Sorry for the Delay

By Rebecca Green

We’ve all started emails saying, “Sorry for the delay...” Even if only a few days have gone by since receiving an email, we often feel the need to apologize for how long it took to write someone back. Unless you’re an agent. Agents rarely respond in due time and never apologize for the delay.

When it comes to my own email inbox, I am very diligent. Over the years I’ve developed a routine where about every other day, I sort my emails by subject and go through each one, deleting what I don’t need, filing away what I want to save, and flagging what needs a response. This attention to email comes from my assistant days where I not only had to manage my own inbox, but my boss’ inbox as well. To stay on top of his inbox, my boss would have me read emails out loud to him while he was driving to/from the office and he would dictate responses I would send from his computer. He was diligent and so I became diligent. This practice also helped me learn how to write professional emails. I also often have an additional inbox when I’m teaching and have a university assigned email address and a Canvas account to communicate with students, which also requires a high level of attention.

However, managing the Dear Producer inbox is entirely different and I have no discipline. I have emails flagged going all the way back to 2021 that I want to respond to, but feel paralyzed when it comes to actually writing someone back. While my personal and teaching inboxes are filled with actionable items I need to accomplish to keep my projects moving forward or earn my paycheck, the Dear Producer inbox (and Instagram DMs) is an endless list of people asking for advice on their project or who want help finding a producer. Some ask me to promote their program or organization while others ask to schedule time to pick my brain.

I do not get annoyed or bothered by any email I get. I’m flattered that people turn to me for help, that producers see me as a safe space to share their struggles. But I do get overwhelmed by it all. Instinctually, I want to respond to everyone. I want to help move all of your projects and careers forward. I want to be everyone’s mentor. I just can’t. However, despite not responding to everyone, I actually have read every single email that has been sent to Dear Producer since launching in 2018 - it’s the responding part where I get stuck.

The majority of emails I get are readers simply reaching out to tell me they loved a piece I published or that something I wrote resonated with them and I appreciate these messages more than you will ever know. Writing has never come easily to me and it’s scary to be publicly vulnerable knowing that what you write gets read by thousands of readers, by your peers. But your kind words remind me that the work is worthwhile and has a positive impact.

The Dear Producer community has grown rapidly and I want to develop better ways of keeping the lines of communication open with all of you and find effective and efficient ways for us to connect. Some may say I don’t have a responsibility to respond to everyone, but this space is very sacred to me and has become essential in my growth as a producer. So to help me out, now that I’ve moved Dear Producer to Substack, rather than sending an email about how much you loved a piece, I would encourage you to comment on the post in Substack. This increases reader engagement and also allows the subjects of my interviews to also see your feedback. Going forward, I am going to make more of an effort to read and reply to your thoughts there. And in the coming weeks, I plan on opening the Substack chat to paid subscribers so we can communicate in that forum. Stay tuned for more details on that soon.

In the meantime, this week I went through all the emails I had flagged to respond to, but never did, and put together answers to the most commonly asked questions. Consider this post my “Sorry for the delay” email to those of you who reached out but never heard back from me…

Can Dear Producer promote my event, program, lab, platform, competition, organization, or festival?

Since launching in 2018, I’ve had a no promotion policy. It’s tricky because on one hand, I want producers to know about happenings that could benefit them, but on the other, I get at least one of these requests per week and I don’t have the bandwidth to vet and support each one and I don’t want to pick favorites. And plenty of other publications offer this coverage. More importantly, I very much appreciate Dear Producer’s captive audience and that is attributed to me being very mindful about how many emails I send.

To address promotion requests, in 2023, I put together the Producer Support Guide, “a one-stop shop to discover opportunities available to producers that advance career aspirations and expand community.” If you run a program that fits the criteria to be listed, let me know and I will add it to the list.

Can you recommend a producer for my project?

Unfortunately, no. In order to recommend producers appropriate for your project, I would need to spend time getting to know you, your project, and your goals. This takes significant time I don’t have given the high number of people who ask this of me.

The best advice I can give to those looking for a producer is to get an IMDbPro subscription and do your research. Make a list of the movies you’ve loved in the last 5+ years, look up the producers, and see what other movies they have worked on recently to determine if they align with your project. How can you determine if they align? Figure out what budget size the producer typically works within and if they collaborate with filmmakers at your experience level. Meaning, if a producer hasn’t worked with a first-time director in over a decade, chances are there is a reason why. Or if a producer has only produced big budget studio films, they probably aren’t going to be the right fit for your low budget indie.

If you need a master list of experienced producers, you can access the membership roster for Producers United on their website for some ideas. I also suggested sifting through recent festival programs, specifically the shorts programs if you are an emerging filmmaker, so that you can connect with producers working on your level. You can find email addresses on IMDB, message people on LinkedIn, send a DM via social media platforms, or approach a producer after a screening or industry event. We are easier to find than you think.

