9/05/2014

Producing and Distributing Content the Full Throttle Media Way!

A lot of people make videos, but not a lot of people make videos or films, called content, that get distributed. Why is that? First, it is not easy to make something that you can sell or disseminate commercially. Do you have the rights to all the material in your content? Maybe you shot all the clips, but do you have the rights to publish the images of all the people who appear in your production? Are you using music and do you have the legal right to publish that music? It is a tricky game legally to make content for distribution.

Ok, let's say you have all the rights you need to distribute your wonderful content. Where are you going to distribute it? You could publish it for free or for very, very little on YouTube or Vimeo or a few other channels. But, who makes films or videos to give away? Most folks want to reap the rewards of their hard work. Well, this is where things get really hard. Yeah, I am a film maker, but have never made a dollar selling anything. You hear that quite a bit. What to do? Who will buy, do they know you exist, how do you get your masterpiece in front of your audience? Well, let me say, it is super difficult and most times costly. You better have a lot of perseverance.

How did I manage to create content, build a distribution platform and get an audience to know I exist. Again, it took a lot of time and hard work. My first decision was to start making content that is focused on one subject matter. I am not making one off productions with no continuity. I go after subject matters that I know have big enthusiast following. My passion is for cars and fishing. And, that is my jump off point. Make content for an audience that you know will like the subject matter. I brought in partners that had huge credibility and reputations and convinced them we could make cool content that people would love.

For my In the Spread series, the decision was made to produce a large body of work before launching into large scale distribution. One key partner, RJ Boyle, owns a major tackle shop with lots of existing customers. That gave me a good head start on selling. Their was a semi-captive customer base. But, we had to go much bigger than that. So, we built a website to distribute online. Why pay someone else to sell you stuff, when you can do it yourself? One key factor in my favor was that none in the sport fishing industry was doing anything, on a focused scale, like what I wanted to do. Granted, that is rare. So, we could be the prime mover into a media category. Again, lucky!

Build it and they will come. What? Not so fast. You better have a good marketing plan and some funds to carry you through. Or, sponsors will help. And, you need a solid team with the same vision. I could on and on about the difficulties involved in all of this. Well, staying focused and pounding the pavement to achieve distribution goals can pay off. With 27 feature length DVD's made in the past 2 years, 50 or so shorter videos and interviews and several more projects in production, Full Throttle Media has created a wholesale brand out of an idea to start making films.

I cannot even pretend to say any of this has been easy. If you would like to know more or have any questions about production and distribution, contact me and I will be happy to help. Send me a message via twitter @gofullthrottle

Good luck with your producing.


Copyright © 2014, Full Throttle Media, Inc.

Share the experience, sell the dream...Full Throttle Media! FTM #fullthrottlemedia #inthespread