New Digital Initiative Report: Scott Kirsner’s Case Study for I.O.U.S.A.

To keep up with the shifting landscape of new technology, ITVS commissioned author Scott Kirsner to find out what independent filmmakers are doing in the field. 

Wordplay filmmaker Patrick Creadon’s latest documentary, I.O.U.S.A., focuses on the precarious state of the country’s finances. Creadon found an unusual partner for the film: the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, a New York based non-profit that promotes fiscal responsibility. The foundation’s single goal has been to get the film seen by as many people as possible. They experimented with unorthodox marketing and distribution strategies––including ITVS Community Cinema screenings, a Facebook page and a 30-minute version of the film for free viewing on the Web. 

Read the case study on I.O.U.S.A. >>

Listen to the podcast with filmmaker Patrick Creadon (TRT: 11 minutes) >> 

Be sure to check out other case studies and interviews with Byron Hurt (HIP-HOP: Beyond Beats and Rhymes), Katy Chevigny (ELECTION DAY), Curt Ellis (KING CORN), Hunter Weeks and Josh Caldwell (10 MPH), Tiffany Shlain (THE TRIBE) and Brad Lichtenstein (WHAT WE GOT) for their perspectives on distributing and marketing films. 

Get Scott Kirsner’s “Top Five Digital Strategies for Social Issue Filmmakers” >>