The Future of Documentary Funding

Last Friday, I sat on the Future of Documentary Film Financing panel at the Making Media Now conference in Boston.  Joined by Ryan Harrington of the Tribeca Gucci Documentary Fund, William Rogers of the Curoway Institute, and moderated by Lyda Kuth of the LEF Foundation the conversation led to some takeaways and actions:

• "For Documentary filmmakers it is the best of times, it is the worst of times"
• Always have a teaser reel ready when trying to raise money
• Find your audience before even making the film
• Not all Docs need to be created equal - find the format, length, and budget size which fits you and your subject best
• The world is full of people with ideas, but those that take action are harder to find

After finishing the panel and listening to Scott Kirsner's keynote about the impact innovation has had on the film industry, we were able to catch up for a quick interview for his CinemaTech blog.