How Film Sales & Distribution Works with Head of Acquisitions Ross Boyask

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Today I’m joined by Creative Director and head of Acquisitions for Evolutionary Films, Ross Boyask.
We talked about sales and distribution, how the basics work, the best way to make contact with a sales agent, genres that are selling at the moment and the importance of figuring out what your film is before you start making it.
Ross works for an international sales agency on titles including the critically acclaimed MARGIN CALL (starring Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany) and cult hit IRON SK. He is also an award winning genre filmmaker in his own right with five features as director on wide release. Including Evolutionary Films’ own VENGEANCE franchise featuring WWE Superstar Stu Bennett, Vinnie Jones and Gary Daniels.
Ross is well known on the film festival circuit, regularly attends international film markets including Cannes, Berlin and the AFM, and has strong relationships with international film buyers. He is currently developing and packaging a slate of genre feature projects.
Watch the trailer for I am Vengeance: Retaliation https://youtu.be/Ce3c9NcZQoE?si=lUQJkOLdZw5GTBoX

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1. Introduction (00:00:00)

2. What is a sales agent? What do they do? (00:01:21)

3. How did Ross end up in Sales and Distribution (00:03:29)

4. How does Ross assess a film? (00:06:06)

5. Generational divide in movies? (00:09:23)

6. Do sales agents have a pool of distributors and buyers? (00:12:13)

7. Screening your film in Cannes and going to Cannes (00:14:44)

8. The first ten minutes of a movie is important (00:16:40)

9. Being able to pitch your film (00:17:54)

10. Talk to me - Horror movie (00:18:16)

11. What's the best way to approach a sales agent? (00:19:39)

12. Film festival selections - figuring out what your film is (00:24:07)

13. "A talking cat?" (00:29:19)

14. Getting your film on Netflix (00:30:41)

15. Is the action genre really hard? (00:32:47)

16. Ross' first day on a big budget set (00:39:35)

17. How Ross deals with having Asperger's (00:42:44)