How do you know what film festivals to submit to? How do you get the attention of the programmers? Why should you volunteer at festivals? Should you hire a publicist, and if yes, how do you know who is right for you? That and more on this episode with producer and festival programmer Jon Fitzgerald. (Episode 53) Hosted by Director/Producer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Jenn Page.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you want to be notified when we open our doors to our green screen virtual production studio dedicated to indie filmmakers (and indie film budgets) fill out the form on our website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠TheWorkingDirector.Pro.⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can also go there to join our private FB group for directors so you can attend these live conversations and get your questions answered; as well as, to learn about The Working Director course that helps emerging filmmakers become working directors faster. More on Jon: Learn how to submit to the right film festivals, get on the radar of programmers, create effective marketing materials, maximize your festival participation, pursue the best distribution model, and take your career to the next level.  We are going to touch on the topics Jon covers in his new book and accompanying workbook in this live discussion and Q&A with Jon Fitzgerald. Jon has twenty-five years of experience in independent films and film festivals. He has produced award-winning documentaries and has led many independent film projects through the maze of festivals and hybrid distribution models. As a Festival Director he has run several top tier festivals and has consulted on dozens more. Jon has also led acquisitions for several streaming platforms, and now curates movies and series for Cause Cinema. He authored the leading social impact filmmaking book, Filmmaking for Change: How to Make Movies that Transform the World, and also teaches two popular web based courses: Film Festival Mastery and Film Distribution Mastery.   key links: https://www.causepictures.com/ https://onthefestcircuit.substack.com/ https://www.filmfestivalmastery.com/replay-2 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theworkingdirector/message