In collecting interviews for this film, the goal has been to get as wide a spectrum of opinions and experiences as possible. Once a week I will be posting a brief profile of a different interview subject, including why I believe they bring valuable insight to the table.

I was first made aware of Jon Reiss a little while ago, when someone recommended I read his excellent book Think Outside the Box Office. After a little research, I realized he was a fountain of new-era distribution knowledge, and reached out to schedule the interview, which was recently shot in LA.

As the director of several films, Jon had some very interesting experiences when it came to releasing his doc Bomb It!, inspiring him to write Think Outside the Box Office. I read most of the book on the plane en route to LA, and was blown away by the approach. As well as, to be honest, a little scared.

What Jon is suggesting in his book is exactly the wake up call the indie scene needs. The old distribution and marketing models can still work, but only for the smallest percentage of films created each year. For everyone else, it’s time to roll up our sleeves and accept the amount of work required to make a film a success in the current market.

The interview I recorded with Jon was full of great information, but for a much deeper understanding of his message, read his books.

-Justin

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