Christie Marchese
Kinema
Hybrid Distribution Day
Mon, April 21. 10-4 pm. IFC Center, NYCNavigating distribution in today’s landscape requires a strategic approach. This interactive workshop will explore the complexities of hybrid distribution, focusing on real-world applications. Discover strategies tailored to your film, featuring insights from Pulkit Datta (Israelism) and Mars Verrone (Union), along with two new resources from Christie Marchese (Kinema) and Emily Best (Seed & Spark). This is a collaborative workshop where you’ll create distribution plans specifically for your film. Together, we’ll discuss clarifying your audience, honing your vision, and how you define success. We’ll also explore building your team, crafting effective marketing, and understanding distribution avenues. Bring your questions and ideas, and leave with a clearer, more confident approach to sharing your film.
10-11 am
New Tools, New Strategies
Kick-off the day with Christie Marchese (Kinema) and Emily Best (Seed & Spark) who will introduce two key resources for filmmakers: The Distribution Playbook and The Independence Partnership. The Distribution Playbook provides strategies, case studies, and financial insights for crafting distribution plans. Filmmakers can leverage The Independence Partnership’s tools and resources to navigate the entire filmmaking process, from funding to audience reach, and this session will specifically address its distribution benefits.
Christie Marchese
Kinema
Christie Marchese is the founder and CEO of Kinema. Kinema is a global film distribution and exhibition platform that leverages the power of community and social interaction to screen and stream films. She was previously the founder and CEO of the award-winning impact agency Picture Motion. Prior to PicMo, she ran impact for Righteous Pictures, led digital strategy for the social action group at Participant Media, and handled program coordination and social media at Norman Lear’s GOTV nonprofit Declare Yourself.
Christie is also the co-author of The Distribution Playbook and won several industry recognitions, including being named one of Fortune’s Rising Female Founders in 2023 and Fast Company’s Most Creative People in 2021. She’s currently on the board of Subject Matter and The Reinvent Stockton Foundation, and on the Capacity Council for Brown Girls Doc Mafia.
Emily Best
Seed&Spark
Emily Best
Seed&Spark
Emily Best is the founder and CEO of Seed&Spark, a platform that makes entertainment more diverse, inclusive, connected and essential. Seed&Spark’s platform and national education program have helped thousands of bold storytellers raise millions to bring to life entirely new stories, and Seed&Spark delivers those stories into workplaces for employee training, engagement, and intelligence through an enterprise SaaS platform Film Forward. In 2023, CNBC named Seed&Spark one of the top 200 fintech companies in the world. She serves on the Advisory Board for a variety of early stages startups and the Board of Film Impact Georgia. In 2024, alongside Christie Marchese at Kinema, Emily spearheaded an effort to launch The Distribution Playbook, a free and open- sourced field guide for independent filmmakers to succeed in distribution. She has produced films, VR, shorts and series that have premiered at Sundance, SXSW, Slamdance, Tribeca and more. She is currently touring with a feature documentary she produced called Ratified about the 100+ year struggle for the Equal Rights Amendment.
11-12 pm
Clarifying Your Audience, Vision, and Measures of Success
Defining an audience and setting clear goals are essential for successful hybrid distribution. A filmmaker must first ask three crucial questions: Who is my audience and how do I build it? What do I want the film to accomplish? How do I define success? Our guest filmmakers will guide the audience through this process to inspire each of us to start answering these questions to craft a distribution plan that maximizes reach and resonance.
