that Distrify brings them. “At first many of us in the community were concerned about the sheer size of Distrify’s data-center and we initially opposed building a structure that would always be visible in the face of the moon,” says lead astronomer at NASA, Dr. Frank Morrison. “But who can complain when Distrify makes it so easy to watch and share films like Space Tourists.”

Pre-order Terry Gilliam's new award-winning film - "The Wholly Family"

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 13:56:00 +0000

Distrify is excited to officially announce the details of our partnership with Terry Gilliam and The Guardian as the newly created web platform will be powering the exclusive worldwide premiere of “The Wholly Family” in collaboration with one of the world’s leading newspapers. The award-winning director Terry Gilliam has opted to release his latest film adopting our direct-to-fan distribution model, and we are particularly proud to be making our services available to the works of one of the film industry’s most celebrated directors.

The Guardian will be hosting the launch with an exclusive live-streamed interview with Terry Gilliam on Monday 23rd January at 7pm GMT. You can join in at home by streaming the film via Distrify and participating in the live-blog and Q&A with Terry on The Guardian’s website. Pre-order now and we’ll send you an email reminder on the 23rd with your access details to watch the film.

Also, be sure to check out Terry Gilliam’s website and Facebook page, and of course, enjoy the film!

— The Distrify Team

Distrify is proud to be supporting the premiere of A Christmas...

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 06:26:50 +0000

Distrify is proud to be supporting the premiere of A Christmas Carol - the first film based on a Charles Dickens work to be released in 2012 - the writer’s bicentenary year.

The film has a remarkable story behind it, being the first film ever to be cast, crewed, financed and distributed via Facebook. Jason Figgis made the film over a 2-year period with a budget less than €1,200, but thanks to a heck of a lot of talent and good-will, it looks like it costs about 1000 times more.

You can watch it here, on the Christmas Carol Facebook page, or on The Dickens Fellowship website.

Read more about A Christmas Carol on the RTE (Irish National TV) website.

And if you need even more Dickens in 2012, check out Charles Dickens’s England, a great documentary also streaming via Distrify and The Dickens Fellowship.

Louis CK opens his books on his Direct-to-Fan experiment

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 04:53:55 +0000

Louis CK opens his books on his Direct-to-Fan experiment:

In case you missed it, comedian Louis CK recently made a good amount of money (over $1 million in 12 days) selling an exclusive one-hour comedy special direct-to-fan, using a very expensive custom-built system similar to Distrify (minus our fantastic social media tools, simple embedding, payment and currency options, etc. - okay, it’s got little in common with Distrify apart from the Direct-to-Fan philosophy that underpins what we do). Here’s a link to Fred Wilson’s thoughts about the experiment. Worth reading.

If you’re inspired by Louis’s experiment, then go sign up for Distrify - we bring this kind of success potential to everyone.

More from IDFA: Distrify inks partnership with Syndicado

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 09:02:05 +0000

“After reviewing several media players and e-commerce solutions we were impressed with Distrify’s flexible tool-set to support our new marketing platform for documentaries”, says Greg Rubidge, president of Syndicado, a digital distribution company focused on feature-length documentaries and factual TV programming for launch on digital platforms such as the internet, TV VOD and mobile.

From IDFA Daily: Films Transit and Distrify announce partnership

Sun, 20 Nov 2011 13:57:00 +0000

From IDFA Daily: Films Transit and Distrify announce partnership:

We are at IDFA in Amsterdam, where we are excited to announce a new partnership to bring Films Transit’s expansive catalogue of documentaries to the world via online streaming and downloads. From the article in IDFA’s daily newspaper:

“I have been looking for a long time for a site that enables people to share films”, says Films Transit chief Jan Rofekamp. He adds that he had looked into more established platforms like iTunes, but decided against using them for financial and control reasons. “iTunes isn’t a good deal. Also, it requires us to go aggregator, so you have no control of what happens to your films. All you can do is put it up there and that’s it”, he explains. “What I like about Distrify is that you can set up the site as you want and have control over the content.”

Distrify partners with The Guardian

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 11:06:53 +0000

Distrify is delighted to be working with The Guardian and Artificial Eye on trialing a unique online film event. We are enabling the streaming rentals of Kieslowski’s classic Three Colours Trilogy direct from The Guardian’s website so readers can watch the films while conversing with The Guardian’s film critics and other fans.

For three nights this week The Guardian is running a Live Blog in synch with each film and readers who are watching at home via Distrify (that means you!) can chat along with the critics. Last night the trial kicked off with a live blog screening of Three Colours Blue which has inspired a drinking game that will be added to the fun for tomorrow night’s event.

It’s not too late to join in!

Tonight at 7pm GMT, watch Three Colours White with Andrew Pulver and Henry Barnes.

And tomorrow at 7pm GMT, join in the pear brandy drinking game and watch Three Colours Red with Peter Bradshaw. You can still enter a competition to get a chance to watch and blog with him in The Guardian’s office in London.

Make sure you purchase your rental in advance of the 7pm start so you can click play and watch in synch.

(Rentals are only available in the UK and Ireland, but you can join in the live blog wherever you are.)

"Make cool shit, then do something about it. Repeat."

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 17:47:00 +0100

"Make cool shit, then do something about it. Repeat.":

A nice reminder from Gregory Bayne in this article titled: “Platforms, PMDs & Perpetuating Obscurity”.