Networking #3- Organizations with a lot of Acronyms

Ok, now you have your business cards and you’re going to some local film screenings or events. Now you can narrow down your venues and activities by involving yourself in film communities.

Film communities are any networks, clubs, venues or anything that is run with the sole purpose of uniting people that have film in common, as well as maybe other characteristics such as gender, location, race, style, level etc. These can all be a great resource since anything related to them can be sure to be film-related and all the people you meet through the communities will be somehow involved in film as well. Oh, they can also be a good tidbit for your resume!

In this article I am going to do an overview of a few big film communities in New York City, or national ones that can also be found in New York City. However, even if you are located elsewhere, most of these will have different branches in different states, so it is still worth looking them up.

Now, I am biased because I am an indie filmmaker as well, so I am going to begin my list with the communities that I am a part of.

IFP- Independent Film Project - www.ifp.org
IFP is a pretty all-encompassing community of independent filmmakers. It is the largest and oldest of these organizations in the country, having started out as a program in the 1979 New York Film Festival. It organizes numerous seminars, screenings, events, parties, and workshops all year round and has various opportunities for indie filmmakers to find funding, support, platforms and people. IFP has headquarters in several cities and boasts a website full of useful information. While the $100 a year membership fee might sound a bit steep, this is one club you don’t want to be left out of.

NYWIFT- New York Women in Film And Television - www.nywift.org NYWIFT is NOT a women-only club. That would not only be stupid, it would be illegal. Instead, it is a non-profit dedicated to supporting and helping women filmmakers in a male-dominated industry. Male members are very welcome, as the mission of NYWIFT is not to have women replace men in the industry but coexist with them. This organization has a very tight-knit community, despite its thousands of members, and a strong drive to help fellow members out. Mixers and events are planned constantly to encourage its members to meet each other and work together. The quality of memberships is kept in check by an application process. Those interested in joining must send in resumes and references in the film industry. Membership is divided in two tiers- regular members who are established professionals who have been in the industry 4 years or more, and Next Wave, where budding filmmakers can take advantage of all membership benefits with the additional support provided to help them succeed.

NALIP- National Association of Latino Independent Producers - www.nalip.org
This is an organization designed to bring together and support Latino filmmakers all across the country. While smaller in size and not as event-prolific as the previous two I have mentioned before, this organization still provides some very good resources and networking events. The smaller size of the organization makes the events more intimate and full of familiar faces.

Okay, those are the three I belong to. Between all three, I pay about $210 to stay a member every year, which for someone in my position is quite steep. However, I can honestly say I have gotten more than my money’s worth out of them. Notice that I belong to one large organization, the IFP, one that is specific to my gender and location, NYWIFT, and one that caters to my ethnicity, NALIP. Right now I am going to list a few other organizations you might want to consider, but keep this in mind- there are countless organizations of various sizes.

It’s like a college scholarship search: if you’re Gay, Native American, Jewish, a Veteran or whatever, there is probably a film organization that was made with that specific group of people in mind. And if you’re none of the above, then join the big ones and look into other more specific organizations.

DCTV- Downtown Community Television Center - www.dctvny.org
Housed in the little red firehouse, DCTV is a member-based organization which boasts workshop after workshop after workshop. With a long list of events and seminars, DCTV also provides rentals, screening series, and a special section of resources dedicated to teenage and young filmmakers!



DV Republic
DvRepublic.org is organized and hosted by BFF (aka Black Filmmaker Foundation)
DVRepublic.org exist as a self-validating, self-supporting online community of "citizens" who monitor the intersection of media, technology, and social justice. As informed citizens, we engage in active online discussion in the "public square" of the DV Republic liberated zone.

AAWIC- African American Women in Cinema- www.aawic.org
AAWIC’s title is pretty self-explanatory. With the mission to help the integration of black women in the film industry and to create a better understating of this community, AAWIC provides events and resources for African-American female filmmakers.


NBPC- National Black Programming Consortium- www.nbpc.tv
This is not a membership based organization but more of a distributor of black films that commissions and acquires films made by black filmmakers and about the black community. It can be a great thing to know about and does have very good resources.


DFA- Dance Films Association, Inc. - www.dancefilmsassn.org
Another one of these niche organization, DFA is a member-based organization that seeks to encourage and promote excellence in dance in film and TV. Its efforts include programs screenings and funding, and relies on the support of various big names in the arts, such as Film Society of Lincoln Center and the New York Public Library.

