How? It facilitated us being able to successfully negotiate a distribution deal with a major Christian film distributor.
Sidebar here… I might have mentioned this on a previous post, but about three months before the Lifeway world premiere, we were "at the altar" with another major Christian film distributor on the eve of receiving an agreement from them. They came back and said they were moving away from distributing documentaries. Fortunately, I had what has turned out to be an excellent "Plan B." I had met with a second distributor and we discussed the fact I was already in negotiations with the first party, but if something went sideways we would move forward on this film. And even if things worked out with the first party, we would look at ways to potentially work together on future projects. Well, things didn't work out with the first party and after feeling sorry for myself for around five minutes, I then called our distributor and they have done a very good with the film.
The Lifeway World Premiere idea resonated with both distributors as the awareness factor of having the film screen at 1,100 venues (mostly churches) was intriguing for them (especially since they didn't have to pay for the promotion). The initial major dates in the marketing plan were:
- Mid-July for the Lifeway World Premiere
- During the month of August, the film on DVD was featured as the premium on the ministry's radio program (…"For your gift of any amount this month, you receive the film on DVD as a thank you…")
- September, the film on DVD hits the Christian Bookstore Association (CBA) market
The awareness generated by the Lifeway World Premiere was seen as a major boost for the CBA launch, which is a vital revenue generator for the distributors.
The success of the Lifeway World Premiere enabled us to chronicle the high points in the process in a series of press releases. Here is the final one that highlighted the fact that over 2,700 venues has registered to stream the film…
FILM’S INNOVATIVE WORLD PREMIERE REACHES THOUSANDS WITH THE
HOPE OF THE GOSPEL
2,725 venues registered for a free, web‐based, on‐demand premiere of
Harvest Ministries’ film Hope for Hurting Hearts with Greg Laurie
Riverside, Calif., July 12, 2013—Eschewing an expensive and risky theater distribution, Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie chose a more inventive method to premiere their new film, Hope for Hurting Hearts. More than 2,700 venues—churches, groups, and individuals—registered for the free world premiere, screened from July 10–14, making the film one of the most‐watched online film events in Lifeway Digital Events history.
Harvest Ministries partnered with Lifeway Films and their online Digital Events division to offer this compelling film, and its strong gospel message, to thousands of sites through their convenient, proprietary on‐demand platform.
“The medium of an on‐demand, web‐based movie event proved successful, as many groups of people, as well as individuals, watched in churches, on computers, and on handhelds,” says Scott Mills of LifeWay Films.
Narrated by Dr. James Dobson, Hope for Hurting Hearts tells the true stories of how Greg and Cathe Laurie, Jeremy Camp, and Nick Vujicic stood at a spiritual crossroads marked by challenging and painful circumstances, and how each chose the road of trusting, following and ultimately glorifying God.
"We were excited to see the response to the Hope for Hurting Hearts premiere event. It means thousands of people watched and were encouraged with the hope only found in Jesus,” says Mills. “Now is an amazing time to use technology to share Jesus, and we could not be more excited about the ministry this film had, and will continue to have.”
Calvary Chapel Aurora, in Colorado, was one of the world premiere host
venues. Aurora was the location of the tragic 2012 theater shooting. After
the church’s viewing of Hope for Hurting Hearts, Senior Pastor Ed Taylor
wrote, “Our time with the movie was glorious. We were standing room only
with folks sitting on the floor.” The church sanctuary seats 1,300. After the
premiere, people responded to the gospel invitation and the movie was
said to be a tremendous tool for Jesus.
“Marie and I personally were encouraged by the movie as the Spirit ministered to our hearts. Thank you for the privilege of being a part of something so special,” said Pastor Ed.
The film on DVD can be pre‐ordered now at hope.harvest.org. The DVD will be in Christian bookstores on September 24 and is in negotiations for distribution starting in October through digital streaming services and additional DVD retailers.
Greg Laurie is the senior pastor at Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California, one of the largest churches in the U.S. Laurie is also the founder and evangelist for Harvest Crusades, evangelistic outreach events that have drawn some 4.7 million people to stadiums and arenas around the world since 1990. Laurie serves on the board of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention, established in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1891, is one of the world's largest providers of Christian products and services, including Bibles, church literature, books, music, audio and video recordings, films, church supplies, and internet services through LifeWay.com. The company also owns and operates 160 LifeWay Christian Stores across the nation, as well as one of the largest Christian conference centers in the country. LifeWay is a religious nonprofit organization that receives no funding from the denomination and reinvests income above operating expenses in mission work and other ministries around the world.
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The Lifeway World Premiere idea helped us to sell the film to our distributor and offered the distributor excellent selling points for their pitches to their customers.
Finally, we did not have a finalized, finished film when we were pitching this to distributors. We have a rough cut and only a portion of the finished film (the first 12-20 minutes). Not surprisingly, not having a finished film can be a drawback in this negotiation. But we were able to sell it based on the quality of what we did present as well as the marketing plan for the film (especially what would precede the launch into the CBA market).
“Marie and I personally were encouraged by the movie as the Spirit ministered to our hearts. Thank you for the privilege of being a part of something so special,” said Pastor Ed.
The film on DVD can be pre‐ordered now at hope.harvest.org. The DVD will be in Christian bookstores on September 24 and is in negotiations for distribution starting in October through digital streaming services and additional DVD retailers.
Greg Laurie is the senior pastor at Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California, one of the largest churches in the U.S. Laurie is also the founder and evangelist for Harvest Crusades, evangelistic outreach events that have drawn some 4.7 million people to stadiums and arenas around the world since 1990. Laurie serves on the board of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention, established in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1891, is one of the world's largest providers of Christian products and services, including Bibles, church literature, books, music, audio and video recordings, films, church supplies, and internet services through LifeWay.com. The company also owns and operates 160 LifeWay Christian Stores across the nation, as well as one of the largest Christian conference centers in the country. LifeWay is a religious nonprofit organization that receives no funding from the denomination and reinvests income above operating expenses in mission work and other ministries around the world.
_________________________________________________________________________________
The Lifeway World Premiere idea helped us to sell the film to our distributor and offered the distributor excellent selling points for their pitches to their customers.
Finally, we did not have a finalized, finished film when we were pitching this to distributors. We have a rough cut and only a portion of the finished film (the first 12-20 minutes). Not surprisingly, not having a finished film can be a drawback in this negotiation. But we were able to sell it based on the quality of what we did present as well as the marketing plan for the film (especially what would precede the launch into the CBA market).
