What should you expect from a sales agent?

F

FilmBoy77

Veteran
I had a sales agent contact me about my feature I completed a coupla months ago. Are there any key things I should look out for?

I asked what movies they had done but I hadn't heard of them. They said they had a relationship with some distributors but said it was confidential and didn't want to say who. They mentioned they had a relationship with Lionsgate as well, but I don't know, seems like anybody could technically say that if someone over there says "yea if you have some good films let us know."
 
They should be able to tell you what other films they have been able to sell. Seeing as they are working on your behalf, it is more of a partnership you are going into. What are they aasking for percentage wise? What will they provide marketing wise?

I signed with NonStop Sales out of Sweden, and they have been excellent.

Michael
 
What are they offering for that amount? I got a marketing document with a three year plan (duration of the contract) outlining what they were going to do with the film. Did you get that? This is separate from the agreement. They are getting 20% for their efforts.

Michael
 
aw man no i dont think they mentioned anything like that. i dont know much about sales agents/agencies so i wasnt sure what questions i should be asking. they were just mentioning the fact that they have a strong relationship with a distributor (they said its confidential) that offers worldwide distribution and that they would pay out every 2 months. to be honest my gut feeling is that these guys are just starting out and trying to get off the ground. every name they dropped i have never heard of, but then again, there's some reputable sales agencies with a bunch of str8 to dvd products i have never heard of yet i'm told they are supposed to be big.

does your guys pay out every 2 months? do you still own the rights so that you are able to sell your film again to additional foreign territories or did they buy you out for like a certain amount of years?
 
A sales agent essentially works to represent the film in the best way possible to make sales into all territories and managing the rights sold - whether it be theatrical, DVD, television. I was given a table of ASK versus TAKE estimates for worldwide depending on country based on the genre and budget/stars etc. of my film. So it behooves them to make the best deals possible in all territories since the more they sell, the more they make. Their rolodex is much better than mine, and they take the film to all the worldwide markets. The first one was Cannes at which they held two buyers screenings.

Everything is up front, I know where they are taking the film, I see their marketing efforts, and they have a 3 year plan with an agreement to renew at that time. We spent time looking at the other films they represent to ensure we were a fit for what they sell already, and to make sure we would not get lost in the mix.

You can go straight to Lionsgate yourself if that is all they are telling you they have for a connection. I hired Stacey Parks who is a consultant for distribution strategies. She is fantastic. If nothing else, sign up for the free newsletters she sends out at www.filmspecific.com She helped identify the best sales agents for the picture and I was able to use her as an introduction into these companies.

Michael
 
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