Track Shot PR on the Art of Advocating
Laura Sok and Kate McEdwards on what resonates with audiences and critics, how to approach the lead-up to a festival, and the impact of a few headlines.
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About a year ago, Laura Sok and Kate McEdwards launched TRACK SHOT. They’d both been working in film PR for over a decade, and over that time, their various roles at companies like Oscilloscope, Cinetic, and IFC Films had given them a wide angle view of distribution. “When you work on distribution, especially at Oscilloscope or IFC Films or a place like that, you learn about every aspect of the business because you touch every aspect of it,” Sok says.
The pair first began working together eight years ago, at Cinetic, and then spent another five years together at IFC Films, before setting up their own shop. “We worked together really well, so we had a conversation where we said, ‘Why can't we do this by ourselves? Let's work on the movies we want to work on,’" Sok says, adding that the goal was “to bring what we've learned at various places together to our agency to provide a broader service besides straight PR to our clients.”
Practically, that meant collaborating more directly with filmmakers and producers on their films’ releases — “explaining how it works on the inside to them, and putting a lot of those puzzle pieces together,” says McEdwards. Over the past year, projects the company has worked with include Steven Soderbergh’s Command Z and Presence, Godfrey Reggio’s Once Within a Time, Eddie Alcazar’s Divinity, and Jane Schoenbrun’s I Saw the TV Glow. I spoke to Sok and McEdwards about the keys to a good release, the importance of stars, and trends around what resonates now.
What are the challenges you're most encountering on the part of the filmmakers?
Laura: People who want to make a movie figure out a way to make a movie. They get it done. Steven Soderbergh will say this all the time, "You have an iPhone, you can make a movie. So what are you waiting for? You just have to get it done." But let's look at the past six months. We're working on several films that have gone to Sundance and Cannes. And what's really challenging? Figuring out how to get there. It's tough to finance going to Sundance once you get in. And you start realizing there's not only travel costs, there's PR, sales, so many additional costs. And I think you have to go through the cycle once to really figure out everything you might not know. So that's where we like to help people. We come in and say, "Hey, let's talk through the process and what you should be expecting down the road." A lot of people don't think about the year after they've made their movie. How do I get into a festival? What happens after it premieres?
I'm curious what those conversations end up looking like and what you advise those people.
Kate: Sometimes a barrier to entry for filmmakers is finding the right community. I think being a part of your film community and having access to community institutional knowledge is really helpful. I'm seeing that a lot of the films that are having success in the way we value success come from people working with their friends and getting it done within their community.
But in terms of the process, at the beginning we exchange stories. I give some anecdotes about prior experiences. They tell me about how their experience has been up to that point, and then we start getting into the materials — putting together press notes, crafting the imagery that comes out. There's a practical strategy to how that comes out, and to navigating the festival world and making sure you're not giving too much and you're giving the right thing at the right time. But at the same time, being able to do that together is a great exercise — learning how to get on the same page as somebody.
Laura: If you haven't been to a festival before, I think a lot of people think, Oh, I'm going to invite people to go to my screenings at the festival, and all of this stuff is going to happen for me. And what we try to do is tell people that's not really how it works, especially if you're a new filmmaker. So much work happens before the festival. I think people are constantly surprised that you might screen the film early under embargo, or that you can tell the festival you're not sending them a poster, or whatever the case is. And we try to say, "Based on your film and what's happening, here's what we think is going to get you noticed out of the festival." We try to guide people the right way.
Kate: I think people are surprised that the majority of the work happens in advance of these festivals. If you haven't done it before and you're looking from the outside in, you're like, The film premiered and all these critics were at the premiere, and all this coverage just magically comes out. That often happens beforehand.
I'm curious why some films take off and some don't when the processes behind the release are the same.
Kate: There's general similarities to how this stuff works, as you know from the journalist side. But at the same time, and this is corny, but it comes back to trust. As a publicist, knowing what journalists like, knowing their tastes, having a relationship is really important. It's not all relationships for all publicists, but getting some of that early intel [can be really useful]. I'm so grateful to all my journalist friends and people in my community who I can gut check with. Those conversations are so crucial. How I feel about a film isn't always going to be how everyone feels about it. So it’s gathering that information and figuring out who they have an affinity with, and seeing if it's also checking out with those people. And you kind of work down the line. It's very targeted and it's very time consuming — but in this positive way, where I wish we all had more time to commit to that process, because that's what makes it work.
And then the other fifty percent is the film speaks for itself. Ultimately, all we're doing is giving a film a shot and trying to guide them through who all these critics are — their writing, their taste, their experience. It's about educating and being a connector and an advocate.
So there's all the work you guys are doing, and that maybe makes the journalist more inclined to check out the movie. And then there's the movie being good. But in between there are these other pieces — hooks that writers can dig into or that audiences become invested in. Over the time you've done this, have you noticed themes in terms of what fans and press end up caring about?
