Executive Producer & New Media Marketing Guru

"Too many filmmakers don't understand sales & marketing. Distribution channels have made the shift from brick and mortar to VOD and streaming websites. Suddenly filmmakers have incredible new outlets to sell their movies. But to prosper - to get a movie seen and sold - marketing has to be one of the producer's key roles.

"If you're entrepreneurial, I think the future of filmmaking is pretty bright. Content can be produced for minimal up-front costs. And it can be delivered instantly to the world. It's now possible to create a revenue stream without inventory. To me, that's amazing...!"

How did you get started in the film business.
After college, I moved back to my parent's house in Pennsylvania with no real direction. I knew I wanted to make movies, but I had no idea how to get started. At the time, I had a 16mm student film from one of my classes. In trying to find somewhere that could transfer it from film to video, I met some folks at a small market production company. And out of it, I got my first job.

What was your first job on a set?
I guess my official title was coffee fetcher. And between productions, I mopped floors. Eventually this led to more hands on production duties, like carrying cables, setting up lights and laying down dolly track. We produced television commercials and corporate videos.

Any other film jobs...?
A lot of grip and gaffer stuff in the smaller market. All of it was non-union. I can remember crewing a 35mm TV commercial with an 8 person crew. That day, I was the grip, gaffer and boom operator. At the time, I just assumed all productions were run that tight. Ha! Great education. Still, I couldn't believe people actually paid me to be that close to the action.

You worked in New York, too...?
Yes. One day I got a call from a former intern of the same Pennsylvania production company. He was now producer in New York City.

He invited me to come into the city and grip a corporate video for one of the big banks. Keep in mind, I'm from a small town. So this is a HUGE deal. Once I arrived, the production was missing a camera operator. So I took that job too. Just thinking about the excitement of that day reminds me why I got into this business in the first place.

After that experience, I moved to New York and found work as an assistant to an indie producer.  With him, I read screenplays, wrote coverage and with all of my production experience, I was able to help out on set quite a bit too. Additionally, I learned about business plans, how to meet with investors, how to contact acquisitions folks and importantly, I learned how quickly a green lit project can fall apart.

Have you ever wanted to get out of the business?
No. I don't know if you can ever fully remove yourself from the business. Making movies is addicting. But I have stopped asking for jobs. At some point I realized it was nice to do the work I wanted to do and not worry about what any one else thought. So I have made it a goal to make at least 1 feature a year.

Who was your mentor?
Joe Surges taught me a lot. He had about 30 years of experience in the smaller market, doing corporate gigs and television commercials. He was a very talented producer and writer.

Back in the day, based on the strength of a spec script, he was invited to interview for staff position on The Newheart Show. He passed that up to raise a family and stay in Pennsylvania. He taught me some things about the business and life that have guided me through both New York and Los Angeles. 1. Do your best work. 2. Show up on time, always. 3.Never burn a bridge.

One time I called Joe from New York. We had just lost 1.5 million dollars worth of financing on our feature. And suddenly I was in New York with limited money and lots of rent. I called Joe and he kindly informed me that projects fall apart. He told me that I just experienced life's first bloody nose. I wouldn't say he was nice about it, but he told me to wipe the blood off, get up and start working on my next project immediately. He also said: You never know which ripple will hit the shore first. That stays with me.

Joe had a pretty good network in New York City and really helped me get my first job there. He passed away a few years ago.

I also worked with some great people in New York and the Maine Media Workshops - people with the heart of a teacher, passionate about passing the torch. Barry Primus comes to mind as does Forrest Murray.

Why were you worthy of guidance?
I don't think a mentor relationship can be forced. Maybe it has something to do with that proverb: when the student is ready, the teacher will appear. If I were to pinpoint one thing, maybe a mentee reminds a mentor of that initial excitement - like the first time you load a film camera or set up a light under the backdrop of New York City. There is just something memorable about why we initially got into this business.

What was your most recent project?
We are in post production on a feature documentary called Toxic Soup. And it's my first doc. In the past, my focus has always been narrative features. But this one moved me. It's about some folks in West Virginia and Kentucky who are very sick due to the chemical and radioactive pollution dumped in their back yards. Prior to Toxic Soup, I produced a character driven indie that played a pretty good festival run, but fizzled. And prior to that, I produced a Zombie comedy which has garnered a cult following.

What’s next?
I always look at projects from two fronts, What is the marketable hook? And can I have fun living this thing for the next two years. If I can answer both questions without hesitation, then I move on it.

Right now, I'm in development on a zombie ninja haunted house movie.

As you can tell, I bounce between socially responsible films and popcorn movies. But despite the silliness, I always view each project wondering if I can make a return on investment.

What was the worst thing that ever happened on a movie?
The bad things always seem to happen in prep (like we loose money) or post (when we realize we don't have enough money to re-shoot a bad scene). Despite these difficulties, we have always learned from our lessons the hard way.

Admittedly, my response might be filtered through my delusional philosophy that every challenge on set makes the movie better. In that regard, I have experienced people getting stuck in traffic and grinding our day to a halt. I have experienced a screaming director at 3AM, right before he walked off set. I once had to fill a baby pool with jello and we didn't have enough jello. And one time my pants caught on fire from a severed electric cord. (Not anything we set up; just a random cord in the middle of a field.)

Any regrets that you became a filmmaker?
- When I was paying my dues in NYC and Los Angeles, many of my college buddies devoted their lives to raising wonderful families. I think the movie business is a trade off. This business requires such a hustle and is full of uncertainty, that I wonder at what point it will slow down enough to have a family. But at the same time, I like the challenge.

Which film of yours is your favorite?  Why?
I would have to say Toxic Soup. Mainly because I believe it can make a difference in the world.

Any advice for the thousands of new filmmakers pouring out of film schools?
There are too many filmmakers who do not understand general sales and marketing. As distribution channels make the shift from brick and mortar operations to VOD and streaming websites, filmmakers will have multiple outlets to sell their movies. But in order to prosper, marketing will become one of the most vital roles in actually getting a movie seen and sold. Additionally, I would advise cutting up credit cards. I once worked in banking. Banks work very hard to make debtors slaves to lenders. Debt can kill movie making dreams dead.

Is it good that anyone can “make a movie” with a few hundred dollars of equipment?
I think the future of movie making is pretty bright for an entrepreneurial producer. You can produce professional looking content for minimal up front costs, instantly deliver content to the world and create a revenue stream without inventory. To me, this is amazing!

However, I believe this accessibility creates a gap between high budget movies and low budget movies. I know at least one seasoned indie producer who typically operates in the range between 2-7M. He was having difficulty closing the deal on one of his projects (with name talent) because some investors got cold feet due to uncertainty within traditional distribution channels. If this proves true for other projects in this "no man's land budget range," then the ripple effect means below the line crew may have difficulty finding well paying gigs.

Some movies will be made with less cash upfront. So as a result we might see projects that promise low up front money and back end points. This is in ways akin to a traditional start up model.

If you can take the risk, you might get rewarded. Or not.

Optimistically, I believe new channels in distribution will create additional revenue opportunities. We just haven't figured them all out yet. Companies like Hulu are very close. However, as the delineation between cable television and the internet fades, you have to wonder if networks will become 100% VOD - and if so, will studios become just another channel on your TV? "Honey, can you turn on the Paramount channel?"

If you could do one film over again, which would it be?
I think it's about time someone re-made Top Gun.

Jason Brubaker by Charity Read