Film sales and distribution consulting
Sometimes you don't need an agent. You need a straight answer.
Independent distribution is unusually hard to find out about. There's no shortage of material on how to shoot a film and very little on what happens after — how sales work, what agreements actually say, what a film is worth, what to do when nobody's biting.
Dawson's consults on all of it. Thirty minutes with someone who does this for a living, whether or not we ever represent your film.
What people ask us about
"Is my film ready to go out?" An honest read on whether the cut, the materials and the rights position are where they need to be, and what to fix first.
"What's it worth?" Realistic comparable titles and a view on where the money is likely to come from. Not a sales estimate for a lender — we don't do those — but a straight answer about the shape of the opportunity.
"Which agents should I approach, and how?" Who's a genuine fit for your genre and budget, who has capacity, and how to get in front of them properly.
"Is this agreement reasonable?" A plain-English read on commission, expense caps, term, reversion and holdbacks, so you know what to ask your lawyer to fix. We're not lawyers and this isn't legal advice — take your own. But we can tell you which clauses to spend your lawyer's time on.
"Our film has stalled. What now?" The situation nobody plans for. Options, honestly ranked, including the ones that don't involve us.
"How do we market this?" Positioning, comparable titles, materials, festival strategy.
How it works
- You tell us the situation in an email — a few paragraphs is plenty.
- We tell you whether we can actually help. If we can't, we say so and don't charge you.
- Thirty minutes on a call, at a time that works across time zones.
- A short written follow-up with what we'd do, so you have something to act on rather than a memory of a conversation.
Why we do this
Two reasons, and it's worth being honest about both.
The first is that the opacity of this business is a genuine problem. Producers make expensive, irreversible decisions on rumour because nobody will answer the simple questions. We'd rather answer them.
The second is that it's good business. Some of the people we consult with come back with a film we want to represent. Most don't, and that's fine — the conversation was still worth having.
Questions
Do I have to be a client?
No. Most people we consult with aren't, and there's no obligation either way.
Will you tell me things I don't want to hear?
Yes. That's the point. A consultant who doesn't share the truth with you is a waste of time.
Is this legal or financial advice?
No. We can tell you how the business works and what's normal, but we're not lawyers or financial advisers. Take your own advice on anything you're signing.