All posts in Filmmaker

  • December 1, 2013

    Muscle Shoals

    • Ticket_Outreach-Summary_cover

    Ticket Outreach Program

    The filmmakers of Muscle Shoals approached Greg and his colleague Rogue Edwards to create an audience building program modeled on the success of their work for Chasing Ice. The program they created covered 533 screenings in 32 theaters to support the movie’s release and critically acclaimed run from Oscar® eligibility through its Grammy nomination for best soundtrack.

    MS Billy Reid promo
    Greg and Rogue identified and contacted organizers of 1,033 local and regional groups offering access to a limited number of tickets to see the film on its premiere weekend. Group organizers vetted the program then offered these tickets to their exclusive lists of members and fans. They asked each of 11,477 ticket recipients to pay it forward by promoting the film in advance to help fill theaters for each city’s opening weekend.

    The team received hundreds of glowing reviews from all quarters: musicians, journalists, educators, theater staff, friends, family, filmmakers, and people from all spheres who benefitted from these tickets. The message created an estimated 37 million potential impressions on social media plus multiple touch-points for the tens of thousands who actively attended screenings and interacted with the program.

    Unsolicited Testimonials from the Filmmakers

    “You guys brought it every day. You are the real deal with authentic passion which is so rare and key for big time success.” – Freddy Camalier, Director

    “Thanks for the great work guys!!!” – Stephen Badger, Producer

    … Plus more praise for the program from audiences and theaters.

    Program Highlights

    • Muscle Shoals finished its tour at #175 among the top documentaries of all time (topping Morgan Spurlock, Dust to Glory, and 2012 Oscar winner Undefeated)
    • Outreach seeded incremental ticket sales: Ticket program funds represented less than 18% of the total box office gross (for every outreach ticket, more than four tickets sold to additional viewers)
    • Message was received: 7,569 total emails delivered with a 72.1% open rate (4 to 6 times industry average)
    • People engaged: 4,946 email addresses registered for the program with 50% opting in for updates (well above industry averages)
    • Outreach created audience demand: 84% of theaters held over (of those, the average run was 3.38 weeks)

    Samples of Extended Outreach (via web and social media)

    2013 Muscle Shoals Ticket Outreach Markets

    • Ann Arbor, MI (Michigan Theater) Encore shows
    • Asheville, NC (Carolina Asheville 14) Held over
    • Atlanta, GA (Midtown Art Cinema) Held over: 3 weeks total
    • Austin, TX (Violet Crown Cinema) Held over
    • Berkeley, CA (Shattuck Cinemas) Held over: 6 weeks total
    • Birmingham, AL (The Edge 12) Held over: 8 weeks total
    • Cambridge, MA (Kendall Square Cinema) Held over: 3 weeks total
    • Charleston, SC (Terrace Theatre) Held over
    • Corvallis, OR (Darkside Cinema) Held over
    • Dallas, TX (Texas Theatre) Encore show
    • Denver, CO (Chez Artiste) Held over: 5 weeks total
    • Encino, CA (Town Center 5) Held over: 3 weeks total
    • Fort Wayne, IN (Cinema Center) Held over: 3 weeks total
    • Ft. Worth, TX (The Modern)
    • Jacksonville, FL (Sun-Ray Cinema)
    • Kansas City, MO (Tivoli Cinemas) Held over: 2.5 weeks total
    • Minneapolis, MN (Lagoon Cinema) Held over: 4 weeks total
    • Modesto, CA (The State Theatre)
    • Nashville, TN (Belcourt Theatre) Held over: 5 weeks total
    • New York City, NY (IFC Center) Held over: 4 weeks total
    • New York City, NY (Symphony Space) Encore shows
    • Park City, UT (P.C. Film Series/Santy Auditorium)
    • Pasadena, CA (Playhouse 7 Cinemas) Held over: 3 weeks total
    • Portland, OR (Hollywood Theatre) Held over
    • Richmond, VA (Criterion Cinemas at Movieland) Held over
    • San Francisco, CA (Opera Plaza Cinema) Held over: 4 weeks total
    • Santa Fe, NM (The Screen) Held over: 3 weeks total
    • Santa Monica, CA (Laemmle’s Monica Film Center) Held over
    • Seattle, WA (Harvard Exit Theatre & the Varsity) Held over: 5 weeks total
    • Washington, D.C. (West End Cinema) Held over: 4 weeks total
    • West Los Angeles, CA (Nuart)
    • West Newton, MA (W. Newton Cinema) Held over