Pulkit Datta
Producer & Director, Tikkun Olam Productions
Pulkit Datta
Producer & Director, Tikkun Olam Productions
Pulkit Datta is a producer, director, and film programmer, based in New York. Over fifteen years, he has worked on a wide range of scripted films, documentaries, commercials, short films, music videos and multimedia campaigns. His films have screened at festivals such as Toronto, Tribeca, Atlanta, Cinequest, Fantasia, LAAPFF, Cleveland, and OutFest. As a producer with Tikkun Olam Productions, he has co-produced the feature documentary ISRAELISM (Big Sky, CPH:Dox, Brooklyn Film Festival), and is currently producing climate activism doc series VS. GOLIATH. Pulkit is also a producer on INVISIBLE, a feature documentary about fibromyalgia (Amazon Prime, Tubi), and the gun-violence themed short documentary DO WE BELONG? (The Atlantic, 2018 IDA Doc Award shortlist). Pulkit has been a Producing Fellow at Center for Asian American Media as well as Impact Partners, and is an alum of IFP/Gotham Project Market.
1-2:30 pm
Building Your Team and Amplifying the Message
Israelism, led by producer Pulkit Datta, is a compelling case study in building a team and amplifying a film’s message. The filmmakers brought in advisors, student organizations, and community organizers to guide outreach and shape strategy. They leveraged grassroots networks, organic press, and community screenings to spark dialogue and build a hybrid distribution release, ensuring the film reached diverse audiences and had a lasting impact.
Pulkit Datta
Producer & Director, Tikkun Olam Productions
Pulkit Datta
Producer & Director, Tikkun Olam Productions
Pulkit Datta is a producer, director, and film programmer, based in New York. Over fifteen years, he has worked on a wide range of scripted films, documentaries, commercials, short films, music videos and multimedia campaigns. His films have screened at festivals such as Toronto, Tribeca, Atlanta, Cinequest, Fantasia, LAAPFF, Cleveland, and OutFest. As a producer with Tikkun Olam Productions, he has co-produced the feature documentary ISRAELISM (Big Sky, CPH:Dox, Brooklyn Film Festival), and is currently producing climate activism doc series VS. GOLIATH. Pulkit is also a producer on INVISIBLE, a feature documentary about fibromyalgia (Amazon Prime, Tubi), and the gun-violence themed short documentary DO WE BELONG? (The Atlantic, 2018 IDA Doc Award shortlist). Pulkit has been a Producing Fellow at Center for Asian American Media as well as Impact Partners, and is an alum of IFP/Gotham Project Market.
2:30-4 pm
Distribution Avenues and Strategies
In today’s shifting distribution landscape, getting your film seen takes strategy, creativity, and persistence. Union, a Sundance 2024 Special Jury Prize winner, screened at 100+ festivals and made the Oscars Shortlist. Like many political docs, it struggled to land mainstream streaming. Its producers took control with a hybrid release—blending theatrical runs, TVOD, and impact screenings. Union producer Mars Verrone will dive into the realities of distribution today, offering insights on navigating roadblocks, identifying the right platforms for your film, and building a release plan that maximizes reach and impact. Whether you’re securing partnerships or designing your own rollout, this conversation will help you think strategically about getting your film seen.
Mars Verrone
Producer
Mars Verrone
Producer
Mars Verrone is a filmmaker, musician, and educator from Los Angeles, CA. Their first feature as producer, Union (dir. Stephen Maing & Brett Story), premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival and won a special jury prize. They are a Sundance Producers Fellow, NBC Original Voices Artist Mentor and Fellow, Producers Guild of America Fellow, and Brown Girls Doc Mafia Fellow.
4-6 pm
Drinks and Conversation at The Half Pint
We’re excited to have you join us at The Half Pint! Drinks will be available for purchase. The location is 76 West 3rd Street (Greenwich Village) which is a 5 minute walk from the IFC Center.
Early bird tickets to the Hybrid Distribution Day are $85 ($70 for IFC members) through April 7 and $99 ($80 for IFC members) after April 7. Save money and purchase a conference pass for all three days for $250 ($210 for IFC members). Tickets are non-refundable.
If you have questions about registration, please email ticketing@docnyc.net. For questions about accommodations and accessibility, including requests for live ASL interpretation, please email accessibility@docnyc.net.
DOC NYC PRO is co-presented by
