If you ever wondered how to find indie investors so you can fund your movie, you’re not alone. As filmmakers, many of us would rather focus on our filmmaking over finding the funds. And if we had it our way, we would save the go-get-movie-money for a producer.
Back when I started my filmmaking career, I crossed my fingers a lot, hoping that some producer would magically appear in my life, discover my brilliant material and give me a million dollars to make my film. But once I realized that you pretty much get nothing in life until you stop asking other people to give you permission… I was able to push forward.
How To Find Indie Film Investors
In my situation, I did not know producers. I did not have money. And I didn’t know rich people. But I knew I wanted to make movies. And I knew I needed money. As I took to expand my network, the nagging question in the back of my mind was always: “How do I find indie film investors.”
While asking around, most people told me I needed to find a willing doctor or dentist and ask them for money. UGH! That was so frustrating. The reason? Because it’s outdated thinking. In the past, movies were a good tax shelter for wealthy self employed professions. Not so much anymore. (Of course I learned that the hard way!)
It wasn’t until I moved to New York City and worked with an experienced producer… That’s when I finally learned how people REALLY find indie film investors… I learned there is a well defined, systematic approach to getting money. And it doesn’t involve self employed dentists and doctors. Here’s some of the stuff I learned:
- Ask around and see if you have rich people in your network. Then meet them.
- People make money in different ways. Some make money as employees, some are self employed, and some people own big businesses, and some people continually invest in other people’s businesses. You can target prospective investors by focusing on HOW they money. (For example, a highly paid employee is going to value money differently than someone who makes a living investing in other people’s businesses.)
- And once you start your research, you’ll discover that (despite popular beliefs) most prospective investors were not born rich. Many are self made. They value hard work. And they will be looking to see what you can do for them.
The other thing to remember is, the motion picture business is a business based on personal relationships. So make sure you act accordingly. It’s your obligation to research prospective investors, qualify them, contact them, get a meeting and build a relationship.
As you build relationships with indie film investors, just remember – Your independent movie is YOUR business. And it’s up to you to develop your value proposition and build up the necessary confidence and courage to make things happen. To further help you, check out my buddy Tom Malloy’s film funding training. In it he shares valuable insider experience so you can find investors and make your movie.
