Indie Rights

Last updated
Indie Rights, Inc.
TypeDistributor and producer of independent films
Industry Film
Founded2007
Headquarters825 S Hill Street, #604
Los Angeles, California
United States
Key people
Linda Nelson (CEO)
Michael Madison (COO)
Products Motion pictures
Parent Nelson Madison Films (est. 2003)
Website indierights.com

Indie Rights, Inc. is an American distributor of independent films, based in Los Angeles, California. Indie Rights is a subsidiary of Nelson Madison Films and was incorporated in 2007 to act as distributor for other independent filmmakers. [1] The corporation began as a private MySpace group where the makers of independent films could get information about the changing face of film distribution; founders Linda Nelson and Michael Madison created Indie Rights so that distribution contracts could be signed by a legal entity. The corporation distributes films largely through video on demand services, though more recently it has overseen such theatrical releases as We Are Kings and Fray , both in 2014.

Contents

Nelson Madison Films has produced three features: Bigger Than Live (2002), Shifted (2006) and Delivered (2011). [2] [3]

History

Background

Linda Nelson is a former investment banker and computer systems analyst based in Los Angeles since 1980; [2] Michael Madison moved there in 1999 from Duncanville, Texas, to work as an actor and film producer. [4] They first partnered in 2000 to create and distribute the NSYNC concert film Bigger Than Live for IMAX theaters. In 2003, they formed their own company [1] with the goal of making independent features using local talent. Madison acts and handles writing, producing and directing duties; Nelson writes and produces [4] while developing distribution plans for other filmmakers.

Lawsuit and recovery

Bigger Than Live broke even during its theatrical run, but Nelson and Madison "failed to tie up the necessary rights in our initial contract" and lost home video distribution in a lawsuit that shut down their production office. They moved into "more humble digs" and tried again with the crime thriller Shifted, learning the ins and outs of distribution while attending film festivals. [3] Nelson soon discovered that the chances of getting a film seen at a major festival such as Sundance or Cannes without having connections in the industry "are slim to nothing." [5] The company began a private group on MySpace called Indie Co-op, where filmmakers could get details on self-distribution, including attendance at smaller festivals where films are likely to benefit from local coverage and reviews. [6]

Nelson believed that film distributors didn't have any systems for accountability in place, [2] and that they tended to buy the rights to entire catalogs rather than individual films, [7] so she and Madison decided to do it themselves. Since they needed a legal entity to make distribution contracts valid, [3] they incorporated Indie Rights in 2007. [8] Nelson said doing both film production and distribution gives them a greater understanding of the challenges that filmmakers face than would a company that focuses only on distribution. [9]

Film distribution

Indie Rights distributes globally to on demand platforms such as Amazon Video, Google Play, Hulu and iTunes, [10] where filmmakers can earn up to 80 percent of the revenue. [11] Innovations include searchable film rentals on YouTube and through video game consoles. In 2014, the company was the first independent studio included on M–GO, a subscription service supported by six major studios that offers films for home viewing while they are playing in theaters. [12]

Filmmaker and Baylor University professor Christopher Hansen turned to Indie Rights in 2015 when his film Where We Started failed to make the major festival circuit. After a short run at the Arena Cinema Hollywood led to favorable reviews, the film was released via digital platforms. [13] Theatrical releases by Indie Rights also include 9 Full Moons (2013), featuring Amy Seimetz and Harry Dean Stanton; [14] We Are Kings, the feature-film debut of America's Got Talent winner Bianca Ryan; [15] , Move Me No Mountain (2023), and Druid Peak, starring Spencer Treat Clark and winner of Best Feature Film at the 2014 Omaha Film Festival. [16]

Indie Rights became part of the Independent Online Distribution Alliance in 2008, [17] and is a member of the Independent Film & Television Alliance, [18] which presents the American Film Market each year in November. Nelson and Madison also conduct seminars for independent filmmakers looking to build an audience through social networking. [19] In 2016, Indie Rights launched its own subscription channel available through services including Roku. [20]

