See the original article from Stephanie Prange at Media Play News here.
Bill Guentzler is SVP of acquisitions and operations for Gravitas Ventures, one of the largest all rights distributors of independent films and documentaries. Gravitas has a library of more than 3,000 titles and releases more than 150 new films each year.
After spending a summer studying in Berlin in 1998, Guentzler joined the Cleveland International Film Festival as an intern and grew with the organization, ultimately being named artistic director in 2005, a position he held for 15 years. During his time at CIFF, he was part of the leadership team making the festival one of the largest and most well-respected film festivals in the United States and one of the first in the world to transition to an online format in 2020. In 2021, a brief hiatus from the film industry led him to Medworks, a Cleveland-based nonprofit organization linking people who are uninsured and underinsured with vital healthcare services, where he served as program director. He holds a B.A. in communications from Cleveland State University, which named him one if its inaugural 50 Fascinating Alumni. He also serves on the board of directors for Collaborate Cleveland.
Media Play News asked Guentzler about the independent distributor’s content philosophy and distribution strategy.
MPN: Tell us a little bit about your background. What is your experience in the film business and how did it lead you to your current position?
Guentzler: I’ve always loved independent and international film. After attending the Cleveland International Film Festival, I was able to secure an internship there, which ultimately led me to becoming the artistic director. My time there afforded me the opportunity to not only be an integral member in the independent film ecosystem, but allowed me to learn budgeting, strategic planning, management and leadership skills, and how to build streamlined operational processes. Also, being a leader in the film industry for over 20 years, I have been able to build an extensive network of close colleagues and partners across the international film community.
MPN: What types of films does Gravitas look for and what are some of your key recent acquisitions?
Guentzler: Our acquisitions team is open to considering almost everything, from strong cast-driven dramas and comedies such as The Present, starring Greg Kinnear and Isla Fisher, and Bad Behaviour, starring Jennifer Connelly, to strong horror and genre titles, such as Exposure featuring Douglas Smith, a wide range of documentaries, including Splice Here: A Projected Odyssey about the history of projected film, and Conversion, a deeply moving expose on conversion therapy. In addition, we are deepening our focus in the action sports field by continuing our partnership with CrossFit on the release of Fittest on Earth: Final Showdown in Madtown.
MPN: Where do you like to find these films?
Guentzler: Our acquisitions team covers every major North American film festival and market, and we also often have the opportunity to attend several regional U.S. film festivals. We have strong connections with all film sales agencies, and we have a submissions portal our website for filmmakers to send their films directly to us.
MPN: Gravitas Ventures is moving into international acquisitions and sales. Can you explain the reasoning behind the move?
Guentzler: We have always recognized that film has no borders, and we are happy to give our filmmaking partners the opportunity to find audiences worldwide. Our international sales team has a vast network of international buyers which we meet with at the major international film markets such as Berlin/EFM, Cannes, Toronto and AFM.
MPN: With so many different distribution avenues out there (SVOD, AVOD, FAST, disc), how does Gravitas determine the correct platform for its films?
Guentzler: We do have a standard process on our releases, each film releasing on various TVOD platforms (iTunes/Amazon/Google Play and cable) for a typical 90-day window. We have a strong sales team pitching our titles to our SVOD partners, including Hulu, Paramount+, Netflix, and Starz, with the goal of finding a license deal. Based on market response, we often pivot quickly to AVOD (Tubi, Roku, Pluto), in order to exploit our films as wide as possible to capitalize on the publicity of the initial release. We also work with airlines and hotels, educational distributors such as Kanopy, and release almost all of our titles on physical media through our partner Allied Vaughn. Our goal is to find the widest audience possible for the films we release.
MPN: What do you think is the biggest challenge in the independent film marketplace right now?
Guentzler: There have always been challenges in the independent film marketplace. Now, it seems, that we are facing more simultaneous challenges than ever before. It has never been more accessible for filmmakers to create; however, that creates more content. The consolidation of the marketplace is creating a thinner pathway to distribution. It has also never been easier for audiences to have access to all forms of entertainment. All of this is spreading the spending dollars of the audience for independent film, making it more difficult for filmmakers and financiers to recoup their investments.
MPN: What is the biggest opportunity for Gravitas going forward?
Guentzler: I can’t say enough about the team at Gravitas, we’re all passionate not only about film, but about creating strong relationships with our filmmakers and platform partners. In short, we care.
I believe we have a strong and streamlined process for filmmakers to access the widest audience possible, and we are consistently honing that process. Our sales team is always seeking new opportunities for our films to be exploited. We have an extensive and varied library, which allows us to use data to find patterns and trends to take advantage of opportunities as they come up.
MPN: Any advice for filmmakers looking to get their titles noticed?
Guentzler: Be a film glutton, know what’s out there, know what’s working. When I was at the film festival, I would always tell filmmakers to attend as many film festivals as possible so you know what programmers were programming. Now, in distribution, I tell filmmakers to look at the charts, watch trailers and look at the artwork, remember that those two aspects are the things that get audiences to click.
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