This document discusses strategies for exporting African content internationally, including using distributors to distribute films through various platforms, aggregators to manage encoding and revenue sharing, and sales agents to sell films to buyers at festivals and markets in exchange for a commission. It also provides tips on packaging content, targeting specific genres and markets, developing a festival and PR strategy, and working with banks for financing.

1. Master Class
Exporting African Content
Win-Win Strategies
Presented by AAA Entertainment

2. Distributors
 Distribute in a territory or region
 Theatrical (Cinema)
 DVD or Home Video
 VOD – SVOD, TVOD, AVOD, NVOD
 TV – Pay TV, Free to Air
 Ancillary : Airlines, Ships, Hotels
 Pay Minimum Guarantee (MG) or buy out territory
 Usually don’t deal with producers directly – prefer to deal with sales agents and other distributors

3. Platforms
 TVOD : iTunes, Google Play, Amazon
 SVOD : Netflix, Hulu, Vudu, Amazon
 AVOD : Hulu, Amazon, YouTube
 NVOD : Airline, Hotels, Ships
 Local : Showmax, VIU, iRoko, DSTV Now
 Most big platforms will only buy from distributors or aggregators

4. aggregators
 Aggregators acquire and supply to one or several of the major platforms in TVOD,
SVOD and AVOD
 Aggregators can also be distributors
 Aggregators manage the encoding of movie and trailer files for the specific
platforms, in house or through licensed encoding facilities
 Aggregators do a revenue share whereby +- 50% of the retail rental or purchase
price comes to the rights holder or take an aggregation fee (10-15%)
 Example of an all purpose aggregator is FilmBuff

5. Salesagents
 Sells to distributors, aggregators, platforms and broadcasters
 Don’t pay up front, but act like and estate agent and take a commission on the sales. Also charge costs of
selling the film against sales e.g. market attendance costs
 Take film to markets and festivals around the world and sell to buyers at these events
 Usually sign exclusive world wide rights for 5-10 years
 Repackage films for international markets
 Manage festival strategy and PR for festival and market run
 Manage legal contracts and accounting reports for sales
 Give letters of interest (LOI) to projects

6. BANKABLESales
agents
 Very few selected sales agents can give revenue guarantees and projections that are
“bankable” i.e. banks will fund against
 Most of them are specialized on foreign sales i.e. outside US
 Most of them are based in the UK in London
 These are very hard to get to read a script and needs the right director and other key HOD
involved to consider
 1.FilmNation Entertainment http://www.filmnation.com/
 2.Mr. Smith Entertainment https://mistersmithent.com/
 3.Rocket Sciencehttps://www.rocket-science.net/
 4.Sierra / Affinity http://sierra-affinity.com/
 5.Embankment Films http://www.embankmentfilms.com/
 6. The Exchange https://www.theexchange.ws/
 7. Voltage Pictures http://www.voltagepictures.com/
 8. Bankside Films https://www.bankside-films.com/home/
 9. Protagonist Pictures http://protagonistpictures.com/
 10.Hanway Films https://www.hanwayfilms.com/

7. “Incountrieswhereproducersareincentivisedby
governmenttocreatecontent,producerscreate
contentforthegovernment.Incountrieswhere
producersareincentiveforsuccessinthemarket,
producerscreatecontentforthemarket
(audience)”
- Jonathan Wolf, American Film Market

8. casting
Affect on sales (ONLY
INTERNATIONAL
CAST ATTRACT
PRE-SALES)
Determine the value
of cast for territory
Pay and Play
Contracts
Escrow accounts and
casting fees
Casting agents Cast managers
Casting director :
advisory vs. actual
casting

9. deliverables
 Movie Deliverables : ProRes File, DCP, BluRay, Encodes for
iTunes and other
 NTSC conversion for US
 Music Cue Sheet and Music License Materials
 Subtitles (.stl .srt) and Closed Captioned Files
 M&E for Dubs and transcript
 E&O Insurance
 Artwork
 Legals/Contracts : Key crew & cast, script and film clearance,
 chain of title (incl writers agreement), music clearance
 – cost3% of budget max approx. R250k