Filmmaking

Starting in 2010, the budgetary constraints of independent film-making required that Nelson Madison Films go tapeless. Delivered, their second "crime thriller", was their first to utilize Red Digital Cinema cameras and Adobe CS5 production software. [21] Madison directed, and played the lead role in an "uneven performance" where "at times he's spot-on". [22]

Films

By early 2018, Indie Rights had distributed a catalog of more than 450 films. [23] The list includes:

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slamdance Film Festival</span> Annual film festival held in Utah, USA

The Slamdance Film Festival is an annual film festival focused on emerging artists. The annual week-long festival takes place in Park City, Utah, in late January and is the main event organized by the year-round Slamdance organization, which also hosts a screenplay competition, workshops, screenings throughout the year and events with an emphasis on independent films with budgets under US$1 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PBS Distribution</span> Home video distribution company

PBS Distribution (PBSd), formerly known as PBS Ventures, PBS Home Video, and Public Media Distribution, is the home distribution unit of American television network PBS. The company manages streaming channels, video on demand releases, and sells home videos of PBS series and movies and PBS Kids series in various formats, as well as programming from other public television distributors such as American Public Television and the National Educational Telecommunications Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ITVS</span>

ITVS is a service in the United States which funds and presents documentaries on public television through distribution by PBS and American Public Television, new media projects on the Internet, and the weekly series Independent Lens on PBS. Aside from Independent Lens, ITVS funded and produced films for more than 40 television hours per year on the PBS series POV, Frontline, American Masters and American Experience. Some ITVS programs are produced along with organizations like Latino Public Broadcasting and KQED.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Full Frame Documentary Film Festival</span> Film festival

The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival is an annual international event dedicated to the theatrical exhibition of non-fiction cinema.

The Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival is the largest documentary festival in North America. The event takes place annually in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The 27th edition of the festival took place online throughout May and June 2020. In addition to the annual festival, Hot Docs owns and operates the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema, administers multiple production funds, and runs year-round screening programs including Doc Soup and Hot Docs Showcase.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stanley Nelson Jr.</span> American documentary filmmaker

Stanley Earl Nelson Jr. is an American documentary filmmaker and a MacArthur Fellow known as a director, writer and producer of documentaries examining African-American history and experiences. He is a recipient of the 2013 National Humanities Medal from President Obama. He has won three Primetime Emmy Awards.

Richard Ron Cramer was an American film producer, film director, screenwriter, artist and composer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlanta Film Festival</span>

The Atlanta Film Festival (ATLFF) is an international film festival held in Atlanta, Georgia and operated by the Atlanta Film Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Started in 1976 and occurring every spring, the festival shows a diverse range of independent films, with special attention paid to women-directed films, LGBTQ films, Latin American films, Black films and films from the American Southeast. ATLFF is one of only a handful of festivals that are Academy Award-qualifying in all three short film categories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodstock Film Festival</span>

The Woodstock Film Festival is an American film festival that was launched in 2000 by filmmakers Meira Blaustein and Laurent Rejto with the goal to bring high quality independent film to the Hudson Valley region. The festival takes place each fall in the towns of Woodstock, Rosendale and Saugerties and the city of Kingston in the height of fall foliage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marshall Curry</span> American film director (born 1970)

Marshall Curry is an Oscar-winning American documentary director, producer, cinematographer and editor. His films include Street Fight, Racing Dreams, If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front, Point and Shoot, and A Night at the Garden. His first fiction film was the Academy Award-winning short film The Neighbors' Window (2019).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brad Mays</span> American film director (born 1955)

Brad Mays is a multi award-winning independent filmmaker and stage director, living and working in Los Angeles, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sundance Film Festival</span> American annual independent film festival held in Salt Lake City, Utah

The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,660 attending in 2016. It takes place each January in Park City, Utah; Salt Lake City, Utah; and at the Sundance Resort, and acts as a showcase for new work from American and international independent filmmakers. The festival consists of competitive sections for American and international dramatic and documentary films, both feature films and short films, and a group of out-of-competition sections, including NEXT, New Frontier, Spotlight, Midnight, Sundance Kids, From the Collection, Premieres, and Documentary Premieres. Many films premiering at Sundance have gone on to be nominated and win Oscars such as Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor in a Leading Role.

