One Minnesota mother is opening up about life as a “cancer mom.”
While many have called her “strong” and told her to “keep up the fight,” Christa Keehr wrote that life as one of the millions of parents of children with cancer is not always so courageous.
“We are tired. We are weak. We are terrified. We wear T-shirts with our kids names on them, and call them fighters and warriors,” Keehr wrote in an emotional post on Rochester Mn Moms Blog.
“As cancer moms, we have to pump our children full of toxic medicine, catch their puke buckets, hold...
While many have called her “strong” and told her to “keep up the fight,” Christa Keehr wrote that life as one of the millions of parents of children with cancer is not always so courageous.
“We are tired. We are weak. We are terrified. We wear T-shirts with our kids names on them, and call them fighters and warriors,” Keehr wrote in an emotional post on Rochester Mn Moms Blog.
“As cancer moms, we have to pump our children full of toxic medicine, catch their puke buckets, hold...
- 11/13/2017
- by Char Adams
- PEOPLE.com
From a recent interview at Sundance 2015. An informative piece on distribution and the production & distribution company Candy Factory Films.
Based in New York, Candy Factory Films is a forward-thinking, filmmaker-friendly production and distribution company dedicated to creating and releasing high impact films and fostering communities around independent cinema.
Some of Candy Factory’s films include the just-released documentary, 'No Evidence of Disease', which played in 44 markets nationwide on World Cancer Day and is now available exclusively on Vimeo On Demand, as well as last year’s critically acclaimed Slamdance drama, 'The Sublime and Beautiful'. The company also just announced the launch of their genre arm, Electric Candy, and the first titles to be released under the new banner: Eddie Mullins pre-apocalyptic comedy, 'Doomsdays', and Sarah Adina Smith’s paranormal psychodrama, 'The Midnight Swim' (Smith was also just announced as one of the directors in the upcoming Xyz-produced Holiday Anthology).
During a recent interview at Sundance 2015, Head of Acquisitions Caitlin Gold took the time to share her passion for distribution, the core values of Candy Factory Films, and useful information for any filmmaker who is just starting to navigate the world of distribution.
How did you enter the world of distribution?
I actually moved to New York to attend a theater conservatory program in 2007. I wanted to be an actor, and never really saw myself doing anything else. After graduating, I was working as a professional actor and at the time, a friend was producing his second full-length feature film. As many of us indie filmmakers do out of necessity, he was wearing far too many hats (writer, director, producer, wardrobe, catering etc.). I had a small role in the film and saw him struggling. I said “Hey, I’m type A… I can help get some of the busy work done!” I jumped in and ended up helping him to produce that project and fell in love with it. Eventually, after some time and more production work, I realized I was much better suited to behind-the-camera roles. I had lost the passion for acting and fell quite madly in love with all that producing entailed. So in 2010, I started a production company with a colleague of mine and have been producing content ever since.
Then nearly three years ago, I met Jason Ward — the CEO of Candy Factory - here at Sundance, so I have a particular fondness in my heart for this place. Jason and I developed this great working relationship where I would send him scripts I had been working on and rough cuts of films that I was producing. Quite quickly, he became a trusted colleague.
In early 2013, he approached me and we discussed his desire to open a distribution arm of his company. Immediately I knew that I wanted to be a part of it. I never saw myself working in distribution, but it was an opportunity that I knew would prove invaluable, simply because it was the chance to learn an area of this business I had only been exposed to at the surface-level. Now, a year and a half later, distribution is my life. I still produce films, but working on the distribution side has forever changed the way I’ll make movies moving forward.
What have you’ve learned about distribution that you really didn’t get before?
For a producer, particularly one who is navigating the distribution landscape for the first time, it is so important to be aware of and truly understand the myriad of options in front of you. Do your research. Know the key players in the distribution game – the sales agents, the aggregators, the boutique distributors like ourselves. Also, understand how the choices you make early on will impact your opportunities later. Read the trades constantly. The more you do, the more you’ll begin to develop a true understanding of critical aspects of the distribution game, such as windowing. It’s fantastic that filmmakers today have so many options and that the barrier for entry is virtually non-existent. But that just means that filmmakers need to be more savvy, more knowledgeable – not less – in order for their films to be financially successful.
