Beer Wars Movie

I’ve been thinking a lot about how to get the conversation started with a bigger audience. After all, that’s why I made the film – to get lots of people to watch it and talk about it. Beer Wars Live was a great launch pad but there are hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people around the world who have never heard of Beer Wars. So how do you get the word out in this heavily saturated, heavily messaged era we live in? And how do you do it without a multi million dollar advertising campaign?

Many “experts” are saying that this is the best time ever to talk directly with consumers. I couldn’t agree more. I’ve loved the direct interactions with people on my blog, other blogs, Facebook, Twitter and through emails. It’s amazing to know exactly what you think, want and respond to. And you’re not shy about expressing your opinions.

It’s also a tough time (some say the toughest) to release an independent film. Technology has made it easier to make movies and thousands were released last year alone. But how many have you actually heard of? Or seen? The independent film world is like the Wild, Wild West. The fight is on for the Holy Grail – consumer attention. Even the major studios are going online and are conducting stealth-marketing campaigns to break through the clutter. Just look at Universal’s under the radar approach to the upcoming release of Sasha Baron Cohen’s new film Bruno.

The days of big distribution deals and massive releases are over unless you’re a comic book hero, Pixar film, big name star or director or in the documentary world, you’re Michael Moore. If one more industry insider tells me how much they love my film and how it would have been the next “Super Size Me” had it come out 2 years ago, I may just have to kill them. I too wish that the environment was different and would have welcomed my million-dollar check. But the gambler in me is fully engaged.

I hate Vegas but have always been a risk taker. One of those “road less traveled” people, who never take the easy path. Who love the thrill of a new challenge. Granted, I didn’t bargain for this brave new world we’re in. But as I come out of my fog, I realize that this is also a time of opportunity. So with that said, I embrace the next phase of the Beer Wars rollout.

I hope you join me on the ride! After all, we’re all in this together.

Tags: independent, marketing, viral