Adventures of the Indie Film Investor

With the percentage of profitable films so low, and the transparency of revenues so limited, how can you entice people to invest in Independent films?

Last year I set up my own development and production company, New View Entertainment, to produce two screenplays that I had written and many others in the treatment stage.

My background is in real estate and finance. I have founded or co-founded a mortgage banking company, a title insurance agency, and numerous real estate investment and development ventures. I believe that I can use my entrepreneurial experience to produce my own films, rather than wait for someone to give me a chance in an industry in which I have few connections. I have raised money for real estate and mortgage investments, but knew going in that film is a different type of investment. My typical investors would be reluctant, because they could not see a clear path to making money. Some have already lost money investing in independent films and thought of it as a glamour investment. Based on their stories, it seems that these projects were either not well conceived, or not managed very well.

I set out on building a plan to raise capital, just as I did when I first started any venture, by reading everything of value that I could find, and taking courses and webinars to educate myself in the film production and distribution business. I also needed to identify the typical indie film investor and find out what motivates them to invest so that I could develop my pitch. I believe…