The Indie Film Market Playbook: AFM Edition

Walk into AFM like you belong there. Because you do.

The Indie Film Market Playbook: AFM Edition is a digital guide for indie filmmakers who’ve never been to a film market, don’t come from money, and are tired of piecing together advice from random panels and YouTube clips.

This is not an AFM-sponsored product.
These are my personal field notes, lessons, and scripts from attending AFM—translated into a clear, practical roadmap so you can prepare smarter, protect your IP, and actually use the market to move your film forward.

Who this Playbook is for

This is especially for you if:

• You’re a first-time or early-career filmmaker.
• You’re from a Black, Brown, lower-income, first-gen, or underrepresented community and no one in your family has ever been to a film market.
• You want to sell a finished film, find investors, or build a network for your slate—not just “walk around and see what happens.”
• You’re tired of your film being treated like disposable “content” and you want to understand how to position it as intellectual property (IP) and a real asset.

What’s inside

Inside the Playbook, you’ll find:

• Plain-language breakdown of what AFM actually is
  How it works, who attends, and how it’s different from a film festival.
• Mindset, money, and power dynamics
  How to walk in as an IP owner, not just a desperate creative with a screener link.
• Practical prep checklist
  What materials you really need (and what you don’t), including:
  • one-sheet essentials
  • basic deck overview
  • logline and email templates
  • data you should track (social, screenings, demand
• How to talk to buyers, sales agents, and investors
  Real phrases, example answers, and question prompts you can literally practice.
• Product vs IP framing
  Why the industry calls your film a “product,” how that can devalue your work, and how to strategically reframe your project as IP with long-term potential.
• Networking your way
  Specific approaches for introverts and extroverts, how to start conversations, how to exit gracefully, and how to follow up without feeling thirsty.
• Energy, style, and presence
  Wardrobe and grooming tips, scheduling boundaries, alcohol/drug cautions, and how to keep your body and nervous system steady during long days.
• Post-AFM follow-up plan
  How to organize your contacts, send effective follow-up emails, and keep deals alive after everyone goes home.

Throughout the book, you’ll also find short stories from my time at AFM—the awkward moments, the wins, the realizations—so you can see how the theory actually plays out on the ground.

What you get

• Digital ebook/PDF of The Indie Film Market Playbook: AFM Edition 
  
• Instant digital download after purchase

🔊 Coming soon: Audio Companion & Video Lab
You’ll have the option to upgrade later to an audio version (so you can listen on the plane or commute) and a short video series where I walk through real-life scenarios and examples from the Playbook.

How this Playbook helps you

By the time you finish this, you will:

• Understand what AFM is, why it exists, and how money actually moves there.
• Know how to describe your film (or slate) clearly for buyers, sales agents, and investors.
• Have a checklist and structure for your emails, meetings, and follow-ups.
• Be able to protect your IP and your energy instead of giving everything away just to say “I had a meeting.”
• Feel less like an outsider and more like a filmmaker with a plan.

This Playbook won’t guarantee a sale—that’s the truth.
But it will keep you from walking into AFM blind, and it will help you make smarter decisions, ask better questions, and leave with more opportunities than you had when you arrived.