Top Indie Power Players 2024: The Heavyweights of Independent Film Distribution
Welcome to Media Play News’ third annual Top Indie Power Players list, our annual salute to the key movers and shakers in independent film distribution.
Actress Charlize Theron once said, “I feel 100% sure that I have the career that I have today because of independent filmmaking.” Undoubtedly, many other actors feel the same way, since so many of them got their start in independent film. Independent filmmakers care less about box office success than they do about telling a compelling story, and while they turn to festivals and limited theatrical showings to drum up awareness, their core audiences have always been in the home. And thanks to the proliferation of digital distribution, particularly streaming and niche FAST channels, the options for delivering films directly to consumers have never been greater.
We launched this project in 2022 because we felt the distribution side of the independent film world wasn’t getting nearly as much attention as it deserved. We knew there were all sorts of awards and honors on the creative side, but very little attention on the acquisition and distribution executives responsible for bringing this great content to the public.
As we did last year, we are profiling what our judges consider the top 30 power players in independent film distribution. The process was simple: We solicited nominations through our website, and then had a panel of distribution executives, creatives and entertainment journalists narrow down the nominees to 30.
And by independent film, we’re not just talking about newly made movies. Over the 100-year-plus history of cinema, independent productions have steadfastly held their own among the big Hollywood tentpoles, and some of our honorees are focused on bringing to the home market vintage indies that have either achieved cult status or been all but forgotten.
Steve Saltman is head of domestic sales for Electric Entertainment, a film and television sales and distribution company founded by film producer and director Dean Devlin in May 2001. Saltman has more than 30 years of entertainment industry experience, specializing in television and digital distribution as a key executive in sales, legal and business affairs, acquisitions, and development. His main focus at Electric is licensing Electric’s properties to the various outlets, channels and platforms. Recent acquisitions include Adam the First, starring David Duchovny; Exile, starring Adam Beach as a man who receives a death threat from the man whose family he killed in a drunk driving accident; and Year of the Fox, a drama about a biracial teenager navigating Aspen’s party scene while her adoptive parents go through a bitter divorce. Before joining Electric Entertainment in 2018, Saltman was SVP of worldwide television and new media at Image Entertainment. Earlier roles include executive positions at Blockbuster Entertainment, Ablaze Entertainment and Genesis Entertainment. Saltman has also worked as a consultant for such companies as Australian Broadcasting Corp., Bounce TV and New World Distribution.
Link to article: https://www.mediaplaynews.com/top-indie-power-players-2024/