Funding Strategies Bootcamp - 2025
Develop An Actionable Finance Strategy For Your Film In Five Weeks
NEW FIVE WEEK COHORT - STARTING JANUARY 20
As part of the 2025 update to the Funding Strategies Bootcamp we’re also including full access to the Packaging Strategies Playbook, my four part blueprint that dives deep into independent film packaging and the frameworks I’m currently using to package projects for the marketplace (a $199 value).
IN THIS BOOTCAMP YOU’LL:
• Develop A Realistic Funding Strategy In 5 Weeks
• Assemble the right elements to make your project attractive in the current independent film ecosystem
• Put your project on a path to being finance-ready
Early Registration: Until 1/6, register for just $159 (a 20% discount off the full price)
Here’s what I’ve observed in the many consulting inquiries I’ve received this year….
Projects are at a standstill and need to be shaped into a value proposition that is suitable for the marketplace
Industry contractions have done a number on the independent film production community and there’s a desire to take the bull by the horns and develop and pitch your own projects rather than waiting to get hired on someone else's
Projects that have been developed are presenting outdated financing and distribution models and budget ranges and need to be fully updated and shaped into a true value proposition for investors and stakeholders
Since getting started is the hardest part and the 'staring at a blank page’ will get you nowhere, my Financing Bootcamp is the push you need to take the first step, with me as your guide, so you keep going even after the first step and you don’t give up in frustration before you work all the steps in my playbook.
Most filmmakers are overwhelmed by the all the tasks involved in creating a finance-ready package and confused over which steps to take and in what order.
This playbook includes a clear actionable plan to take you from standstill to approaching the market with confidence AND with a project that stands out in an over-saturated market because you’re presenting it in a way that makes sense based on financially grounded goals.
The Funding Strategies Bootcamp will give you the clarity and control to confidently present your film to the market and save you time and headaches from spinning your wheels round and round, again and again, year after year. It will put you in a position to present your projects to potential financiers and partners in a meaningful way and move them forward.
As an added bonus, students who follow my blueprint start to see a lot more responses to their cold outreach, too!
Here’s what you can expect as part of the Boot Camp:
Five weeks of on-demand lessons delivered on the Substack platform and delivered directly to your inbox weekly starting Monday, January 20.
Strategic resources, templates, and guides for you to plug and play
Access to interactive Q&A with me under each lesson to get your specific questions answered and workshop your projects
A step by step action plan
Lifetime access to course
Topics include (but are not limited to):
The financing framework I use when onboarding a new project
Assessing the market for your project
Considering various budget levels
Different paths to getting your project made
How to vet and approach talent packaging
What various finance plans look like
Whether pre-sales or co-productions make sense for your project
When to use tax incentives and prioritize international over domestic
How to approach raising equity
How to leverage debt for closing your finance plan
PLUS…PACKAGING STRATEGIES PLAYBOOK
You'll receive access to Packaging Strategies Playbook, my four-part blueprint that dives deep into independent film packaging and the frameworks I use to package projects for the marketplace. It taps into my multi-decades of experience packaging films, documentaries, and series utilizing both private equity and market-based finance. These are the systems I am currently using to package projects in today’s very challenging environment.
In this course we cover:
Bringing on a director and producer
Building out a team
Actor attachments and approaching talent reps
Leveraging IP and current trends
Marketing hooks and brand partnerships
and more…for features, docs, series, and digital
On its own this course normally retails for $199, but we’re including it here to give you the most comprehensive head start we can to help you get your projects moving in 2025.
I enjoyed all your insights in the Funding Strategies Playbook. I always appreciate how accessible you make your discussions and presentations. We are using it as I write this. I look forward to your upcoming course, Packaging Strategies Playbook! We plan on using the information immediately.
-Glenn W.
Delivery
The course is hosted on Substack, and delivered as five action-oriented lessons - via email - directly to your inbox. One written lesson per week for five weeks starting January 20, 2025. Plus additional strategic resources and Q+A. Since each lesson is written, you don’t need to block out long session times and there are no Zoom meetings to attend. You can follow along ‘live’ or catch up whenever is convenient for you.
The result: A solid framework to follow and a realistic plan to approach funding for your projects.
With the film industry going through an undeniable change right now, I truly believe that Stacey is at the forefront of not only understanding how things have been but envisioning where they are going. And she does this with the practical and applicable tools, language, and knowledge necessary to feel equipped for a time like this. She approaches each film as an individual, fluid project that requires its own unique set of steps to get made. I could go on and on. But seriously do yourself and the story you're trying to tell a favor and sign up for whatever it is she is offering because I guarantee it will be an integral part of bringing your film to life.
- Taylor Lewis
Register
Early Registration: Until 1/6, register for just $159 (a 20% discount off the full price)
About Stacey Parks
Stacey Parks has overseen and been involved in independent film financing, production, and distribution for over 20 years as a sales agent, consultant, producer, and executive producer. She began her career at the William Morris Agency where she spent her tenure in the indie film packaging and financing department, as well as feature film lit, talent, and music. Stacey followed that up with a career in distribution and international sales working for such companies as Icon and BBC Worldwide, until transitioning to producing and exec producing full time. Since then she's been involved in the development, production, and distribution of over a dozen feature films and series. Recent feature producing credits include the films "Pinball: The Man Who Saved The Game" starring Mike Faist and Crystal Reed, named by The New Yorker Magazine as one of the top 10 films of 2023. "Miss Virginia" starring Uzo Aduba, Mathew Modine, and Aunjanue Ellis, "Under The Eiffel Tower" starring Matt Walsh, David Wain, and Michaela Watkins, "Fits & Starts" starring Wyatt Cenac and Greta Lee, "Kemba", a BET co-production, starring Nesta Cooper and directed by Kelley Kali, and upcoming projects "Freedom Hair" written and directed by Dianne Houston, "Unsuitable Game" starring Jessica Barden, Sian Clifford and Jessica Brown-Findlay, and "Don’t Come Over" written and directed by Jane Clark and starring Guinevere Turner, Alexis Knapp, and Alanna Ubach. Recent series projects include "The Upgrade" for Bravo, and "The Big Sip" in collaboration with MediaPro Studios.