Another thing I always tell filmmakers is that the time to be thinking about distribution isn’t once you’re in post, or once you hit the festival circuit. You should be thinking about distribution as early as development, and its awesome to see that filmmakers are much more savvy to this nowadays. They’re thinking about how to connect with audiences before they’ve raised a penny. They’re thinking about outreach and engagement before they even get to set. This is critical.
You mentioned the term “aggregator”. What is an aggregator?
An aggregator is the conduit between the filmmaker or distributor and the various platforms like iTunes or Google Play. An aggregator typically takes a small percentage or flat fee for getting the content to the platforms. Most distributors work with aggregators, though many – us included – work hard to forge direct relationships with the platforms to reduce the number of intermediaries.
Please talk about Candy Factory’s history and slate.
The company was launched by our CEO, Jason Ward, back in 2005, and was strictly a production and post-production company at the time.
Jason had several experiences where distribution deals went sour, and it really put a bad taste in his mouth. He witnessed first-hand people being taken advantage of and promises that weren’t lived up to. It made him question the landscape around him and ask, “Can’t there be a distribution company that focuses on the collaboration between the filmmaker and distributor?” He wanted to launch a distribution company that considered the goals of the filmmaker to be of utmost importance. He also wanted to bring people back to why we make movies to begin with – which is to have shared meaningful experiences, engage people, and ignite conversation.
Those principles are the foundation of our company. Our core values are to find unique and meaningful ways to connect content with audiences, to craft release strategies that support and also enhance our filmmakers’ goals, and to release films in a manner that is cost effective so that our clients can recoup. I think we’re unique in that we truly value and appreciate collaboration with our filmmakers, and they really do get personal attention from us. We aren’t the kind of company where it’s going to take three days to return a call or a week to return an email.
As for our slate, for now, we’ve made a conscious decision to keep it small and selective, releasing two to three films a month. We have 12 films at the moment, both documentaries and narratives. We look for films that are impactful, intelligent, thought provoking, and that ignite conversations and engage audiences.
Yes, this is a business and we have to be focused on profit and entertainment value. But getting back to the core values of filmmaking and placing focus on the filmmaker is truly important to us.
Lastly, despite all we have going on on the distribution side, I will say that we’re also very excited to be reincorporating more producing opportunities back into Candy Factory. We love building long-term relationships with our filmmakers. So if we’re distributing your film, it’s highly plausible that we’ll consider coming on board your next project in a greater capacity.
Why do you love doing this?
I am a film lover, first and foremost. For me, there is nothing more powerful than going into a dark theater and witnessing something that leaves me feeling inspired. If I can be even a small part of creating content that inspires others or helping that content to reach a wider audience, that is a dream come true. That is why I’m here and what I hope to do for many years to come.
Learn more about Candy Factory Films here.
Based in New York, Candy Factory Films is a forward-thinking, filmmaker-friendly production and distribution company dedicated to creating and releasing high impact films and fostering communities around independent cinema.
Some of Candy Factory’s films include the just-released documentary, 'No Evidence of Disease', which played in 44 markets nationwide on World Cancer Day and is now available exclusively on Vimeo On Demand, as well as last year’s critically acclaimed Slamdance drama, 'The Sublime and Beautiful'. The company also just announced the launch of their genre arm, Electric Candy, and the first titles to be released under the new banner: Eddie Mullins pre-apocalyptic comedy, 'Doomsdays', and Sarah Adina Smith’s paranormal psychodrama, 'The Midnight Swim' (Smith was also just announced as one of the directors in the upcoming Xyz-produced Holiday Anthology).
During a recent interview at Sundance 2015, Head of Acquisitions Caitlin Gold took the time to share her passion for distribution, the core values of Candy Factory Films, and useful information for any filmmaker who is just starting to navigate the world of distribution.
How did you enter the world of distribution?
I actually moved to New York to attend a theater conservatory program in 2007. I wanted to be an actor, and never really saw myself doing anything else. After graduating, I was working as a professional actor and at the time, a friend was producing his second full-length feature film. As many of us indie filmmakers do out of necessity, he was wearing far too many hats (writer, director, producer, wardrobe, catering etc.). I had a small role in the film and saw him struggling. I said “Hey, I’m type A… I can help get some of the busy work done!” I jumped in and ended up helping him to produce that project and fell in love with it. Eventually, after some time and more production work, I realized I was much better suited to behind-the-camera roles. I had lost the passion for acting and fell quite madly in love with all that producing entailed. So in 2010, I started a production company with a colleague of mine and have been producing content ever since.