    Greg is continuing this work, evolving each new program to adapt to changing viewer habits, the increasingly fragmented entertainment landscape, and the outreach goals of each new film he partners with. Please contact Greg to put him to work for your film.

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  • March 1, 2013

    Chasing Ice

    • CI-cover

    Ticket Outreach Program

    docimpact-stackCHASING ICE WON A DOC IMPACT AWARD in 2016 thanks to initiatives like the massive ‘grant ticket’ program Greg headed up in 2012 and 2013. Spanning 1,110 screenings in 78 theaters, the program used movie tickets as the incentive to build audiences. Our small team made contact with organizers of local, regional, and national groups offering access to a limited number of tickets to see the film on its premiere weekend in each theater. Each group organizer vetted the program, confirming that these were not promotional tickets with strings attached, but full-priced tickets purchased by supporters of the film and held in each guest’s name at the box office.

    Over 120 groups offered these tickets to their members and fans, with the message reaching hundreds of thousands of people in total. We asked each of our 41,746 grant ticket recipients to pay it forward by promoting the film in advance to help fill theaters for each city’s opening weekend. The effort paid off hugely with record turnouts, 13,388 emails registered (8,864 opted in for updates), and hold-overs in 77% of all theaters.

    2012 ticket outreach program

    Unsolicited testimonials from the filmmakers’ team:

    “I’ve never witnessed a better ticket management plan in my entire career! Bravo!” – Tierney Kelly, TKPR (PR Agency for Chasing Ice)

    “You should be honored for the wonderful human pace and attitude you set for the Chasing Ice team. … I still marvel at how calm and able you proved …” – Ali Fujino, Outreach Coordinator, Chasing Ice

    … plus more praise for the program from ticket recipients, venues, and the filmmaking team

    2012-13 Chasing Ice Ticket Outreach Markets:

    • Anchorage, AK (Bear Tooth) Held over
    • Berkeley, CA (The California Theatre)
    • Encino, CA (Laemmle’s Town Center 5)
    • Irvine, CA (Edwards University Town Center 6) Held over
    • Los Angeles, CA (Landmark Nuart)
    • Modesto, CA (State Theatre) Held over
    • Nevada City, CA (Nevada Theatre) Held over
    • Oakland, CA (The New Parkway) Held over
    • Pasadena, CA (Laemmle’s Playhouse 7)
    • Sacramento, CA (Crest Theatre) Held over
    • San Diego, CA (Landmark Ken Cinema)
    • San Francisco, CA (Landmark Embarcadero Ctr)
    • San Francisco, CA (Castro Theatre) Held over
    • Santa Cruz, CA (Rio Theatre) Held over
    • Santa Monica, CA (Laemmle’s Monica Film Center) Held over
    • Sonoma, CA (Sebastiani Theatre)
    • West Hollywood, CA (Sundance Sunset Cinema)
    • Boulder, CO (Boulder Theater) Held over
    • Boulder, CO (Cinemark Century Boulder) Held over
    • Denver, CO (Chez Artiste) Held over
    • Montrose, CO (Fox Theater) Held over
    • Hartford, CT (Real Art Ways) Held over
    • Hartford, CT (Cinestudio)
    • Stamford, CT (Avon Theatre Film Center) Held over
    • Washington, DC (E Street Cinema) Held over
    • Boca Raton, FL (Living Room Theatres, FAU) Held over
    • Coral Gables, FL (Cosford Cinema at University of Miami) Held over
    • Daytona, FL (Cinematique)
    • Lake Park (W. Palm Beach), FL (Mos’Art Theatre)
    • Sarasota, FL (Burns Court Cinema) Held over
    • Tampa, FL (Tampa Theatre) Held over
    • Honolulu, HI (Museum of Art, Doris Duke Theatre)
    • Champaign, IL (The Art Theatre) Held over
    • Chicago, IL (Gene Siskel Film Center, Art Institute of Chicago) Held over
    • Chicago, IL (Music Box Theatre) Held over
    • Bloomington, IN (Ryder Film Series) Held over
    • Salina, KS (Salina Art Center)
    • Cambridge, MA (Landmark Kendall Square) Held over
    • Baltimore, MD (Charles Theater) Held over
    • Brunswick, ME (Frontier Cafe & Cinema) Held over
    • Portland, ME (SPACE Gallery) Held over
    • Ann Arbor, MI (Michigan Theater) Held over
    • Okemos (E Lansing), MI (Celebration! Cinema, Studio C!) Held over
    • Kansas City, MO (Tivoli Cinemas) Held over
    • Springfield, MO (Moxie Theater) Held over
    • Minneapolis, MN (Uptown Theatre) Held over
    • Bozeman, MT (Bozeman Film Festival – at the Emerson) Held over
    • Charlotte, NC (Regal Ballantyne Village Stadium 5) Held over
    • Lincoln, NE (Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center)
    • Omaha, NE (Film Streams at Ruth Sokolof Theater) Held over
    • Concord, NH (Red River Theatres) Held over
    • Toms River, NJ (Traco Theater)
    • Santa Fe, NM (Cinematheque at CCA) Held over
    • Ithaca, NY (Cinemapolis) Held over
    • New York City, NY (Cinema Village) Held over
    • New York City, NY (Lincoln Center Film Society) Held over
    • New York City, NY (Symphony Space) Held over
    • Patchogue (Long Island), NY (Plaza Cinema & Media Arts Center) Held over
    • Oklahoma City, OK (Museum of Art – Noble Theater)
    • Corvallis, OR (Darkside Cinema) Held over
    • Eugene, OR (Bijou Art Cinemas) Held over
    • Portland, OR (Hollywood Theatre) Held over
    • Salem, OR (Grand Theater)
    • Philadelphia, PA (Ritz at the Bourse)
    • Phoenixville, PA (The Colonial Theatre)
    • Pittsburgh, PA (Regent Square Theater) Held over
    • Knoxville, TN (Regal Downtown West Cinema 8) Held over
    • Nashville, TN (Belcourt Theatre) Held over
    • Austin, TX (Regal Arbor 8 at Great Hills) Held over
    • Park City, UT (Park City Film Series) Held over
    • Charlottesville, VA (Vinegar Hill Theatre) Held over
    • Burien, WA (Tin Theater)
    • Seattle, WA (Egyptian Theatre) Held over
    • Spokane, WA (Magic Lantern Theatre) Held over
    • Yelm, WA (Triad Theater) Held over
    • Milwaukee, WI (Oriental Theatre) Held over

    Greg is continuing this work, evolving each new program to adapt to changing viewer habits, the increasingly fragmented entertainment landscape, and the outreach goals of each new film he partners with. Read more about his ticket outreach programs or contact Greg to put him to work for your film.

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  • July 27, 2012

    3Track: Anthony Robles Learns to Ski

    • 3track-2012-titles

      Produced by Greg I. Hamilton

    • 3track-2012-ski-pov2

      8 minute documentary film

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      Starring Anthony Robles & Bill Bowness

    • 3track-2012-smile

    Produced by Greg I. Hamilton for MakeAHero.org & Strong Current Productions

    ANTHONY: I WAS BORN MISSING MY LEG. They couldn’t explain it, said it was just a rare thing that happened. I’m not going to let it hold me back in my life.

    “I have no idea how I’m going to learn how to ski.”

    My name is Anthony Robles, I’m from Arizona—Mesa. I went to college at Arizona State, wrestled for U.S.A. Went on as a walk-on, finished out as a full-ride. It was my passion for nine years, it was my life. I was a national champion back in March, March 2011. …

    This 8-minute film is not currently available to view.

