The Documentary Life15 Dec 2017

5 Things to Look For in a Fiscal Sponsorship + Conversation with The Film Festival Doctor

5 Things to Look For in a Fiscal Sponsorship

The fiscal sponsorship is one of the more critical aspects of a doc filmmaker’s success when seeking funds for their film. And we take a look at 5 things that can help you decide who might be a good fit as your fiscal sponsor. We discuss:

definition of a fiscal sponsorship
why the fiscal sponsorship is critical to your fundraising
5 specific things to look for in a fiscal sponsor

Podcast Conversation

Just as the fiscal sponsor is important to the doc filmmaker seeking funding for their film, the aspects of promotions, marketing, and distribution is the key to one’s success with their film’s release. Rebekah Louisa Smith founded The Film Festival Doctor, a company that helps the filmmaker design and then implement a full promotional and distribution strategy for their films. We discuss:

advice for getting into film festivals
importance of a proper social media strategy
what are the distribution platforms we should be paying attention to

Related Resources

As mentioned in the episode, we want to provide a small-ish list of some of the more known organizations that offer fiscal sponsorships and here they are:

Bay Area Video Coalition

Center for Independent Documentary

Docs in Progress

Fractured Atlas

From the Heart Productions

Independent Arts and Media

International Documentary Association

Kartemquin Films

San Francisco Film Society

Women in Film and Video

New to The Documentary Life?

Hot off the presses.. Be one of the first people ever to own your own #DocLifer t-shirt!

We’re sure you want to look as stylish and attractive as this young man, right!?

Head over to our online store and grab yours now.

SubscribeApple | Spotify | Stitcher |

Rate and Review

If you have found value in this podcast please leave a review so it can become more visible to others. Simply click the link and then click on the Ratings and Reviews tab to make your entry. Thank you for your support!

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(147)

Episode 146 | Wearing Every Hat: Surviving as a One-Person Crew | With Dandan Liu

Episode SummaryWhat does it really take to make a documentary when you’re the entire crew?Working as a one-person crew can offer documentary filmmakers an extraordinary kind of freedom. With less equi...

16 Sep 47min

Episode 145 | AI and the Documentary Filmmaker | With Philip Shane

Episode SummaryHow can documentary filmmakers actually use AI—and where does it belong in the creative process?Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming part of the filmmaking toolkit, but beneath t...

2 Sep 48min

Episode 144 | The Ethics Lab: Access, Consent & Trust | With Alan Berry & Mark Enochs

Episode SummaryWhat does it mean when someone trusts you with their story?Access may get a documentary filmmaker through the door, but it is only the beginning. The deeper responsibility lies in earni...

19 Aug 46min

Episode 143 | How Do I Sustain My Documentary? | With Jilann Spitzmiller

Episode SummaryWhat happens when the money runs out—but the film isn't finished?For many documentary filmmakers, securing initial funding feels like the biggest hurdle. But as the months stretch into ...

5 Aug 37min

Episode 142 | How Do I Fund My Film? | With Liz Nord

Episode SummaryHow do documentary films actually get funded? It's one of the most common questions filmmakers ask—and one of the least honestly answered. While conversations often focus on grants, pit...

22 Juli 40min

Episode 141 | Building a Sustainable Documentary Life | With Ondi Timoner

Episode SummaryEpisode 141 marks the beginning of a new chapter for The Documentary Life — not as a relaunch or reboot, but as a recommitment to the questions that matter most. After a five-year hiatu...

8 Juli 53min

All Good Things Must Come to An End

Can you believe that it was over four years ago that we first began producing episodes of The Documentary Life?? Well, neither can we. But as they say, all good things must come to an end!It has been ...

2 Okt 202030min

Winning an Oscar for Your Documentary Film

Imagine stepping up to the podium to accept your award for Best Documentary Feature for the film that you have put your heart, soul, blood sweat tears into. What would you say? Who would thank? Where ...

18 Sep 202051min