Would you consider producing my project / can you read my script?

If you sent me an email pitching your project and I did not respond, that means I am not interested in pursuing it. And yes, I did read the details you sent and opened the deck if you included one.

My advice to those who send cold emails pitching their project to producers is to get more creative. Almost all emails I receive from filmmakers I’ve never met feel generic. The email contains a brief synopsis and/or logline and a little information about who they are and that’s usually the extent of it. Very few filmmakers mention why they are approaching me specifically or what about my past work resonates with them. There is no indication that the filmmaker has an understanding of who I am as a producer even when they can read about my entire career and my POV through the essays I’ve written. Do your homework before reaching out. Know who you are emailing and why. And show some personality! I want to get a sense of who you are if I’m going to consider working with you. And if you attach a pitch deck, I expect it to be exceptional. That means high quality images and no typos. Every image in your deck should look like an image in the film. You are going to be the leader of a big creative endeavor, if you can’t articulate your vision in a polished deck, I won’t be able to convince financiers to invest in you.

Can I schedule a time to pick your brain?

After the success of IT FOLLOWS and I’LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS, I began receiving many, many emails from filmmakers asking for advice and invitations from organizations to speak on panels. I took on a lot of it at first, but eventually the time commitment became too much. But I love sharing my stories in the hopes that they help others advance their career and so I created Dear Producer to mentor on a wide scale and on my own time. Here I can share my experiences and those of other producers with as many people as possible. Because so much goes into maintaining Dear Producer, mostly on a volunteer basis, I am unable to give my time to people individually.

To help manage these requests both for myself and my fellow producers, I created the Producer Rate Sheet. I am available for paid consulting services, and if that is of interest, you can message me to discuss the scope of work and rates. If you are interested in hiring a producer I’ve interviewed as a consultant, you can reach out to me and I can forward your request on to them and they can connect with you directly.

Can I interview you for my college assignment?

Same as above.

Can you watch my film and give me distribution advice?

This is a big ask of someone especially if we don’t have an existing relationship. I am open to paid consulting work in the festival and distribution space, but if that is not financially feasible for you, I suggest following Jon Reiss and Distribution Advocates Substacks, subscribing to Peter Broderick and Annalisa Shoemaker’s newsletters, and immersing yourself in Seed&Spark + Kinema’s The Distribution Playbook. They are all experts in this space and offer resources to help you on your distribution journey and can also be hired as consultants.

Are you interested in interviewing XXX producer for Dear Producer?

Unlike some publications, I’m not working with publicists to interview producers to promote specific projects. Who I interview is driven by the films I watch and love and the producers I feel are doing extraordinary work that would inspire and educate the Dear Producer audience. I also try to focus on producers who aren’t already in the spotlight. In addition, we all know that the producer credit is thrown around haphazardly, so I do my due diligence to make sure that the producers I highlight are the ones actually doing the work. This is not always an easy task when I watch a film and see a dozen producer credits.

I also often get emails asking if I would be interested in interviewing directors, editors, cinematographers and creatives other than producers and that’s a ‘no.’ The only exception is in the documentary space where directors are also producers, but in that case, I still try to make sure that the director/producer I’m interviewing has a strong POV in producing and is not producing only out of necessity. I created Dear Producer because there was no other place focusing solely on the craft of producing and I’m going to keep it that way, as that’s what makes it unique.

We are a marketing company that can help you grow your audience, can we set a time to talk?

No thank you. Over the years I’ve had many people suggest ways in which I can grow faster and monetize this platform in bigger ways, but I prefer the organic approach I’ve taken. I’m always amazed at how big the Dear Producer audience has grown (now over 8,000 subscribers) and I’m proud of how I’ve been able to keep its intent purposeful and the number of page views very high. I’ve carved out a very special place in the industry and I have no interest in replicating what others are doing.

Does Dear Producer have sponsorship opportunities?

Yes! Supporting Dear producer through sponsorship allows me to keep the paid subscription price point accessible. In this case, you definitely should send me an email at hello@dearproducer.com and I will share the media rates.

How can I apply to the Dear Producer Award?

The Dear Producer Award is currently on hold for the indefinite future.

Can I share one of your pieces with my students?

Yes! Dear Producer is a great tool to use in your classroom. You do not need to ask my permission to share.

Can I repost a Dear Producer piece on my website?

Yes! Just please link back to Dear Producer and give proper credit to my work.

And now I have emptied my inbox! If you’ve gotten this far and I have still not answered your question, you are welcome to email again, but I’m not promising a response. I will also add a FAQ page with these Q&As.

This post is not meant to deter you from reaching out, I’m just trying to manage my inbox, your expectations of me, and keep in touch with all of you.

Finally, if you want to support Dear Producer, please consider upgrading to an annual paid subscription for only $15. The contribution goes a long way in allowing me to continue this work.

THANK YOU!