Business Plan 2.0 Building Basics: A Virtual Intensive Bootcamp

In today's marketplace, where film investment is at its riskiest and investors are more reluctant than ever to part with their money, it's absolutely critical for independent producers to create a business plan, relevant to today's marketplace.

Business plans for independent films are much different today than they have been in the past. Why? Mostly because DISTRIBUTION MODELS have changed - and all new revenue streams have emerged.

As the economy has dipped, investors in independent films are more than ever looking for solid evidence that producers have a well thought out and realistic financing & distribution plan in place that is in line with the realities of today's marketplace. Otherwise, they have to think twice about risking their hard-earned money.

Just a few short years ago as an independent producer you could project revenue from tried and true sources like traditional DVD and theatrical distribution. While those platforms still exist, the models have been turned upside down - the returns these revenue streams once produced have greatly declined and are now supplemented by direct-to-consumer sales, VOD revenue, specialty screenings, merchandise, transmedia opportunities, Cable PPV, and more.

In Business Plan 2.0 Building Basics I'm going to show you how to formulate a business plan appropriate for the current marketplace and how to integrate new revenue streams into the traditional business plan structure. By examining both the state of the market AND new revenue opportunities available to independent producers, you will be able to nail down a specific distribution strategy for your film that maximizes potential return for your investors and clearly and effectively communicates that to them in your business plan.

Here's what we'll be covering in each weekly coaching session:

Each 60 - 90 minute group coaching session will consist of in-depth lectures and live Q&A, brainstorming and strategy sessions. Please see dates and times for each session below. All live sessions are accessible via telephone.

Session 1: STRUCTURE & BASICS OF AN INDIE FILM BUSINESS PLAN
(Monday, June 4, 2012 : 10am PDT/1pm EDT/ 6pm BST)
• How to build your indie film business plan
• Long vs. short - which sections to include and not include in your business plan
• The absolute necessities for communicating your vision to investors

Session 2: COMMUNICATING YOUR DISTRIBUTION STRATEGY
(Tuesday, June 5, 2012: 10am PDT/1pm EDT/ 6pm BST )
• Which traditional and alternative 2.0 distribution strategies do you need to include in your plan
• How do you tailor the existing traditional and alternative strategies to fit your specific project
• Which traditional and alternative strategies will realistically generate revenue for your project

Session 3: COMMUNICATING RECOUPMENT TO YOUR INVESTORS
(Friday, June 8: 10am PDT/ 1pm EDT/ 6pm BST)
• What is a realistic recoupment schedule for your investors
• How does distribution cash flow work for both traditional and 2.0 distribution models
• How to present recoupment in your indie film business plan

Session 4: SALES PROJECTIONS - PROJECTING REALISTIC REVENUE FOR YOUR FILM
(Monday, June 11: 10am PDT/ 1pm EDT/ 6pm BST)
• What do realistic sales projections look like for YOUR film
• How do you communicate revenue projections to your investors
• How to incorporate sales projections from traditional, and 2.0 distribution platforms

Session 5: BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER - YOUR BUSINESS PLAN 2.0 PRESENTATION PACKAGE
(Wednesday, June 13: 10am PDT/ 1pm EDT/ 6pm BST)
• What's the best way to present your Business 2.0 plan to investors
• Getting and keeping investors
• Tailoring your business plan to different investor audiences

In Addition, Business Plan 2.0 Building Basics Virtual Intensive Participants Will Also Receive:

• 6 Months of Complimentary Film Specific Membership to offer on-going support (value: $149)

• A Business Plan Template to create and customize your film's business plan.

• Sample Business Plans to gain an greater understanding of how business function and to see first-hand variations on format and specialized content.

• Supplementary Sample Materials for building business plans including sample cash flow statement, sample financial table, reference guides and more

• Business Plan Critique
If you complete your Business Plan within 60 days of the core Business Plan Building program's conclusion on May 4, Stacey Parks will critique your business plan (via e-mail only) and offer feedback on your plan as well as suggestions for improving what you've got (if necessary, of course). My normal rate to review and critique business plans is $1000. However, Bootcamp participants will get a review and critique as part of the program. (Please note this critique is for the body of the business plan only - we cannot critique supplemtntal materials including PPM, etc. Only one critique will be given per participant.)

• A private Bootcamp Forum for in-between personalized consulting.

• MP3 recordings off all lectures and Q&A Sessions.

• Business Plan Building Worksheets to help facilitate your steps throughout the process.

The Value Of Group Coaching:

This is a coaching program specifically designed for those who are looking to get their projects off the ground, understand how to add more value to their projects, and be able to responsibly and effectively communicate their vision to investors.

For a fraction of the price of just one hour of individual consulting with me at my hourly rate of $500, you become a part of this six installment intensive program. I have a full slate of business plan clients who pay thousands of dollars to work with me and many business plan consulting services charge upwards of $5,000 dollars to develop and draft these plans. I devised this group program in order to give filmmakers the guidance they need while keeping it extremely cost-effective and "indie-friendly".

But there is actually a much more substantial value...once you have the know of how to craft an effective business plan, you will be able to take that knowledge and skill and replicate it with all your future projects. That kind of potential long-term value is immeasurable.

The Fee:

"Any film maker new to the world of film finance cannot afford to miss this Boot Camp. This is THE ultimate resource for business plan creation! Not just an overview, but an extreme hands on process. If you have vision and need to raise money - then you will need the Business Plan 2.0 Boot Camp.

- Ron Borders, Borderline Productions

"I enrolled in Film Specific's Business Plan Boot Camp to help package my feature film project, The Lilliput. Stacey is a consummate professional, whose astute film business acumen is exactly what every independent filmmaker needs to be prepared to approach investors realistically, and get their movies made. i'm still in the process of attracting investors to this project, but now feel armed with the tools necessary to achieve results."

