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The Communication Hierarchy

Why most filmmakers are stuck on rung 5...

Last Thursday, I stood in the WeFunder HQ in San Francisco, 90 minutes into a panel on how filmmakers and modern artists are using crowd-equity to own their financing and revolutionize distribution...

Afterwards, a fintech founder handed me their card about an investment, another portfolio company offered a syndicate deal. A catering company offered to partner on future events, and one of the largest creator platforms offered a partnership opportunity with our media company, The Vandalist.

And none of them knew who I was before that night.

I think about all the cold emails I've sent to potential investors, sales agents, producers. All the submissions into festival portals that feel like dropping your film into a black hole. All the DMs to industry people that sit on "seen" forever.

The value of those interactions is close to zero. It's a pure volume play – getting hundreds or thousands of them out in the hopes of a 1-5% response rate. And then a smaller percentage of them actually convert into a sale or investment or meaningful call-to-action.

Building anything – whether it's a film or startup or otherwise – requires focused attention and energy. And it's important to understand the hierarchy of effective communication:

1. In-person

2. Live virtual (Zoom, livestream)

3. Long-form video (YouTube)

4. Short-form (Instagram, TikTok)

5. Written (cold emails, DMs, texts)

6. Nothing

Every rung down, you lose something. Eye contact. Body language. The ability to read someone mid-sentence and adjust your pitch. Trust takes weeks to build over email. In person, it takes minutes.

Think about the last time you had coffee with someone. You were likely more willing to help them, stay in touch, and create meaningful business relationships through that connection – compared to the Zoom call with someone arguably more important, more "valuable."

Our brains can only hold so many people in our rolodex at any given time. And we have to optimize for the forms of communication that hold the most brain bandwidth in the person we're meeting with – especially if they're someone you want to make an impression on.

The WeFunder panel generated syndicate conversations, press connections, distribution leads, and community advocates... in 90 minutes. Things that would've taken months of follow-up emails, if they happened at all.

I didn't need a sales deck or follow ups. Just a projector, folding chairs, and a conversation topic I thought people would find informative, entertaining, AND inspiring.

I think the future of building an audience – and capturing trust from the industry – is going to be in-person events in third spaces. Screening rooms, coffee shops, co-working spaces, someone's living room…

As the world gets noisier and more crowded, physical presence becomes the scarce resource.

A premiere in your friend's loft for 20 people will do more for your film than a submission to 15 festivals. A coffee with one producer will move your project further than 50 cold emails.

People want events, experiences, memories – not just access to a film or entertainment. Think Oppenheimer x Barbie. Taylor Swift Eras Tour. Or even Justin Bieber’s recent Coachella show.

This is actually one of the reasons my team and I are building something called The Vandalist Academy.

It launches May 6th – free weekly live classes on film financing, producing, and distribution. We're starting virtual, but we're building toward livestreamed in-person classes in New York and eventually LA.

Because I believe the best version of education happens in face to face dialogue, not behind a screen. And we want to build that room.

Join the waitlist here – it's 100% free, always.

Whatever you’re trying to do, think about the highest rung of communication you can leverage.

If you’re trying to get a meeting, try meeting them where they are for coffee (sometimes even if it means spending all your credit card points to fly to their city). Business runs on relationships, and relationships are formed face to face, with a real handshake.

Worst case, you can always Zoom, text, or email.

— Thomas Percy Kim

📌 Thomas’s Bookmarks

My favorite links of the week to help you be wiser and more creative.

• Screenplay Incubator - If you’re a screenwriter from Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Latin America, Caribbean, Middle East, or Oceania, check out this cool incubator opportunity I found.

💾 Community Plugs

Resources for filmmakers, content creators, and industry professionals.

• 🎬 Crowdfunding a short film? The Short Film Crowdfunding Playbook is live — your A-Z guide on making your short film. Grab it here.

• 🎞️ Need a pitch deck for a short or feature? I created a comprehensive plug-and-play pitch deck template for independent filmmakers. Save time, win over producers and investors. If you use it, let me know what you think!

• ✍️ Looking for cast or crew? If you're a filmmaker searching for someone to help you fill a role, reply with a short description of your project, location, and job description — I'll try to connect you with someone in the community!

• 💡 Community spotlight: If you've recently wrapped a short, locked a feature cut, or hit a milestone you're proud of — reply and tell me about it. We highlight community wins here!

📹 Behind the Scenes

Exhibit B on the value of community events. Here’s a photo of a friend who hosted an incredible supper club the other night!

If you enjoyed this story, please consider reading past editions, or forwarding this to a friend!