This piece first appeared in The Hill on March 15, 2016. I’ve had the great privilege of working in the film and television business for nearly four decades. I count myself among the fortunate few who have been able to oversee the production of movies and TV shows beloved by millions. To... Read more
Sixth in the series. I cut my teeth in the film business in the mid-80s, before the internet or even piracy was even a thing. Piracy back then was the guy on the street corner selling bootleg copies or the guy sitting in the back of the theater recording the... Read more
By: Wayne Kramer
Fifth in the series. The day my most recent film, Pawn Shop Chronicles debuted on Video-On-Demand (which was on the same date as its theatrical release), the film was recorded in a perfect HD quality copy from one of its VOD rentals and illegally uploaded to the web. By the... Read more
By: Jane Clark and Bob Tourtellotte
Fourth in the series. We are independent filmmakers who thought we knew about piracy and its full impact until, of course, we didn’t. We had raised money, made movies on a budget, screened at festivals, marketed online, and purposefully released our films in the new world of electronic sales. With... Read more
By: Allison Burnett
Third in the series. These days, when only a tiny fraction of indie films are released theatrically, a small film’s primary hope of financial recoupment is through Pay Per View. My film’s producers and I were filled with optimism when the date of our film’s release arrived. Imagine, then, our... Read more
At last night’s Academy Awards®, Disney/Pixar’s Inside Out won the Oscar® for best animated feature. Director Pete Docter accepted the award on behalf of the Inside Out team and proceeded to deliver what was – at least for us – the best acceptance speech of the evening: “Anyone out there who’s... Read more