Miles is a talented director, a passionate teacher and very generous with his tremendous knowledge of film, TV and media industries. He’s a skillful networker with an uncanny ability to match the right people to the right projects. His Directing Actors network has evolved into a major movement in the NYC indie film community, and he has provided invaluable expertise as director, producer and mentor. I recommend him for anyone’s future film project- Seff Ruffer
OLADAPO: GIVE A CONCISE BIOGRAPHY OF YOURSELF?
MILES: I’m making a difference in the movie business with an active role in the development, packaging and global sale of exceptional stories. I say stories rather than movies because a good story can be told many different ways and in many different formats–from novels to games to movies to TV episodes to online web series just to name a few. I source the ideas from talented creators who are otherwise overlooked by movie studios, large production companies and major TV networks to develop and shop them for production. My experience spans the entire film-making process from the script phase through production, post production, marketing and distribution.
Maker is the Founder of converCinema, a boutique motion picture marketing, sales & distribution agency.
OLADAPO: HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR WORK AS A PRODUCER AND AGENT?
MILES: My mission is to license, sell and in some cases distribute independent movies with international reach for my clients. This firstly involves a global strategy for the film, and I only work with filmmakers who are willing to think outside the box and explore innovative ways to target audiences and share their work. I’m very bullish about event-driven screenings with an online release simultaneously, because the moment you make the loudest buzz is the moment your movie should be available to consume by as many people in as many different ways as possible. This reduces piracy with peak access in a society with a very short attention span for what people are talking about in social spaces.
OLADAPO: HOW DID YOU GET INTO PRODUCING/AGENT?
MILES: We all have a skillset we know we should lean towards to be successful, and I ignored mine for many years. I worked too many sales jobs I hated for people I disliked selling products I deplored, but I knew I was a gifted salesperson and communicator and I thrived on pursuing the next sale and earning the highest commission check. I also love storytelling but couldn’t commit the time to pen a novels–so I read a few books on screenwriting and I was off to the races. I discovered a passion for it, then I realized screenplays are difficult to sell and even harder to make, so I explored filmmaking and discovered yet another passion. All of this brought me right back to sales because the entertainment business is all about selling yourself, your projects and your vision. Now I’m selling my vision, your vision and the vision to distribute our creativity around the world. Each project is its own product–I have an exciting job!
OLADAPO: DID YOU STUDY PRODUCING? WHAT DID YOU STUDY?
MILES: Not a day in my life. However today’s masterclass is perpetual learning every day through industry thought-leaders, trade publications, videos, blogs, tweetstreams, sales reports, research whitepapers and by simply absorbing the industry trends, techniques and technologies for and about the business of entertainment all around us. After a few years of very focused deliberate mining of information and resources I can honestly say I know more about where the industry is right now and where we’re headed than most execs do in Hollywood. I can’t tell you much about the history of this business, but that’s not relevant to what I can do right here right now for me and my clients–and frankly, I can adapt to change and much faster and further ahead of the curve because I’m not stuck in a comfort zone about anything I hold dear in terms of strategy and execution. It’s all about the hustle in real-time.
OLADAPO: HOW DO YOU CHOOSE A PROJECT TO PRODUCE?
MILES: The best stories are the ones that make people feel something. I usually ask the creator what they really wanna say with the work and why they chose the story. The story’s gotta say something in a unique and creative way, break a rule and push a boundary. I also like projects that are quickly and easily communicated that can elicit an immediate emotional response. It’s also gotta be what I consider Art, which is entirely subjective (but it must be Art to me). I can’t sell what most people are making because nobody’s excited enough to talk about those movies. When I get excited about a story, it’s because it inspires me to explore the Art as a commercial vehicle I can exploit from numerous angles.
OLADAPO: BRIEFLY DESCRIBE WRONG IMPRESSIONS ACTORS, WRITERS, AND DIRECTORS HAVE ABOUT PRODUCING
MILES: Creatives think producers hand them money. Some are stewards of an investor’s money, but there are so many more producers out there and we do so many different things–which is why you see so many producer credits after a movie. At the end of the day any producer worth the credit they earn contributes something valuable to the situation to make it happen. In my case, I typically develop projects, package them and/or sell them to buyers, but a buyer in every case is a potentially a different kind of buyer. Some are investors, some are distributors, some are networks and some are consumers. I love my job because it’s never quite the same job, yet I’m doing the same kind of work every day.
OLADAPO: DO YOU OFTEN TAKE COURSES TO INCREASE YOUR CRAFT?
MILES: I attend a lot of industry primers–workshops, case study presentations, trade conferences, panel discussions and networking events. It keeps me informed and in front of the people I may ultimately do business with.
OLADAPO: WHAT BOOKS DO YOU READ?
MILES: By the time an industry professional pens a book, the information is usually already dated, so I don’t read too many books about the movie business. I read books about people–how we think, how we interact and how we’re evolving on this planet. Most of the books I read are from social scientists and salespeople. Actually salespeople ARE social scientists.
OLADAPO: HOW DO YOU KEEP IN SHAPE AS AN PRODUCER/AGENT?
MILES: I don’t. I’m working on growing my producer gut. The more successful I get, the further my gut will hang over my belt buckle. Watch out world–here comes a gutsy international sales agent! Seriously though–it’s more about maintaining a healthy diet and taking time out to ride a bike or go for long walks.
OLADAPO: WHY WOULD YOU CHOOSE AN ACTOR, WRITER OR DIRECTOR ? WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR?
