We have great news for members of The Guild and the independent filmmaking community at large! The first, let me make a few smaller but more but also significant announcements.
1. NAME CHANGE: You will have noticed the change from IIPG to IPG in the newsletter heading, though not yet the logo). During ongoing discussions the majority of the membership wished the Guild to drop the leading word “international” and change its name officially to Independent Producers Guild. This is a matter of branding and recognition in the film industry. The Guild’s global mission, mandate & membership continue unchanged. It may take some time for graphics and logos to change, and in the meantime you may see IIPG and IPG used interchangeably. However, all official communications are now “IPG.”
If you use your professional affiliation in an official capacity (eg. behind your name or on resumes), be sure to use the correct “IPG” rather than “IIPG” from this point onwards.
2. NEWSLETTER PLATFORM: Beginning with this newsletter, we are moving to Beehiiv.com as our newsletter platform, at least on a temporary basis. You may notice that the format is much superior to our previous newsletters. As you have experienced, our web server has perennial difficulty with sending html emails. We constantly had to reformat and resend newsletters in plain text format. Hopefully this will be for the better. If you have an opinion about whether you like this newsletter or the plain text newsletters which previously have come from the Guild website, please let us know.
3. Producesportal.com: Producersportal.com, the public facing service site overseen by the Guild, and the central locus of the Guild’s Direct To Audience Initiative, is establishing a Professional Services Directory. The directory will be for independent film community who seek IPG-qualified producing, production management or other services. Listing on the site is open to all Guild members who are qualified to provide the services which they want to offer. You will be able to participate in the compensated provision of services that the site offers to the public. Some of those services are already listed on the site and include production management, production consulting. We are also creating a Script Services section.
4. MEMBERS HANDBOOK v.2: The 2023 Members Handbook should be published by the end of September. This new version updates the best practices and procedures sections with a focus on set safety guidelines and minor changes to the ethics section. It also includes the first set of production checklists and contract templates approved by IPG board for our member’s reference.
The IPG is the ONLY professional guild in the film industry to produce a general “best practices” handbook that producers can reference, which applies to most all types of motion picture production.
5. IPG Film Fund: As you know if you have followed the IPG News, our Direct To Audience Initiative is created to help a producer get her film from development to market, and avoid parasitic middle actors along the way. The key aim is to get the independent filmmaker access direct to the global audience. Currently, it is nearly impossible to get to a large audience without the de facto participation of an MPA or AMPTP member producer and distribution partner. Technology has advanced so that it is now possible. But the industry has become structured so that a filmmaker cannot easily get funding without the participation (and often ownership) of those same parties.
Later in September, the IPG, on ProducersPortal.com will be announcing the IPG Film Fund (this label is not in stone yet). The fund that will be open only to independent filmmakers who are not funded by MPA or AMPTP affiliated parties. Available funding will be on a case-by-case basis, ranging from 10% to 100% of a production budget. The program is part of the overall FilmPod program and will be open to productions in budget ranges from $25k through several millions.
The IPG Film Fund will encourage the development of new, independent voices within the context of a development and marketing program. Requirements for suitable projects will be posted on ProducersPortal.com. IPG membership (either general or full) in good standing will be required to be able to apply.
There will be opportunities for IPG members to accumulate some valuable assets through the IPG Film Fund - you don’t have to be an “accredited investor” for some of the initiatives. Again, contact Shadow Dragu-Mihai with any inquires. Because the program involves a number of private interests, a Mutual Non-Disclosure Agreement must be signed before anything significant is discussed.
6. YOU can be a part of the FilmPod program and the IPG Film Fund. If you want to be involved in a long-term program which will affect the industry, contact Shadow Dragu-Mihai directly. We are especially looking for you, or your referrals with skills in the following areas:
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locate & sell to sponsors, advertisers
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cryptocurrency (including NFTs) coding
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Drupal platform coding/maintenance
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mobile device app coding
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assess pitches, scripts & plans for commercial viability
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promoting and publicizing the next wave of exciting new visionary filmmakers.
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promotional writing
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experience in crowdfunding - running, monitoring, designing
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SEC, Regulation CF and private investor contact.
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