Indie Distribution w/ Michael Galinsky

Along with partners Suki Hawley and David Beilinson, Michael Galinsky has spent the last 25 years making and distributing films under the Rumur banner. This class will be a survey of how they came to make and distribute 9 feature films, how they have funded them, distributed them, and how retained rights to all of them. He will offer insights into both the things that they have done right, and the things they have done wrong. In advance of the class Rumur will provide access to all of their films so that attendees can become more familiar with the work. Several of their titles including “Who Took Johnny” and “All The Rage” played at Sidewalk.

They began their career with the underground cult hit “Half-Cocked” which follows a bunch of kids who steal a van full of music gear and pretend to be a band in order to stay out on the road. The film stars musicians who play characters that are not dissimilar from themselves. It’s a hybrid documentary before anyone had thought of the term, and it is often cited as an inspiration for the mumble core movement. When it couldn’t get any kind of distribution, Hawley and Galinsky threw it in a van and took it on tour, showing it at rock clubs around the US and Europe. The went on to make a follow up hybrid music film in Spain and then transitioned into documentary films.

Michael will go through the films and discuss lessons learned from the process. More info about the films can be found here: https://rumur.com/lessons-learned/

Once you have signed up for the class you will get an email with links to view the films. Sidewalk’s Educational Programs are sponsored by Wind Creek Hospitality.