MILES: I seek to attach actors to projects who are accomplished in the market, yet willing to take risks and surprise their fans and a movies audience in terms of role expectations. Kim Wayans in PARIAH is a good example (although I didn’t attach her). Staying relevant means you can’t lull your audience to sleep with more of the same–surprise them and you’ll get them out of their house and into the theater.
What I stress to emerging Actors is the need to establish a brand presence and grow their base. Their base may be fans, friends, supporters, followers–whatever you call them isn’t as important as how you communicate with them, grow your base and how you inspire them to champion your work. Your value to a production is based on your performance and professionalism, but before that happens your audience draw is considered. Even a YouTube star can be cast for a role before a talented Actor nobody knows. This is the reality in a business where eyeballs mean profits. Of course I prefer the most talented Actor for a role–but even then there may not be a consensus on that amongst the team, so when faced with a difficult decision we will almost always choose the Actor who adds the most value to the product we intend to sell to people who will talk about it because of the talent attached. This affects our foreign sales appeal, network appeal, theatrical appeal–appeal appeal appeal, so help us help you by increasing your appeal.
OLADAPO: WHEN YOU ARE OFFERED A PROJECT, WHAT DO YOU DO?
MILES: I research it all first. The creators, the core production team and the online presence the project has. I check it all out thoroughly–then decide if I think it’s a viable situation to get involved with, if I can generally trust the people attached, if I can actually contribute something to make it all work and if there’s money to be made with a benchmark I can hang my hat on. If there’s no profit potential I can’t afford to vest myself too deeply at this stage in my life and if I can’t exploit the project to propel my career it’s simply not worth my attention. Having said that, one can profit from something in more ways that just financially. I value relationships like I value money.
OLADAPO: BRIEFLY EXPLAIN YOUR WORK ON PARIAH
MILES: I was the social marketing producer. I managed the audience development and fan acquisitions piece for producer Nekisa Cooper and writer/director Dee Rees. I helped them design the strategy and I executed the outreach initiatives. I found the stories around the story and exploited them at every opportunity to grow our fan community in preparation for our release. My work started a month before Sundance with a crowdfunding campaign to get the cast & crew to Sundance and we successfully raised $11K in 3 weeks on Kickstarter.com. From there, we became the buzz of the fest with an amazing movie and an online social presence no other film could muster. After winning the Grand Jury Award for Best Cinematography and being acquired by Focus Features, my job was to continue to grow the fanbase and keep the conversation going about the film for nearly an entire year before we were finally released in theaters in December. We sustained it all through awards season, and even now I continue to manage the Facebook page of 16,000+ and the Twitter account @Northstarpics.
OLADAPO: WHAT ‘THING/SITUATION’ HELPS YOU DURING A PRODUCTION?
MILES: Understanding people. What motivates them, what inspires them and what moves them to contribute their very best.
OLADAPO: HOW DO YOU ADVICE ACTORS TO FIND PROJECT?
MILES: Traditional routes should always be explored–websites and resources where professional Actors frequent. Breakdown Express and Actors Access are industry staples. I enhance the creative team’s search for talent by making strategic referrals and attachments–not frequently but seldom, so when I do, they take my referral seriously. I attend performances as often as I can and I maintain constant contact with Actors through my Twitter stream @directingActors and on our Facebook page.
OLADAPO: HOW CAN FILMMAKERS FINANCE THEIR PROJECTS?
MILES: There’s a big wide window of opportunity right now, but I’m focusing on a global approach to profitable filmmaking. This means I’m seeking exceptional creators with exceptional concepts to pitch potential projects to not only investors but talent agencies and foreign distributors. I’m exploring the pre-sales model and ways to assess the economic potential of an intellectual property before we invest the time and money to make it. Reverse engineer each venture with a budget that respects the endgame. Smart business.
OLADAPO: WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM A DIRECTOR DURING A PRODUCTION?
MILES: I need this person to know what they want. Have a distinct and precise vision and focus on that. Be clear and communicate with your team so we can provide what’s needed productively, efficiently and cost-effectively.
OLADAPO: DO YOU GET OFFERS FROM FILM INDUSTRIES? BOLLYWOOD OR NOLLY WOOD?
MILES: I was recently asked to conduct a film making workshop in Nigeria and I sincerely hope it happens!
OLADAPO: WHAT DO YOU THINK AN ACTOR CAN DO TO GET INTO THE FILM INDUSTRY?
MILES: Produce yourself. Meet YouTube. If you aren’t landing roles or if you live somewhere work is scarce, study monologues–prepare and shoot them. Maintain a YouTube channel and brand your name on social networks. Upload only the Best performances that present you in a professional way in terms of lighting, sound and image quality. Communicate with people who appreciate your work, and stay consistent with new content–yes even commission directors to shoot scenes and short films to showcase your talent. If the work is out there, people will find it, and if they like what they see they will want to see you.
OLADAPO: WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE PRODUCER/AGENT?
MILES: I really like what Will Packer is doing with movies. I’ve been following him since Rainforest made the very first Trois. I also like Shonda Rhimes–she became that go-to powerplayer. James Lassiter, CK Louis, Funny or Die, The Onion. In terms of companies I like YouTube, Tugg, Cinedigm, Gravitas Ventures, eOne, Lionsgate, TWC Radius, Roadside Attractions, people and companies that break the rules and redefine what releasing and distributing content means.
OLADAPO: WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO ADDRESS ACTORS IN AN INTERVIEW, TO ANSWER QUESTIONS?
MILES: Sure thing!
A Film Independent 2013 Project Involve Fellow, Miles Maker develops, produces, markets and sells movies; connecting art & commerce, titles with global markets, motion pictures & ROI.