Kate: I find that personal stories and writer-director projects sometimes have more gravitas. It doesn't have to be this personal, A to B, writing from your experience story. It's more, are you invested in the exercise you're doing? What is your why? You don't need to tell people what to feel about your film. But I feel like the directors that really have a why and have thought about every shot and had a reason, that tends to resonate with audiences and critics.
Laura: I also think, if you come into a festival and you have a certain distributor on your back, that helps. I think brands say a lot to people, and it's a stamp. But a film that might not have distribution or have a more niche distributor can still be so great. Sometimes it's hard. As much as you try to pitch all of these people, sometimes people just deprioritize it. So you have to advocate that much harder. In some cases, some distributors may have a certain number of films they release per year. And certain films might be really good, but they don't fit into the formula of how someone is releasing movies or whatever their financial model is. So they might have to go to a smaller distributor to get out. I think we're trying to tell people, "That doesn't matter. There are still these amazing films, you need to see them." And I think it's such a gamechanger for filmmakers, and we've certainly seen it for people starting out, when there's that one extra review somewhere. Those extra couple headlines change someone's entire trajectory. Suddenly they get a call from a manager, or somebody wants to work with them. I understand the value of clicks on the back end, but you still have to advocate for the filmmakers you want to see in the world.
Look at Free Time. Ryan [Martin Brown] and Jasper [Basch] had a great collaboration, and they were so open and didn't have these expectations. They were just like, "Let's go for it." And the film is still playing in various theaters, and it seems like they're very happy with it. And they were very close to not having a theatrical release. But look, one person said, "I like your film, I'm going to advocate for it. Do you want to take a chance with this?" I think that can be life changing for a lot of people. We all have to do that at various stages, whether it's as a producer, as a festival programmer, or as a distributor. If we're looking through the lens of how you grow talent, you have to fight for it.
Kate: I think we hear a lot of, "This film is really timely. This is the conversation that's happening culturally." And that can be true, but if you're not the exact buzzy version of that, a lot of the time it just doesn't matter. And it's really not a reflection of how timely your topic is or what it is. It's about bandwidth and space when it comes down to it.
I'd love to talk about the importance of stars within this whole stew.
Kate: Of course, if there's a big name talent in your movie, people are going to naturally prioritize it more because it's an easier way in for the public than to digest other things than they would probably be interested in. It's just gateway for a lot of people.
Laura: For financing.
Kate: Yeah, for financing. But then Good One, for example, Lily [Colias] had had one small part, she was basically unknown, and then you have these amazing breakthrough opportunities. But those are not common. Also, her relationship with the director, how they were totally on the same page, she brought so much to the character. When I saw how much her performance was resonating with people, that's what I love to see because it validates what I'm saying, that if you're just feeling something or you're personally invested, it will translate for people.
You guys have worked on so many of these cool independent films. How has the appetite been for those movies? And does it make you feel optimistic?
Laura: I come from a place of optimism. When I look back ten or fifteen years ago, the people IFC Films was working with were the Safdies and Lynn Shelton and Mark Duplass and Greta Gerwig, and look at where they are today. So I think that's a great example of the snowball. You need someone to help you on your way. And Greta and the Safdies, they had great communities, and they all lifted each other. And then you look at people today, and we're in a new generation and there's a lot of people who are touching all these films, and they're getting ready to graduate and be the next class. Everyone just needs one chance to prove themselves. I think there are a lot of people with cool ideas who really understand that your power is your network.
Kate: Yes, today I feel optimistic. And it can change from day to day. But where we're at today, I feel really excited. I Saw the TV Glow is a perfect example, just how successful it was this past weekend, and how many people are going to see that multiple times in the theater and are obsessed with every element of it. And the same community that's worked on a lot of the films we've worked on are also involved in it. It's an all boats rise mentality.
Listings
Edward Frumkin is looking for programming, copywriting (like press kits), and administrative/production assistant opportunities. He's an experienced writer who's written for places such as BOMB, IndieWire, The Daily Beast, and The Film Stage, screened for Camden and True/False Film Festivals, and programmed for 2024 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival. He was also a driving PA on PJ Raval's upcoming nonfiction project In Plain Sight. He can be reached at edfrumact@gmail.com.
A24 is hiring a Publicity Coordinator. Apply here.
New York Film Academy is hiring a Core Filmmaking Instructor for Kids and an Editing Instructor for Kids.
Dan Arnes is looking for full time or part time contract work. He’s an experienced editor, producer, and composer. Check out his work here. Email Arnes.daniel@gmail.com.
Celia Hollander is looking for scoring opportunities this summer. Email celiaraehollander@gmail.com for private scoring reel and/or more info.
AMT Casting is looking for the lead in a SAG short. Rate of $232 + 10% per shoot day. 6-7 day shoot sometime between June 6 - June 14. The character, SAM MORESCHI, is 18-23, male or non-binary. Angelic, strikingly pretty face, more beautiful than handsome. Intelligent, determined, emotional, sarcastic, self centered, musical. Email TAPES.AMTCASTING@GMAIL.COM.
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