10. Selling finished content
vs.
Pre-Selling project in development

11. sellingadevelopmentproject
Sales projections
Pre-Sales to distributors, platforms and broadcasters
Determine the value of cast and assist in casting
Get coverage on the script
Packaging and proof of concept
Benchmark salability of content up front
Assist with key HODs and suppliers
Plan and execute out sales roll out while film is in post

12. Selling finished content
 Sales agents are more reluctant to sign on completed content
 Finished content is more difficult to re package as the post is
already done
 Deliverables for distribution are often omitted from the budget
and become an extra cost
 Completed content can no longer be benchmarked in the market
so the sales agent has to take it on risk
 By the time a sales agent gets the content, it has already aged
and with films festival submissions are a problem
 Content generally has a two year life cycle to sell as a new title
 Sales roll out not as effective once content is completed

13. ?
Market
Who buys African films?
What films (genres) are
in demand?

14. whobuys
Africanfilms
 African buyers i.e. from the continent
 Diaspora buyers e.g. Africa Channel, Netflix
 African American and “Urban” content buyers e.g.
BET, Aspire, Bounce, Starz
 World cinema niche buyers e.g. Sundance Channel
 Genre buyers for specific genre where African element
is just a flavor e.g. Sci Fi Channel

15. What Film
genres are in
demand
 Action
 Horror
 Sci-Fi
 Thriller
 Fantasy
 The above genres will require proof of concept for
first time film makers in development to get pre-
sales
 Romantic Comedy (Tyler Perry, Wil Parker)
 Faith Based and Family
 NOT DRAMA

16. Badcontentnevertravels
Goodcontentoftentravels
Greatcontentalwaystravels

17. Packaging
Title
Trailer
Poster
Presskit

18. iNumberNumber Local Trailer

19. AvengedUS Trailer

20. ConGamesGerman Trailer

21. poster
LOCAL
POSTER
SOUTH
AFRICA
INUMBER
NUMBER
INTERNATIONA
L POSTER
GERMANY
CON GAMES

22. Press kit
 Production stills
 Frame grabs
 Detailed cast and director info
 Press release
 Any press coverage
 Social media presence
 Website
 IMDB listing
 Key Art
 The story/angle you want the press to pick up on must be
fed to them

23. PRandPRESS
Publicists Journalists Bloggers Influencers
Media
Liaisons
Editors Reviewers Critics Publications
Variety
Hollywood
Reporter
Screen
International
Screen Africa
(local)
The Call
Sheet (Local)
Blogs
The Business
of Film
Sydney’s
Buzz
Twitch.com

24. Festivalstrategy
North America
A
• TIFF
• Sundance
B
• Tribeca
• SXSW
• Telluride
• LA Film Festival
• AFI
Europe
A
• Cannes
• Berlin
• Venice
B
• Locarno
• St Sebastian
• Goethenberg
Asia
A
• Pusan
B
• Tokyo
• Hong Kong
• Melbourne

25. markets
FILM
 Marche du Film –
Cannes Film Festival
 European Film Market
(EFM) – Berlinale
 American Film Market
(AFM) - IFTA
 Hong Kong Film
Market (HKFM)
 Toronto International
Film Festival - Hybrid
 Ventana Sur –
Argentina (Spanish
Language)
TELEVISION
 NATPE – Miami
 MIPTV
(MIPDOC&MIPFORM
ATS)– Cannes
 DISCOP – Istanbul and
Johannesburg
 MIPCOM (MIPJNR) –
Cannes
 BANFF (Development)
– Canada
 TIFFCOM - Japan
 MIP Cancun, MIP
China

26. pascal@aaa-entertain.com
https://www.slideshare.net/digitalethiopia