Distributor ReportCard

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Greenwich Entertainment

Greenwich Entertainment, founded in 2017 and based in Los Angeles, is an independent film distributor that specializes in both narrative and documentary feature films. With some impressive titles (Free Solo, Echo in the Canyon), it’s no wonder that many filmmakers are attracted to the pedigree of Greenwich’s slate. Like most distributors, some filmmakers we interviewed seemed very pleased at how this distributor is handling their film, while others, unfortunately, did not. Many of the comments reflected hardships that plague the industry in general, including staff bandwidth and the increasing difficulty of embarking on theatrical releases for documentaries.

The quotations below are excerpts from actual interviews with filmmakers who have recently worked with this distributor.

- Why a ReportCard?
- Methodology
Why a ReportCard?

One of the reasons we founded The Film Collaborative in 2009 was that filmmakers would often tell us how unhappy they were with their distributors—that they wished they would have known the things they now know when they originally signed their deal. The Film Collaborative embarked on a mission to educate filmmakers about distribution, which we have done ever since, not only through our normal daily interactions with filmmakers, but also on panels, at film markets, and through this suite of online educational tools.

But all the education in the world cannot ensure that filmmaker relationships with their distributors go perfectly. We are often asked to keep the gripes we hear—not to mention the larger problems—confidential, as filmmakers writ large are fearful of potential blowback. So, although TFC has a “secondhand” sense of how these distributors often operate, we wanted to find a way to let filmmakers speak for themselves while still remaining anonymous.

Our first attempt a half dozen years ago was a quasi-“Yelp” for distributors. We begged filmmakers to log in and leave comments, even anonymously, if they so desired. But no one wanted to take us up on this for fear of being identified, hurting their relationships with their distributors, and losing distribution potential.

Fast-forward to 2021, when we shifted to “Zagat”-type format, conducting private interviews with a diverse range of filmmakers who have worked with each distributor and synthesizing their actual quotes into a larger portrait.

The “report card” aspect here should not be taken literally, as we do this not to flunk anyone, but to provide guidance to future filmmakers as to whether these distributors are a potential fit and what filmmakers can reasonably expect from working with them. And also, perhaps, to give distributors a chance to reflect on these comments and ultimately do better for the films that these creators have entrusted them with.

—The Film Collaborative
A word about methodology…

All films interviewed were feature length.

TFC has, of course, received feedback about these distributors over the years from sometimes dozens of filmmakers who have used them, but for the purposes of this guide, we have made every effort to interview and utilize quotes from at least 8 separate filmmakers who have had relatively recent experiences working with these distributors. Of course, these experiences will vary from film to film, especially in terms of whether the project in question was fiction, documentary, or hybrid, what genre it was, and whether the film contained “name” cast.

When there were sharp differences between filmmakers with older and more recent titles, in order to provide a more accurate picture of the distributor’s current position regarding staffing and efficacy, we conducted interviews with additional filmmakers who had worked with the company within the past year.

Certain elements have been redacted in places to ensure the anonymity of the filmmakers interviewed.

As a nonprofit dedicated to filmmaker education and transparency in the industry, we will continue to offer filmmakers a forum to express their views without preconception or bias, now and always. If there are filmmakers or distributors who would like to add to, or further contextualize, any of the opinions provided herein, we have set up a special email address that will only be accessed by the TFC staffer who is facilitating these interviews, and not by the TFC team as a whole.

How did you first hear about Greenwich Entertainment?

I knew of them, as they are a reputable distributor in the so-called “art house” circuit. A producer friend made the official introduction.

documentary

Sales agent.

documentary

Via our sales company.

Our distributor made/had a relationship with them.

documentary

Sales agent.

They approached us with an offer after our festival premiere.

documentary

What motivated you to work with them?

They had previous success with feature documentaries and for a smaller company seemed to have a good handle on promoting indie docs.

documentary

Our sales agent said we needed to move forward quickly as our film had finished a year of festivals and would be “distressed.” We had two offers during the year that we, the filmmakers, rejected because of no MG or theatrical.

They had a good catalog.

documentary

They were the best offer we received.

A combination of the best deal received and being able to carve out certain rights.

documentary

Reputation, my friend’s personal recommendation, and for sure the fact that they liked our documentary, a specially difficult genre to distribute at that time, which on top of that had a polemic subject for many.