-Minna Zielonka - Packer, The Lilliput

"Thank you so much for your incredible Business Plan Boot Camp. With your guidance and wisdom I was able to write my very first business plan for our film. Our original plan was asking for a private equity investment of $650,000. We currently have one investor who loved our business plan and idea so much, he asked me to rewrite the plan and redo my projections for a $1.5 million private equity investment with name talent. Your attention to detail for each section of the plan not only translates on the page but more importantly, it translates in the pitch meetings. The wisdom you share and the amount of research you ask us to do really has given me that extra bit of confidence in my pitch meetings. I cannot thank you enough!"

- Prem Shah / Producer, The Keeper's

"My first film had no plan other than to make it. Which is no small feat, but once completed I had no idea what to do with it. I have never felt more alone. I ended up releasing it over the web in a 17 part series. It's done well, but hasn't generated a single $. As for my second film, I attended Stacey's Business Plan Boot Camp and it's changed my approach to the entire project. I immediately saw the importance in having a target audience and it forced a necessary rewrite of my script. It's helped me define realistic goals and expectations which impacted my budget. I devised a Plan A and B distribution strategy and are working in post to help realize it. Bottom line, your artistic vision has to be seen as a business venture to ensure you are in the best possible position for a return on your dreams. Business Boot Camp is the very backbone that allows your project to stand up and reach for the big screen."

- Louis Palma, 40AWeek Productions

"I have produced two feature films... ('Find Me Guilty' directed by the late Sidney Lumet and 'Even Money' starring Forest Whittaker and Kim Bassinger). Budget is one of the main things when talking to investors and distribution companies. But because the industry changes so much, budgetary needs also change and that impacts business plans. So, after I heard about Film Specific's Business Plan BootCamp, I signed up for the class thinking I would just be getting a refresher on the latest changes in the industry. But, little did I know I would be getting more then just a refresher. In Stacey's class, I got insight on how to improve my business plan - things I hadn't even considered. Yes, you might assume that after my having produced two feature films, with notable talent and sizable budgets, I knew everything about business plans - but, after I took Stacey's class... I learned that there is more to a business plan then the usual plan.

I recommend Stacey's Business Plan Bootcamp to anyone who is not only making their first feature film but also to experienced producers. Stacey's course is about learning how to stay on top of the game game, in the midst of all its changes... and everyone - amateurs and professionals alike, can always use that."

- Johnny Sanchez

"I know very few people who like to write business plans. For me, it's right up there with dental work. But, you have to do it!!! Well, this is like having someone go to the dentist for you. Stacey helped me take my pages and pages of failed business plans and put it in a form that I'm very proud of. If you want to have the confidence that your film could return money to your investors I would highly recommend it. Although, she hasn't helped me at all with my chipped tooth."

- Tim Testa

"Film Specific's Business Plan Boot Camp is an absolute must if you're serious about raising money for your film. Desert Runners is well on its way to being fully funded because of what I learned in this class."

- Diana Iles Parker, Co-Producer of Desert Runners

"The Business Plan Boot Camp will give you the tools to realistically assess your project's budgetary parameters and develop a set of rational, realizable steps towards meeting your financial goals.

Stacey Parks has a reality-based understanding of the calculus that buyers and financiers must use to accurately evaluate a film project's viability - and she offers this knowledge in the most supportive and positive of terms."

- Nathan Buck

"The timing of your Boot Camp was concurrent with my realization that I needed to have a business plan. Recently unemployed but having a good story in my hands your Boot Camp presented a clear step by step guide. Your combination of live sessions, Q & A, homework handouts, Film Specific templates & resources was well worth the cost. Actually I consider your offerings a self sustaining investment that I can mine over and over, especially in the insanely revolutionary universe of independent film finance.

Whether or not your program proves successful is up to my abilities to create a solid business plan as good as my story. I guess that prompts the cliche "shoot the deal" not the movie.

I wholeheartedly recommend your Business Plan 2.0 Boot Camp."

- Don Cato

"I did find the boot camp helpful and insightful. Having the sample and your advice guiding the process and pointing out the pitfalls and strengths was very motivating and clear, concise information. It's always those two or three tips that make such lessons or events valuable and this one had many. I especially appreciated your take on comparisons. I laugh when I even see other professionals touting Blair Witch or Bruckheimer films, but often wondered it there should be more realistic comps."

- Jack Binder

About the Instructor

Stacey Parks is an expert in the area of independent film distribution, with over 15 years experience working with independent film producers. As a Foreign Sales Agent she has secured distribution for hundreds of independent features and programs worldwide. She has sold independent films and programming to HBO, Showtime, Starz, PBS, A&E, BBC, SkyTV, NHK (Japan), RTL (Germany), Canal Plus (France), and countless others.

Her clients films have premiered at Cannes, Sundance, Toronto, Berlin, SXSW, San Sebastian, and other major film festivals. Her clients include Sundance and SXSW award-winning filmmakers and producers who have secured studio and mini-major distribution.

Stacey is the author of 'The Insider's Guide to Independent Film Distribution" (2007 Focal Press), the founder of Film Specific, the educational resource and community for independent filmmakers focused on helping independent filmmakers get their works distributed, and she is an adjunct professor in the Entertainment Studies department of UCLA.

Stacey has been profiled and interviewed in MovieMaker Magazine, Student Filmmakers Magazine, The Christian Science Monitor and the Los Angeles Business Journal. She has spoken on numerous panels including the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, the American Film Market, Slamdance and the Alliance of Women Directors, has presented lectures or workshops at the British Film Institute, UCLA, Women In Film, and the Raindance Film Festival, and frequently writes articles for MovieMaker Magazine, MovieScope Magazine, and Student Filmmakers Magazine.