Jon Fitzgerald - Film Festival Strategist
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With twenty-five years of experience in the independent film, internet and film festival communities, Jon offers a unique combination of skills and perspective on the industry, and is known to be a true supporter of the independent filmmaker. As a filmmaker himself, he has produced a number of award winning documentaries; and as a consultant, has guided countless independent film projects at every stage of development, and through the maze of festivals and hybrid distribution models.
As a Co-Founder of the Slamdance Film Festival (1995), he led the event the next two seasons before being named the Festival Director for the prestigious AFI Film Festival in 1997. After running AFI Fest for three years (1997-1999), he launched a consulting firm guiding the launch of numerous film festivals (Bahamas, Lone Star, Orlando), directing several others (Santa Barbara, Topanga and Naples), and advising to dozens more. He shares insights, articles and videos to a broad community of filmmakers through his newsletter On the Circuit. In October of 2012, Jon authored his first book, now in its second edition, entitled Filmmaking for Change: Make Films That Transform the World, published by industry leader Michael Wiese Productions. He created an online course entitled Film Festival Mastery, which has had over 500 students, authored a Film Festival Playbook and companion Film Festival Workbook with a concise version of his key tips, and has been a guest on many film related podcasts, and his host of A History of Film Festivals in 100 Movies. |
“Jon supported our first feature, inviting it to play both Slamdance and AFI Fest. From there, he was always a thoughtful and creative champion of independent, undiscovered talent. He made introductions that helped launch our career. Jon is a visionary, and really connects with filmmakers. He continues to be a guiding force for emerging filmmakers, and as a seasoned festival expert, is dedicated to supporting the art form and all of its possibilities.” Joe & Anthony Russo (Filmmakers, Avengers Endgame)
VIRTUAL COURSE
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Film Festival Mastery is a comprehensive coaching program & training system developed by Slamdance co-founder Jon Fitzgerald and filmmaker & financier Justin Giddings. 6 separate modules unpack the festival journey, from Strategies and Budgeting, to Marketing and Distribution, How to get on the Radar to Festival Participation. Plus lists and templates.
We saw so many of our talented friends who couldn't seem to crack the festival circuit despite having incredible films. With Jon's experience as a festival director (Slamdance, AFI, Santa Barbara) and Justin's experience of screening at nearly 100 film festivals, we set out to provide the gold standard in festival training so that good films - like yours - get screened. FFM course includes coaching calls. The Pro version includes evaluation of film and custom festival spreadsheet, based on the goals of the filmmaker. |
“We are forever grateful for Jon’s wisdom in guiding our successful film festival strategy. Thanks to his support, we played numerous festivals, won a number of awards and secured a sale to HBO.” Pedro Corea, (Filmmaker, My Dead Dad)
DIGITAL EBOOK
With over 7,500 film festivals scattered across the globe, building a roadmap has become a huge challenge. The spray and pray approach to submissions is inefficient and costly. Top festivals are getting over 10,000 submissions each year, so filmmakers need to learn how to get on their radar, create the right marketing materials, understand what is needed to target distributors, advance their career, and understand the keys to maximizing their unique experience. The Playbook presents 101 ideas.
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DIGITAL COMPANION EBOOK
A companion piece to the Film Festival Playbook, this Workbook uses the same six categories outlined in the Playbook as guideposts. Used as a resource tool, this will help you map out your strategy, from Festival Tracking, to Financial Planning and Brand Marketing. Each section has exercises and easy to use tools to help you layout your strategy, with links to support materials in the Resource section at the back of the book. These include sample templates, spreadsheets, guides, lists, and case studies.
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“Jon Fitzgerald has decades of experience in the film festival world, as a co-founder of Slamdance and Director of a multitude of prestigious film festivals. I felt lucky to have him guide the film festival strategy of my film Breaking Bread. The film played over 65 film festivals. I did not make a major decision without consulting Jon, and I can’t thank him enough.” Beth Alise Hawk (Filmmaker, Breaking Bread)
PODCAST
A History of Film Festivals in 100 Movies will share the backgrounds, the stories and the filmmakers that have influenced the fest circuit and the business of movies. Covering the films and players that helped shape the landscape, the podcast will include the backstories, quotes, box office totals and career trajectories for the filmmakers that helped shape festivals.
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NEWSLETTER
With over 75,000 subscribers, the On the Circuit newsletter includes weekly articles, top 10 lists and case studies of films playing the festival circuit. The goal is to keep filmmakers informed on success stories, current trends and the evolving roster of international film festivals. Create the ideal strategy for your film, and advance your career.
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FILM DEPARTMENT PACKAGES
PACKAGE A
$449 - up to 25 students (value $2,375) |
PACKAGE BEverything in Package A, plus:
$5,000 (value: $15,125) |
PACKAGE CEverything in Package A & B, plus:
$10,000 + travel expenses (value: $22,610) |
Custom packages available.