Wolfe Video is the oldest and largest exclusive producer and distributor of LGBT films in North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Film Collaborative</span>

The Film Collaborative (TFC) is the first non-profit, full-service provider dedicated to the distribution of independent film, including narrative features and documentaries. Based in Los Angeles, The Film Collaborative services filmmakers worldwide by providing distribution guidance and support as well as theatrical, film festival and digital distribution of art house, independent and world cinema.

<i>Life! Camera Action...</i> 2012 American film

Life! Camera Action... is a family-drama film directed, written, edited, produced by Rohit Gupta, in his feature-length directorial debut. Starring Dipti Mehta, Shaheed Woods, Noor Naghmi, Swati Kapila, John Crann, this ninety minutes quasi-autobiographical film follows a girl in pursuit of her dreams of becoming a filmmaker against all odds. The film received several awards and nominations. Its theatrical release was limited to film festivals. The film received direct-to-DVD release and subsequently on other video on demand (VOD) platforms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GoDigital</span>

GoDigital is a full service digital and video-on-demand (VOD) distribution company. Launched in 2008, the Beverly Hills-based company as of 2013 had a library of over 1000 films ranging from independent cinema to award-winning documentaries and foreign films. GoDigital has direct deals with a number of primary VOD services, including iTunes, Netflix, Amazon.com, Hulu and YouTube.

Jeff Barnaby was a Mi'kmaq and Canadian film director, writer, composer, and film editor. He is known for his films Rhymes for Young Ghouls and Blood Quantum.

<i>Hank and Asha</i> 2013 American film

Hank and Asha is a 2013 comedy-romance directed by James E. Duff, and produced and co-written by James E. Duff and Julia Morrison. The film stars Mahira Kakkar and Andrew Pastides. It premiered in competition at the 2013 Slamdance Film Festival where it won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature, and was later acquired for US distribution by FilmRise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gravitas Ventures</span> Film distribution company

Gravitas Ventures is an independent film distribution company owned by Anthem Sports and Entertainment. The company was founded by Nolan Gallagher in Los Angeles, California in 2006 and moved its headquarters to Cleveland, Ohio in 2019. It focuses on the distribution of Independent feature films and documentaries.

<i>Time</i> (2020 film) 2020 American film

Time is an Academy Award-nominated 2020 American documentary film produced and directed by Garrett Bradley. It follows Sibil Fox Richardson, fighting for the release of her husband, Rob, who was serving a 60-year prison sentence for engaging in an armed bank robbery.

