Indie Film Self Distribution in 5 Easy Steps | One Grand Film | Director Interview

Join my filmmaking community at https://skool.com/ogfilmskool/about n this conversation, I sit down with Wes Clark, a 24-year-old filmmaker who's already made TWO feature films and is completely rethinking how indie filmmakers should distribute their work. What We Cover: • Why Wes turned down multiple "top-tier" indie distribution offers (and the math behind that decision) • How he raised $80K for his first feature with cold emails • The self-distribution strategy that's working (website, merch, DVDs, targeted ads) • Why YouTube ads crush Instagram/Facebook for film marketing (real numbers included) • Pennsylvania's 25% tax credit that nobody talks about • How to make a feature film in 13 days with a crew of 10 • The "1000 True Fans" model applied to filmmaking • His 2026 plan: a YouTube series that reimagines how shows get funded Key Takeaways: Traditional distributors take 40-50% + expenses (often $10K-$20K upfront) One merch sale = 5-6 fewer film rentals needed to break even YouTube ad cost: as low as 1 penny per 10 website visits The best festival strategy for micro-budget filmmakers Why building your own audience matters more than going viral Wes Clark's Films: "How to Start a Cult in Five Easy Steps" - Available now at https://www.howtostartacultin5-easyst... "The Psychic Files" - Coming 2026 CONNECT WITH WES: YouTube:    / @wesclarkfilm   Instagram:   / awesclarkfilm   Website: https://www.howtostartacultin5-easyst... CONNECT WITH ME: One Grand Film Skool: https://skool.com/ogfilmskool/about OGF on IG:   / onegrandfilm   MENTIONED IN THIS VIDEO: • Mark Toia's "Monsters of Man" distribution case study https://www.skool.com/ogfilmskool/sel... • Kevin Kelly's "1000 True Fans" article https://kk.org/thetechnium/1000-true-... • Pennsylvania Film Tax Credit program • FilmHub, Bitmax (aggregators discussed) • Quiver Distribution • Indie Film Hustle podcast #filmmaking #indiefilm #filmdistribution #filmmaker #moviemaking #selfdistribution #featurefilm #filmproduction #microbudgetfilm #filmmarketing