NYFVC- New York Film/Video Council- www.nyfvc.org
While not as active than IFP and not as cool a website as NBPC, NYFVC is a great organization that provides monthly events in New York City. Like NALIp, by being smaller it provides a real sense of community in its members and a comfortable environment in which to meet fellow filmmakers. It’s yearly dues are reasonable and the events are frequent.


DocuClub - www.docuclub.org
The only one here without an acronym, DocuClub is a non-competitive community in which documnentarians can pitch and screen their works-in-progress and get help and feedback from the club’s members. Networking ain’t bad either.

This is the list I came up with. However, wherever you are and whoever you are there are organizations out there that you can rely on. Most of them have membership fees. To make these fees worth it, or even make it worth your time to go to any event, you have to be proactive.

Being a member alone is not going to make connections for you, you have to take advantage of the opportunities these organizations can facilitate for you, but you have to participate, ask questions, contribute opinions and hand out cards.

NETWORKING # 2 - Two Major Investments: Smoke and Mirrors.

I don’t care if you want to make documentaries about cleft palates in Sierra Leon, or B-rated horror movies, you still have to have a business demeanor when talking to people in your industry. The superficiality of Hollywood is applicable across the board. Without beating around the bush, the ultimate goal of all this networking is money. Whether it is a personal check to reward your hard work, a grant to cover movie making expenses or free labor and donations that are saving you money (a penny saved is a penny earned! Keep that in mind when making budgets), movie making runs on money. More than usual it is someone else’s money. And people with money will usually not give it out to people that don’t look like they know what to do with money.

There are a few things you can do to make a better impression when meeting important people. These are small investments on your part that can convey the message that you are yourself well put together and therefore your film or your work is more likely to also be well put together.

You know what the first part of a first impression is? Appearance. Before you can say anything or give anything out, you will have to be seen by the people you are trying to talk to. So this is where I bring in

Investment # 1- business casual clothing.

If you are wearing threadbare jeans and a band t-shirt with your high-school sneakers, it doesn’t look like you know what to do with money because it looks like you have never had more than $200 at once in your whole independent life. If you wear your very fashionable snakeskin jumpsuit, it will look like you have some money, which is good for you, but you obviously squander it on things like that.

So now we tread a fine line. You want to stand out, you want to look good, but you don’t want to spend a lot of money because we all know you aren’t supposed to have much, right? Get some basics like black dress pants and a button shirt. You can then make them more “you” by still wearing those Converse All-Stars, or your Williamsburg earrings or keeping in your blue streaks. Just don’t let your eccentricities overshadow you.

Here, check out this article by EHow on "How to Dress Business Casual"!

Ok so now they important people saw you and s poke to you at this event, but how are they going to remember you? You have to leave them with a little bit of you to keep.

Investment 2 -GET BUSINESSCARDS.

The most commonplace form of self-promotion. Your business card is the way to leave the Big Guys with a little bit of you when you are no longer there to say who you are. They are a quick and easy way to make all of your information readily available to these people. In most occasions, they will hardly look at it and put it in the huge stack of cards they receive from everyone at every event, but that is why when you say, “here is my card”, you follow it with “do you have a card?” And since, like I said, appearances are a big deal, they will follow social pressure and proper etiquette and BINGO! You have their contact information.

There are innumerable places to get your business cards done. I get mine done at

Vistaprint.com. If you're really in a money crunch, they offer free business cards as long as they have a small Vistaprint logo on the back, which is much better than nothing. And for a bit more you can customize them to your liking. The good thing about Vistaprint is that once you order one thing, they always send you emails with offers for free products. Take advantage!

Keep in mind, you can make the appearance of your business cards matter. Those two seconds that this important person will look at your card (thanks to the human reflex of looking at what has just been thrust into your hand can be expanded if your card is worth looking at.

Just please, please, please keep this in mind: If you can’t resist putting tacky things on your card, then don’t put anything on it at all.

Try cool or fun fonts as long as they’re legible, or different colors as long as they’re legible, or maybe a picture behind or beside the text as long as the text is still legible. Most cards are horizontal- make yours vertical. Make it thin. Make it have metallic borders. Whatever. It is not a must, but if you get a mildly impressed “Huh!” from Big Guy, it is worth it.