Then nearly three years ago, I met Jason Ward — the CEO of Candy Factory - here at Sundance, so I have a particular fondness in my heart for this place. Jason and I developed this great working relationship where I would send him scripts I had been working on and rough cuts of films that I was producing. Quite quickly, he became a trusted colleague.
In early 2013, he approached me and we discussed his desire to open a distribution arm of his company. Immediately I knew that I wanted to be a part of it. I never saw myself working in distribution, but it was an opportunity that I knew would prove invaluable, simply because it was the chance to learn an area of this business I had only been exposed to at the surface-level. Now, a year and a half later, distribution is my life. I still produce films, but working on the distribution side has forever changed the way I’ll make movies moving forward.
What have you’ve learned about distribution that you really didn’t get before?
For a producer, particularly one who is navigating the distribution landscape for the first time, it is so important to be aware of and truly understand the myriad of options in front of you. Do your research. Know the key players in the distribution game – the sales agents, the aggregators, the boutique distributors like ourselves. Also, understand how the choices you make early on will impact your opportunities later. Read the trades constantly. The more you do, the more you’ll begin to develop a true understanding of critical aspects of the distribution game, such as windowing. It’s fantastic that filmmakers today have so many options and that the barrier for entry is virtually non-existent. But that just means that filmmakers need to be more savvy, more knowledgeable – not less – in order for their films to be financially successful.
Another thing I always tell filmmakers is that the time to be thinking about distribution isn’t once you’re in post, or once you hit the festival circuit. You should be thinking about distribution as early as development, and its awesome to see that filmmakers are much more savvy to this nowadays. They’re thinking about how to connect with audiences before they’ve raised a penny. They’re thinking about outreach and engagement before they even get to set. This is critical.
You mentioned the term “aggregator”. What is an aggregator?
An aggregator is the conduit between the filmmaker or distributor and the various platforms like iTunes or Google Play. An aggregator typically takes a small percentage or flat fee for getting the content to the platforms. Most distributors work with aggregators, though many – us included – work hard to forge direct relationships with the platforms to reduce the number of intermediaries.
Please talk about Candy Factory’s history and slate.
The company was launched by our CEO, Jason Ward, back in 2005, and was strictly a production and post-production company at the time.
Jason had several experiences where distribution deals went sour, and it really put a bad taste in his mouth. He witnessed first-hand people being taken advantage of and promises that weren’t lived up to. It made him question the landscape around him and ask, “Can’t there be a distribution company that focuses on the collaboration between the filmmaker and distributor?” He wanted to launch a distribution company that considered the goals of the filmmaker to be of utmost importance. He also wanted to bring people back to why we make movies to begin with – which is to have shared meaningful experiences, engage people, and ignite conversation.
Those principles are the foundation of our company. Our core values are to find unique and meaningful ways to connect content with audiences, to craft release strategies that support and also enhance our filmmakers’ goals, and to release films in a manner that is cost effective so that our clients can recoup. I think we’re unique in that we truly value and appreciate collaboration with our filmmakers, and they really do get personal attention from us. We aren’t the kind of company where it’s going to take three days to return a call or a week to return an email.
As for our slate, for now, we’ve made a conscious decision to keep it small and selective, releasing two to three films a month. We have 12 films at the moment, both documentaries and narratives. We look for films that are impactful, intelligent, thought provoking, and that ignite conversations and engage audiences.
Yes, this is a business and we have to be focused on profit and entertainment value. But getting back to the core values of filmmaking and placing focus on the filmmaker is truly important to us.
Lastly, despite all we have going on on the distribution side, I will say that we’re also very excited to be reincorporating more producing opportunities back into Candy Factory. We love building long-term relationships with our filmmakers. So if we’re distributing your film, it’s highly plausible that we’ll consider coming on board your next project in a greater capacity.
Why do you love doing this?
I am a film lover, first and foremost. For me, there is nothing more powerful than going into a dark theater and witnessing something that leaves me feeling inspired. If I can be even a small part of creating content that inspires others or helping that content to reach a wider audience, that is a dream come true. That is why I’m here and what I hope to do for many years to come.
Learn more about Candy Factory Films here.
- 2/10/2015
- by Erin Grover
- Sydney's Buzz
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.