New Day was the first distributor to be run entirely by and for film-makers. "Until we put it together," says founding member Liane Brandon, "no one thought filmmakers could distribute films -- no one thought the world was ready for feminist political films."
Fellow founder Amalie Rothschild describes New Day's difference for filmmakers: "New Day put me in touch with the totality, the wholeness of being a filmmaker. Making a film is only half the job. The other half is getting it seen, especially if you make films to change minds, to promote ideas you passionately believe in."
During the past few years, New Day has streamlined its operations to accommodate changes in the industry, such as the switch from 16 mm film to VHS cassettes as the dominant educational media format. With a large and diverse group of makers to consider marketing decisions, New Day member J Clements says that "New Day has done tremendously well with change. Members care most about promoting films, so promotion is close to our hearts. New Day is in a strong position compared to other distributors because we have members, and other distributors don't."
The Founders Tell Their Story
New Day's beginnings offer a great illustration of the principle that timing is everything. As some of the founders tell it, it took a series of happy accidents to discover the common purpose that brought New Day into being.
"We founded New Day together," explains Amalie Rothschild. "The name came from Jim Klein and Julia Reichert, who had already started distributing their film Growing Up Female. We met at the 1971 Flaherty Seminar, where some of our films were programmed. I was in production with It Happens to Us. I'd been trying to get distribution for Woo Who? May Wilson. I'd take it to nontheatrical distribution companies and they'd say 'It's wonderful, dear, we really like it. But there's no audience...'
"By the time I met Jim and Julia, I'd already heard a lot about them. They were interested in It Happens to Us; in fact, I did an extra interview with Julia, her story is one of twelve in the film. A screening committee had been formed at the Flaherty for the First International Festival of Women's Films, and the screenings were held at my loft. Julia and I saw Liane's (Brandon) film Anything You Want To Be. We called her, Jim and Julia went to Boston, met Liane, and then there were four of us."
"When I first met them," Liane Brandon explains, "I'd been inundated with requests to show Anything You Want To Be. I'd been running back and forth to the Post Office, making myself crazy. Other distributors wanted my film, but the most they would offer was a two-year contract, as they were sure the women's movement wouldn't last any longer than that. Because I'd been active in women's groups since 1969, I knew there was a huge demand, but most distributors didn't, so they offered bad deals, or they wanted to ghettoize the films. When I first talked with Jim and Julia and Amalie, I thought 'Ah-hah! Someone else who's experiencing the same things I am.'
"It was a lot of struggle and a lot of fun," says Liane. "We really believed we were doing something that was needed: there were a lot of women out there who were hungry for these films. I remember going to a distribution conference where a distributor told the New Day people 'You're crazy, no one can distribute films independently.' Distributors were very patronizing. They'd pat artists on the head, say they'd take care of things."
"The whole idea of distribution," says Julia Reichert, "was to help the women's movement grow. Films could do that, they could get the ideas out. We could watch the women's movement spread across the country just by who was ordering our films. First it was Cambridge and Berkeley. I remember the first showing in the deep South."
"We had this total determination to find common ground," says Amalie. "There's the underlying strength of philosophical purpose, an ability to keep on the right track, that goes back to Jim and Julia. They were the philosophers, the ones with a very strong, clear political vision and the ability to grow with it and articulate it in a persuasive and inspiring way."
Today, New Day has 36 Active Members (including Jim and Julia), and 19 others (including Amalie and Liane) with older titles in a membership category called "Classics." Almost everything about the media field has changed since 1971, but some things remain the same, as J Clements, who joined in 1987, explains: "Connection with other makers is the primary reason to be in New Day. The friendships are so deep, and I'm really grateful for that. When you're in the process of making a film, New Day is really a pool of great resources. People help each other with crew, look at rough cuts-- it's a filmmakers' club."
Co-operation Works
New Day is a cooperative of independent producers who banded together to insure that their social issue films and videos reach their intended audiences. Being a co-op means that members share the costs, the work, the successes, and the hard times.
Unlike most other distributors, where someone in charge makes decisions for everyone, in New Day, the members are in charge. Most distributors only work hard for their best-selling titles. But in New Day, members do everything they can to make sure that all titles do as well as possible. Not every New Day film can be a best-seller, but all are important works on important topics. They deserve the personal attention it takes to ensure that they are seen and used as their producers intended.
Every member's success benefits the whole co-op, so members pitch in wherever they can. Each member is assigned tasks that help to promote the collection or keep the co-op running smoothly. Some members serve terms on an elected Steering Committee that oversees New Day's operation, monitoring finances and planning promotion strategies, like a Board of Directors. Others produce New Day's catalog or its special promotional mailings, help to orient and assist new members, or serve as liaisons with New Day's vendors.
With members contributing their efforts to New Day's success, overhead can be kept low, making the co-op affordable for everyone. New Day's modest operating costs are split between the members, with a sliding scale of costs based on the incomes their titles earn.
New Day members decide what to spend money on, and the profits come directly to them. Most educational distributors pay filmmakers a royalty of 20-25% of their title's income; the average New Day member receives a royalty of 67%. To attract customers, each New Day member must spend some of that income on mailings and other promotional efforts, but where and how it is spent is up to the producer.
Both organizationally and economically, New Day's twenty-five years have proven that co-operation works for each and everyone.
New Day Invites New Applicants
Every year, New Day welcomes applications from independent producers who have films and videos to offer to the educational market and are interested in being part of a co-op. Prospective members fill out an application form and submit several cassette copies of their titles. These are screened and discussed by New Day members, and if the title seems appropriate for New Day's collection, an interview with the producer is arranged. Because New Day members are actively involved in promoting New Day titles and in determining the policies and plans of the co op, choosing dedicated, responsible, and cooperative members is as important as choosing good films and videos.
In New Day, the members control all financial decisions, decide how to promote their own films, and freely share information, helping each other learn everything from how to choose effective mailing lists to how to use the World Wide Web to promote their titles.
As New Day member Grania Gurievitch puts it, "I've made many films, some independently and some sponsored. Kicking HIgh...In The Golden Years is my most recent independent film, and the only one distributed through New Day Films. Four other companies handle the older ones, and the difference is enormous. As part of New Day, I know exactly who is buying, renting, or previewing my film and, often, am able to learn why it was chosen and how it is used. This information is extremely helpful as I plan future work."
If you want to explore joining a group of independents who have been distributing films and videos their own way for twenty-five years, here's some information about joining New Day.
For more information or to receive an application form, contact:
- East Coast: Pat Goudvis,
617-338-4969
- West Coast: Heidi Schmidt Emberling, 650-347-5123
For more on our history, read "Bright New Day", a New Day 25th Anniversary article published in AIVF's The Independent Film & Video Monthly in 1996