Now remember- all these accouterments are just that. They are add-ons to the main product: you. They are there to facilitate your ideas and potential from getting the attention they deserve. No matter how much icing you put on the cake and how pretty it looks, people will be able to tell in one bite if it’s stale. So please, while all of this is important it will not get your movies made. Only YOU can get your movies made, so make sure that is where the majority of your energy is going.

The Importance of Networking #1- Don't Be A Hermit

You don’t make films on your own. Unless you want to make your film in a closet and never show it to anyone, you have to interact with people who can potentially help you, or at least watch your film. And I mean people other than your mom.

Go to the mirror, look into your eyes and say “Hello, my name is [insert name here].” Easy enough right? Now make it your goal to go up to three strangers tomorrow and say exactly that.

I know, I know, there are, what? Like 8 million people in New York City? Not everyone is going to be interested in your film, much less in helping you make it. However, there are easy ways to target people that will be of better use to you.

First of all, if you want to get someone interested in a film, it helps if they are already interested in films to begin with. I know this sounds like I am stating the obvious, but people who really like films usually frequent film screenings. So go to film screenings. I don’t mean go to the opening night of Transformers III or something because that won’t narrow your search that much. Go out of your way to find out about less frequented screenings.

If you live in, New York you are blessed with so many opportunities to watch indies, oldies, and experimentals on the big screen. Not only will going to these screenings put you closer to people who are seriously interested in film, it gives you something to talk about when you meet them. Pick up a Time Out magazine or something and see what is playing.

Search for screenings that have a Q & A afterward. Only people interested in the process of the filmmaking will stay for those, and you can learn a thing or two. You might even be able to go up and introduce yourself to the director. As a matter of fact, if the director is there, don’t even think about not going up to him. “Hello, my name is Bob. I really enjoyed your film.” Start with that.

Panel discussions about films or industry events of that nature are the perfect place to rub the right shoulders. Not only are the panels usually comprised of well established filmmakers and industry pros, the audience members who go see them are obviously all actively interested or involved in filmmaking as well. You don’t have to just meet people who are well established- it is just as useful and often times much easier to approach other aspiring filmmakers and budding talent who can provide information, connections, help and camaraderie.

All this for what, you ask? Well, the thing is, you never know. You will not win the lottery if you never bother buying a ticket. You have better chances of meeting someone helpful to your career by going to events and introducing yourself, than you do at winning the lottery, but you have to bother trying. Little by little you will start seeing the same faces at similar events, start developing a radar for who to go up to, and feel more confident about your approach. It starts with getting off the computer, going out and saying “hello”.

(Read Part 2)

NYC Doc Filmmakers Networking Event

Just wanted to drop a quick note to let you know about an event coming up this Friday, May 2nd sponsored by DCTV and Shooting People. If you are a docmaker in NYC you need to drag your butt out of the house and attend this event.

DCTV (Downtown Community Television) is a unique filmmaking institution wholey dedicated to the mission of fostering affordable filmmaking equipment, training, and resources to filmmakers throughout New York City.

DCTV is essentially a community-based non-profit film school for people who can't afford film school. They offer a long list of classes, workshops, seminars, and even production and editing services for documentary filmmakers. They also have some free filmmaking programs that serve inner-city teens and well as the handicapped. (Yours truly gave a book tour kick-off seminar there back in February.)

It was founded and run by Emmy-Award winning veteran doc filmmaker, Jon Alpert, (Bagdad E.R., Off to War, etc.) and as far as I'm concerned, it's probably the most-down-to-earth place for filmmakers and networking in the city. These guys (and gals) really care about filmmaking and serving our indie community and they've been at it longer than I've even been in the game.

The event is titled Documentary Filmmaker's Lounge and in typical DCTV fashion, it's free and open to the public. Not only that, but there's an open bar, free food on the grill, plus a raffle and give-aways.

Everytime I go to a DCTV event I always meet cool motivated like-minded indie filmmakers, some of which have become regular collaborators in recent years. The energy in that place is great. Needless to say, I will be there in-person this Friday. So holla at your boy if you come through! See you there!

Presented by DCTV & Shooting People
Friday, May 2nd @ 5:00PM-7:30PM
Location: DCTV (87 Lafayette St., NYC)