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help selling documentary series
Greetings to all,
I am in the process of finishing a 4x1hr (or8xhalf-hour) high-definition documentary series in which I am the writer/producer/editor and cameraman. The series follows a group of “GlobeRiders” on an 8000 mile motorcycle journey along the Silk Road. The adventure is over, the footage is in the can and I have edited a trailer and the first 50min episode.
As I have already spent so much time producing this material so far I need to pursue the end result: selling it somewhere. Im looking for some help with marketing and selling the series to a broadcaster. So far I have talked to one potential broadcaster and received an offer to purchase the series for 5k per episode. That would be 20k total for four hours of finished HD programming which seems crazy low. I would think that it could be sold for at leat twice that…at least enough to pay the crew (myself) and equipment.
After watching the trailer, do you have any ideas about the marketability of this concept? And/or any thoughts about the quality of the trailer itself and the footage? It was all shot with a Sony FX-1 HDV camera and posted in FCP editing native HDV.
And where to begin looking for selling opportunities…? I am already using a friend in LA to pursue opportunities on that end, but I am hoping to uncover some more leads. As this is a side-project for me I dont have a lot of time to go to the big documentary fairs but I really want to find a buyer soon now that the trailer and episode 1 are finished.
To see the 5 minute trailer (from a Mac) go to GO>iDisk>Other User’s Public Folder…when it asks for a member name just type in “sterlingnoren” and you will see the “Silk Road Trailer” ready to be downloaded. It is a 16.8mb QT file.
Thanks for any and all input about the trailer itself or potential leads…
Sincerely,
Sterling NorenSterling Noren
Owner/Writer/Producer/Editor
WideWorld HD Productions
Seattle, WA -
4 Replies
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For cable tv the five grand figure is typical.
You should have done your marketing first and found a distribution outlet first before spending so much time, money and effort on the project.
You no longer have much leverage as the distribution outlet has the upper hand in that you need them more than they need you. It’s basically a take it or leave it scenario.
You will not recover your production cost selling the show to one outlet instead you have to find multiple outlets to recover your investment.
Tony Salgado
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Hello Sterlin, I
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Nestor:
Where do you find Producer reps?
Roy -
Sterling,
Try Mark Cuban’s company, HDNet.
DRW
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