How to find a sales agent for your film

By Joey Dawson, Dawson's

Last reviewed: July 2026

Find a sales agent by identifying companies that have recently sold films like yours — similar genre, similar budget, similar scale — and approaching them through a warm introduction where possible. The most reliable sources are recent film market catalogues, festival credits, and trade coverage of comparable titles. Then check whether they have capacity, and get the terms in writing before you commit.

Most producers approach the same handful of agencies they've heard of, and compete for a small number of slate slots with incomplete information. Researching properly is the single biggest advantage available to you.

Step 1 — Build a list from evidence, not reputation

Look at films genuinely comparable to yours from the last three years. For each, find the sales agent. Sources:

• Market catalogues — Cannes Marché, EFM Berlin, AFM. Publicly available and they show exactly who represented what.
• Festival press releases — usually name the sales agent
• Trade coverage — Screen Daily, Deadline, Variety deal stories name the agent
• Cinando and The Film Catalogue — searchable industry databases of companies and slates
• Film Export UK — the UK sales companies' association. Its membership is a good working list of established British agents.

Aim for 15–25 names before you narrow. If your list has five, you haven't researched.

Step 2 — Filter for genre and budget fit

An agency built on arthouse drama will not sell your genre thriller, and the reverse is equally true. Fit matters more than prestige.

Filter on:

• Genre track record — have they sold films like yours, recently?
• Budget range — a company selling £15m films will not prioritise your £600k feature
• Territory strength — some are strongest in Europe, others in Asia or the US
• Current mandate — what they're actively looking for now, which changes
• Slate crowding — if they already have two films close to yours, you'll be competing internally

Step 3 — Get a warm introduction

Cold submissions get read, and warm ones get read first. Routes:

• Your entertainment lawyer — the single most effective route. Film lawyers know every agent and their introductions carry weight.
• Co-producers and financiers — anyone on your film with existing relationships
• Other producers — a producer whose film an agent sold well is the best possible referral
• Festival and market industry programmes — many exist specifically to make these introductions
• Sales executives directly — most are on LinkedIn and are more approachable than expected

Step 4 — Ask the questions that matter

Once you have interest, ask these before signing. All of them are fair, and how they're answered tells you a great deal:

1. How many films are on your slate right now, and how many are you taking this year? Capacity is the most important single fact.
2. Who will actually handle my film, and how often will I hear from you?
3. Which territories will you go to first, and what's the asking price? A vague answer means no plan.
4. Which markets will you take it to, and when? Get it in writing.
5. If it doesn't sell out of its premiere, what then? If they warn the festival isn't a sales market, ask where and how they intend to sell it instead.
6. What's the commission, and what's the expense cap? Both in writing. A cap without a number isn't a cap.
7. How long is the term, and how do rights revert?
8. Who collects the money, and how often do I get a statement?
9. Which lenders have accepted your sales estimates? Revealing, and rarely asked.
10. Can I speak to two producers you've represented? Speak to them.

Warning signs

• Flattery ahead of specifics. Producers are explicitly warned not to be over-flattered by sales agencies — they tend to take advantage of the wish to be loved. Enthusiasm without a territory plan is a sales technique.
• Uncapped expenses, or a cap you're told will be agreed later
• No minimum performance clause — no way out if nothing happens
• Very long terms with no reversion mechanism
• Cross-collateralisation across territories or films — losses on one offset against your revenue from another
• Upfront fees to consider or represent the film
• Vagueness about who else is on the slate
• Reluctance to put anything in writing. Get it in writing. All of it.

Frequently asked

Read next

What does a film sales agent do? →
Film sales agent commission and terms explained →

Send us the film

Dawson's takes on no more than 5 films a year, and we'll tell you exactly what's on the slate before you decide.