References

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 Graser, Marc (April 12, 2009). "Osiris Adds To Its Indie Library". Variety . Retrieved September 27, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 Thompson, Anne (April 13, 2007). "Anne Thompson On Hollywood: Independent Films Going Online". Variety. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 Courshon, Jerome. "Interview with Indie Rights". The Secrets to Distribution. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
  4. 1 2 Meyer, John P. (February 2, 2007). "DVD Review and Commentary: Shifted, By Nelson Madison Films". The Dallas Morning News . Retrieved September 29, 2014.
  5. ↑ Parks 2007, p. 89.
  6. ↑ Parks 2007, p. 87–88.
  7. ↑ Parks 2007, p. 87.
  8. ↑ "Indie Rights Inc – Glendale, CA – Business Profile". Dun & Bradstreet . Retrieved October 12, 2014.
  9. ↑ Minding VOD Windows, 3:00–3:05.
  10. ↑ Kendrick, Tommy G. (January 2014). "047 ATP Intro to VOD Distribution with Linda Nelson". Actors Talk. Retrieved September 29, 2014.
  11. ↑ Koungoulos, Afrodite (April 13, 2007). "Take Two Film Festival to support independent creators". New York City: Spectator Publishing. Retrieved April 9, 2018– via Columbia Daily Spectator.
  12. ↑ Minding VOD Windows, 27:26–28:43.
  13. ↑ Kosek, Jane Kelly (June 19, 2015). "Q&A with Christopher Hansen, Writer/Director of Where We Started". All About Indie Filmmaking. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
  14. ↑ "9 Full Moons". IndieWire . Retrieved September 27, 2014.
  15. ↑ Rechtshaffen, Michael (September 19, 2014). "Review: We Are Kings Has Heart of Blues but Misses Art of Filmmaking". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  16. ↑ "Results From the 2014 OFF". Omaha Film Festival. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  17. ↑ Hoffman, Jessica (June 26, 2008). "IODA Expands Video and Film Distribution Network Onto Amazon". Marketwired . Retrieved October 20, 2014.
  18. ↑ "IFTA Members 2018" (PDF). Independent Film & Television Alliance. Winter 2018. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  19. ↑ "Industry Panels Downtown Film Festival Los Angeles". Eventbrite . Retrieved October 21, 2014.
        "A Day of Free Industry Panels and Seminars". Burbank International Film Festival . Retrieved October 21, 2014.
  20. ↑ "Indie Rights Movies". Roku Channel Store. October 8, 2016. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  21. ↑ Blair, Iain (October 20, 2010). "Special Delivery: Using RED Cameras, Adobe CS5 and Social-Networking Sites Like Facebook and YouTube, Delivered Could Be the Next Model for Indie Film". HDVideoPro. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
  22. ↑ Bell, Mark (February 15, 2012). "Delivered". Film Threat. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
  23. ↑ "Indie Rights". Independent Film & Television Alliance . Retrieved April 8, 2017– via The Film Catalogue.
  24. ↑ Yeghiayan, Michael (August 8, 2013). "Glendale: Ready for Its Close Up". Crescenta Valley Weekly. Retrieved October 1, 2014.
  25. ↑ "2011 2nd Annual Reel Independent Film Extravaganza Event Recap". Reel Independent Film Extravaganza. 2011. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
  26. ↑ "2011 Indie Gathering Winners". Indie Gathering International Film Festival. 2011. Archived from the original on January 6, 2015. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
  27. 1 2 3 4 "'Indie Rights': Movies & TV". Amazon.com . Retrieved September 26, 2014.
  28. ↑ Parks, Louis B. (April 18, 2011). "Banquet Brings WorldFest to Close". Houston Chronicle . Retrieved September 29, 2014.
  29. ↑ "Dreams on Spec". IndiePix Unlimited. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
  30. ↑ "Ekaj". Amazon.com. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  31. ↑ "Entwinement". Solarus Films. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
  32. ↑ "Awards". LA Film, TV & Webisode Festival. Archived from the original on November 3, 2013. Retrieved September 29, 2014.
  33. ↑ "Flesh on Fire: Addicted to a Dream". gofobo. Entertainment Printing Services. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
  34. ↑ "Awards". UK Film Festival . Archived from the original on November 30, 2012. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  35. ↑ "2012 Arizona International Film Festival Best of Category". Arizona International Film Festival 2012 . Archived from the original on October 16, 2013. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
  36. ↑ "Williams' 'OzLand' picked up for distribution". The Dispatch. 10 October 2015. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  37. ↑ "Shifted". Amazon.com. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
  38. ↑ "Skid Row". IndiePix Unlimited. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
  39. ↑ "Los Angeles New Wave International Film Festival Fall 2011/Spring 2012 Festival Winners". lanewwave.com. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
  40. ↑ "We Make Movies". IMDb . Retrieved July 3, 2017.
  41. ↑ "Watch the Forgiving | Prime Video". www.amazon.com. Retrieved 2020-12-05.
  42. ↑ "Watch Goodbye, Petrushka | Prime Video". www.amazon.com. Retrieved 2022-10-27.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.