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  • October 21, 2011

    The Movement: One Man Joins an Uprising

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      With mom on the red carpet

    • breck-award-2012

      Breckenridge Festival of Film

    • Q-73-greg-kurt

      With producer/co-director Kurt Miller

    • In Anchorage, Alaska with the premiere of The Movement: One Man Joins an Uprising

      Anchorage International Film Fest

    40 minute documentary film, written and co-directed by Greg I. Hamilton

    movt-posterGREG’S DIRECTORIAL DEBUT has received critical acclaim as a Grand Jury Award nominee at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival along with selections and 5 awards from 20 other film festivals around the world.

    The Movement is the story of Rick Finkelstein returning to the mountain where his life was changed forever. Paralyzed in a ski accident in 2004 Rick wasn’t expected to live. Even with the latest equipment and support from heroes and pioneers of his sport, Rick faced a daunting challenge with no guarantees. Inspiring Rick on his journey are 13-time Paralympic medalist Chris Waddell, Mike May (who held the world record for speed-skiing blind), adaptive sports pioneer Jim Martinson, and Traci Taylor, a March of Dimes poster child who went on to capture hearts starring in a Warren Miller ski movie.

    Narrated by Robert Redford and Warren Miller, the film features music from Foo Fighters, k.d. lang, and U2 along with an original score by Trevor Rabin. This short documentary screened as an official selection at 21 film festivals worldwide, plus:

    • Aired on network broadcast television to more than 40% of U.S. households, including primetime
    • Received a nationwide broadcast via FSN—60 million homes
    • Broadcast on ESPN Classic—30 million homes.
    • Played on Frontier Airlines throughout November, 2012—1 million estimated passengers
    • PSA for the film narrated by Chris Pine played during NBC’s primetime Olympic coverage (averaging 30+ million viewers: at the time it was the most-watched TV event in U.S. history)
    • Released on DVD and in a box set with Robert Redford’s Downhill Racer plus classic ski films from Greg Stump and Matchstick Productions

    Click below to watch the trailer for the film (4 minutes).

    movt-credits

    No Comments / Filmmaker /

  • October 13, 2010

    The Making of Warren Miller’s Wintervention (TV special)

    (23 minutes) Written by Greg I. Hamilton for Warren Miller Films

    wm10f[COLD OPEN “TOO FAR/HIGH/FAST” ends of the earth – timelapse icebergs, skinning up, hiking ridges, helicopter precarious landing, … Crew w/clapboards/cameras, tips of skis, skiers coming at camera, three skiers carving]

    CREW: Take one!

    TOM: Okay, camera’s running.

    SKIER: 3, 2, 1 — Dropping!

    CREW: Nice!

    NARRATOR: The cameras of Warren Miller Entertainment have been constantly searching for bigger adventures —

    ATHLETE: WHOO-HOO!

    TOM: The big thrill of this job is ending up in places that you never imagined …

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  • October 9, 2010

    Sugarloaf: Big Mountain, Big Love

    Research and writing by Greg I. Hamilton for Webeye Group and Synergy Group

    FORMER WARREN MILLER PRODUCERS teamed up to create this film for Sugarloaf’s 60th anniversary. Premiered Oct 9, 2010. Click above to view 3-minute trailer.

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  • October 1, 2009

    Warren Miller’s Dynasty: 60 Years in the Making (TV special)

    (23 minutes) Written by Greg I. Hamilton for Warren Miller Films

    31st Annual Tellies

    WINNER: Silver Telly Award 2010

    [COLD OPEN: HIGH IMPACT montage of ski footage over the past 60 years. Visual variety of films’ high points.] 

    ATHLETE: I’ll probably be playing out here a little bit … today’s lookin’ like a big day, boys! …

    ATHLETE: Dropping in 3 … 2 … 1 …

    NARRATOR: For 60 years, one movie series has owned winter.

    [B&W stills of young Warren with camera; Sun Valley parking lot trailer; poster for Deep & Light]

    NARRATOR: It all started in 1949 when a ski bum turned filmmaker named Warren Miller released his first flick.

    …

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