You made a film. Now what? Chances are you would like other people to enjoy the fruits of your efforts, and if you are fortunate enough to have other people with a financial interest in your project, chances are that they would not only like the film to be distributed, but rather they would demand it. If the latter is your situation, I would hope you have already planned ahead and have a distribution plan ready (see our recent article on how to make a business plan for your film). If you don’t, read on for some of your options.

Tugg

Tugg is a community-driven platform for bringing independent titles to screens anywhere in the US. As a filmmaker you can use the platform to arrange and promote screenings, or you can use it to engage your social media following to the point where enough of them – your fans – request your film shown in a theater near you. It’s not a money-making machine, but it’s a fairly low-risk way of making sure your film gets a theatrical release.

Gathr

Like it’s slightly more streamlined competitor, Tugg, Gathr is a theatrical-on-demand service where either filmmakers or fans can request and promote a screening. Gathr is focused on documentary films.

VOD

Video-On-Demand seems to be the best way for a self-distributed film to generate revenue on a continuous basis and it should be part of any distribution plan you create for your project. Once your film has completed it’s festival run, you need to push for sales on VOD services like Netflix and iTunes. But don’t limit yourself to those brandname services – there are dozens of smaller, independent services that don’t require curator approval before making your film available for download/streaming. As a DIY filmmaker you can make your film more or less instantly available on services like Amazon Video Direct, IndieReign, Vimeo On-Demand and TopSpin, so you can start creating a stream of revenue. Check out this list of services compiled by PBS.

Aggregator Services

There are a lot of film out there. Not only do you need to know who you are marketing your film to, you also need to make sure your film is available for purchase wherever your potential viewers might be looking for it. That means either a lot of submissions for VOD services – or using an aggregator. A service like Quiver Digital takes a one-time fee to distribute your film across all major digital services (like iTunes, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Google Play, etc.), after which you get to keep all revenue, less any percentages taken by the service your film was purchased or rented on. Similar services are offered by Kinonation and Juice.

Check out this No Film School article on aggregators – and the same writer’s experience using Tugg for her theatrical run.

h/t No Film School and Oakley Anderson-Moore

Allow us to introduce to you, one of the six; Rachel VanSlyke.

In the spring of 2008, this adventurous music maker set out on a 26 plus-city tour sprawling from South Florida to Canada. Many of the shows involved raising awareness and funds for local community bike co-ops and community centers – which explains why she did this 4,100-mile journey on a bicycle. This solo/self-supported, pedal powered trek was both to promote the new album, and raise awareness for sustainability and environmental issues. Her most recent release, Help is on the Way (February 2015), has all ready received 4 songwriting awards.

You can find Rachel’s music on ReverbNation and on iTunes, where you can purchase three of her albums. Please enjoy one of her submitted songs, Leaving:

First up is Anielle Reid.

Anielle Reid is an American singer-songwriter and banjoist based in NYC whose music has scored the Australian short IN TUNE, has been featured in the benefit album for the non-profit RAINN, and has been featured on non-commercial radio including NPR.

Anielle has a single and an EP available for purchase on Google Play, iTunes and Amazon. You can also visit her on Facebook, Youtube, her official website or follow her on Instagram.

Here’s a beautiful video for her song submission, Morality: