Promotion & Marketing Investment

Producers entering a Traditional Distribution Agreement with us must understand how we do business with respect to our recoupable Promotional & Marketing Investment. All expenses ("Promotional" and "License Servicing") are paid for by Janson Media, and we are AT RISK for them until we earn revenue from which to recoup them. In a Standard Distribution Agreement, if we do not sell a program or series, we LOSE money (the money we have invested in promotion and marketing). We generally carry (and are at risk for) between $100,000 and $150,000 worth of unrecouped expenses, across our entire catalog. Some of this we will probably never recoup, as a result of guessing wrong about the potential of some programs or series we are distributing. Producers must understand that this is why we are so selective when it comes to offering standard distribution agreements.

Our Promotional & Marketing Expense Investments are capped on an annual basis. It is also important to understand that promotional expenses are heavily front-loaded during the initial launch period (6-12 months), and drop off considerably as the contract moves into the second year and beyond. As a rule of thumb, if we have invested $5,000 to launch a program the producer will not receive royalties until we have collected about $8,000 in sales revenue. (65% of $8,000 = $5,200.) However if we offer a Traditional Distribution Agreement for a program or a series it is because we believe it can earn a minimum of $50,000 in revenue over the course of the term.

LAUNCH PROMOTION

Market Allocation (MIPTV, MIPCOM, NATPE, DISCOP): 300 - 900 (for overall promotional activity at any one market and includes a fair percentage of our overall costs of exhibition space rental, pitching and screening at up to 100 meetings over the course of a market. We promote a new title or series much more aggressively during the first year of the term.)
e-News Release Campaign (to 4,000+ opt-in media executives worldwide): 175
PR Newswire or PRWeb Campaign: 300 - 1000
Webpage design & integration into website (includes creation of Private Client Area with Screening Room & Digital Press Kit): 225
Flyer, design to pdf: 250
Flyer, printing: 450 - 750 (run: 500)
Poster, design: 75 - 125
Poster, print & mount/laminate: 75 each (poster used once to decorate Stand at market)
Janson Media Market Catalog (1,000 copies printed): 175 - 225 per 1/2 page
Janson Media Market Screener DVD (multiple MPEG4 files of trailers on one DVD): 75 - 200 per program/series
Print advertising in trade magazine (eg Worldscreen, Realscreen): approx. 1000 per 1/4 page (includes space & design)

ONGOING PROMOTION

Shipping & handling of DVD screeners: 22 (plus courier charges if necessary)
Digital screener delivery via Smartjog (satellite/internet B2B service): 15 per program delivery
Digital screener delivery via the Private Client Area of janson.com: 10 per program or trailer delivery
Pressroom News Item: 75
Website Update: 50
Google Adwords campaigns: various

MISCELLANEOUS

Digital encoding/file conversion (eg. digitizing Beta, ripping DVDs, converting various media files to MPEG4): 100 per hour

LICENSE SERVICING EXPENSES

Videotape Master Conversion >
Producers/suppliers must provide us with both NTSC and PAL masters for our Videotape Master Archive (see our Deliverables information). If we are asked to incur the cost of these conversions ourselves (NTSC to PAL or PAL to NTSC), we deduct the cost of these conversions. While clients will sometimes pay for dubs/clones, they cannot be asked to pay for conversions -- as a distributor, we are expected to have both NTSC and PAL masters in our archives from which to make dubs or clones.

Videotape Master Duplication >
Although we ask that clients pay for masters (above and beyond the license fee), often they cannot or will not. Sometimes they will contribute to the cost but not pay all of it. Therefore, we must deduct from revenues any unreimbursed mastering costs we incur in servicing a license agreement.

Document Processing (international governmental withholding tax forms, consulate certifications, notarized copyright applications, etc.) 50 per hour plus fees paid, if any.

Shipping & Customs of videotape masters: Pricing various depending on destination, shipping method, delivery time, etc. (Transcripts, press kits, music cues sheets, and other deliverables are now usually delivered via the Private Client Area of our website in digital form.)