What went well?

Not much. We did almost all of the heavy lifting for advertising and marketing.

documentary

Nothing, so far.

We gained access to the streaming platforms and Greenwich’s network of relationships in distribution, in addition to them handling all the negotiations. They were responsive to questions about sales and performance.

documentary

Our theatrical premiere had a strong response, and they hired a great publicist for it. We had already done a substantial amount of work and feel that ultimately that was a significant contributing factor to our success here.

They sent the film to festivals and got it a theatrical release in [REDACTED].

documentary

We enjoyed working with their PR company who worked hard on our behalf. They were certainly a bright spot in our experience.

What went poorly?

Coordination and communication was challenging and we wish they had started working on our film sooner to capture more of the momentum we had already created.

documentary

They have a very traditional mindset about distribution and aren’t innovating as much as I’d have liked. In some cases it felt like they were doing the minimum required.

We were given a deal that basically went straight to streaming so it prevented theatrical releases throughout the country.

documentary

Ultimately the ongoing communication and sales were disappointing.

Communication.

documentary

Everything, so far.

Did they breach the contract?

No.

documentary

No.

documentary

Filmmaker Friendliness?

They weren’t unfriendly per se but weren’t the best at communicating and lacked the continued support of the film throughout the lifecycle. We but just didn’t feel the support we desired overall.

documentary

They were very unenthusiastic and basically lowballed us with a tiny MG and had a massive marketing expense cap that I’d be surprised if they had spent 20% of yet.

Very friendly, honest, but it takes time and perseverance to get answers from them.

documentary

Uneven.

Overall they are friendly, but sometimes it took a lot of work on our side to push for more engagement for the project.

documentary

They are receptive and friendly to independent film, but it feels like they don’t have the staff or resources in place to fully support all the projects they take on.

What would you have done differently?

My case is special. We have a worldwide sales agent based in Europe who gave up on the U.S. market after they sold the broadcast rights. I got the unexploited rights back— all of which had some limitations imposed by the broadcast airing date—and offered them to Greenwich. Greenwich had originally committed to doing a limited theatrical release in specific markets, but after a failed theatrical release of a different title, they reneged on that commitment. If time had been on my side, I would’ve spent more time searching for a suitor better tailored to my specific needs and conditions. I would also have started the search much earlier, during post.

documentary

We might have considered a more self distribution type model where more of the control of sales and distribution were in our power. You give up quite a bit to a distribution company and somewhat lose the ability to control your own destiny. It’s more work for the filmmakers but in lieu of a larger company with a continued PR push, it might make more sense to double down on your own abilities, especially if you have the resources to layer in continued PR efforts.

Either renegotiate it from not going straight to streaming or taken out a loan and done self distribution.

documentary

Greenwich came in at the right time to support where we already had a lot of momentum so it was a value add. I don’t think we’d change anything.

Probably should have been more demanding and assertive.

documentary

As filmmakers, I feel like we did everything we could to make our film a success.

Greenwich came in very early in the process and we felt they slowed down our ability to keep the momentum up for our impact campaign. I think we would have preferred to have them start a bit later in our release.

documentary

Any Final Thoughts?

No.

documentary

No.

documentary

No.

Takeaways

Filmmakers appreciated the access to streaming platforms, and the hiring of what they felt was a great publicist/PR partner for theatrical. Some of them felt Greenwich was responsive, receptive, and friendly to independent film in general, but others felt the coordination was harder and communication was received more negatively or required more effort than they would have liked. This case study appears not to have revealed too many red flags, because these comments reflect a diverse range experiences and reveal very little that can’t be applied to most of the distributors we take up here.

Are you a filmmaker or distributor who wants to contribute to this page? Please reach out at drc@thefilmcollaborative.org. Emails sent to this inbox are confidential and accessed only by the staffer who facilitates ReportCard interviews.

Acknowledgments:

The Film Collaborative would like to recognize the Golden Globe Foundation for their generous support in helping us maintain our online educational tools, video series, and case studies.

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Body

Why a ReportCard?

A word about methodology…

Article

How did you first hear about Greenwich Entertainment?

What motivated you to work with them?

What went well?

What went poorly?

Did they breach the contract?

Filmmaker Friendliness?

What would you have done differently?

Any Final Thoughts?

Takeaways

Contribute

Acknowledgements