Presented by New Path Pictures in partnership with the Calgary International Film Festival.

Jon Reiss is one of the leading voices in independent film distribution today. For more than a decade, he has helped filmmakers rethink how movies find audiences in a rapidly changing market.

In this Film Fridays masterclass, Jon will break down the current landscape of independent film distribution, including how to identify and build an audience before release, create direct relationships with viewers, use festivals and event theatrical strategically, combine digital, educational, and direct-to-fan distribution, and build enough leverage to avoid becoming dependent on a bad distribution deal.

Drawing from current releases, real-world case studies, THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX OFFICE, and the 8 Above Distribution Lab, Jon will show filmmakers what’s working now, what has changed, and where the traditional model is failing.

For anyone serious about making an independent film, this is essential knowledge about what happens after the film is finished—and what should begin long before then.

[PANELIST] Jon Reiss is a filmmaker, author and media strategist who wrote the book THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX OFFICE. His company, 8 Above, creates custom audience-building strategies, theatrical experiences, and digital release campaigns for independent feature and documentary films. Reiss has consulted with hundreds of filmmakers and film organizations around the world, most recently THE LIBRARIANS, WHO MOVES AMERICA, BIRDS OF WAR, STEAL THIS STORY, PLEASE, and HOLDING LIAT. He has conducted workshops on six continents and helped create and run the IFP/Gotham Filmmaker Lab for ten years.

In 2023 he created the 8 Above Distribution Lab to teach filmmakers how to distribute and market their films. He writes about distribution and marketing on his 8 Above Substack. Last year he co-founded the Future Film Coalition a new organization to research and advocate for the economic sustainability of independent film.

Jon got his start in filmmaking and distribution at the infamous San Francisco documentary collective Target Video. He not only shot seminal bands such as Black Flag, Iggy Pop, Throbbing Gristle, and The Cramps, but was one of the first – if not the first -  person to conceptualize and execute video tours throughout Europe, carting 500 lbs. of video deck and projector in a VW Bus across 15,000 miles.