Documentary Tune-up with Mitchell Block and Peabody and Emmy award-winner Jeffrey Tuchman
(Day 2)

Sunday, September 25, 9:30am - 4:30pm
At The Spitfire Grill (Purchase tickets above.)

"If you can't sell your project every time you pitch it, then there's something wrong with it."

Can't find funding? No one wants to invest? Perhaps it's the idea or some aspect of the project/package? Get a doc proposal check up, and tune up. This daylong workshop is intended to help you decide if that dream doc is worth pursuing and if it's not selling, how to fix it.

Why isn't your project attracting funding from a studio, network or cable, company, sponsor or other funders? It can ONLY be six things:

• The package?
• The proposal?
• The idea?
• The budget?
• The production team?
• Are you pitching to the right people?

Explore how your doc project can be tuned up, cleaned up or perhaps junked.
Find out who might produce it, how to pitch it, what is needed to sell it, and which broadcasters or cable companies should be considered.

Find ways to make your packaging bankable.

We'll look over your proposals and see why it's not pulling in offers. You will receive hard information to build into your business plan and make your project sell.

We will review each individual project and review case studies to develop an understanding of how to pitch and sell projects. Case studies come from the class and the instructor's extensive collection of actual productions. You do not need a project to attend but preference will be given to those that have them. A one-page project description will be requested at time of registration for review if it's available.

Ideas or projects at any stage of development are welcome. We spend the day reviewing a number of projects as a group. This class can be taken multiple times since it is directed to the individual students' projects.

When you register, e-mail a copy of your proposal (up to 2 pages) as a PDF file to Block.

Program might run 30 minutes longer. Join fellow participants for an after session networking drink (no host) at the Spitfire Grill.

Financing and Producing Documentary Programs with Mitchell Block (Day 1) 
Saturday, September 24, 9:30am - 4:30pm
At The Writers Boot Camp (Purchase tickets for September 24 workshop only, or purchase 2-Day workshop package above.)

Learn to design and get funding to make your documentary. Explore the ins and outs of both for-profit and not-for profit fundraising, distribution, and marketing opportunities. Learn how to best package your work to attract funding, get rights, put together the strongest package, do presales, structure the right business form, and more. 

Share your ideas or projects at any stage of production and have them evaluated as part of the class. 

Part ONE
Look at public sector funding. Grants from government agencies, working with local and national public television stations. Working with PBS and CPB. How to work with foundations to tap into the hundred of millions of dollars available for grants and support of media. How to work with for profits to get funding for projects. A look at business structures. Case studies will cover grant writing, business plans and proposal writing for documentaries.

Part TWO
We will look at private sector funding. Business plans, private placements, offerings. How to design a project to attract funding. What is the exit plan? How to work with venture capitalists. Collaborate and partner with cable and other broadcast entities. Presales on a global basis. How much your project is worth? Where to go to sell and pitch. How to pitch, develop, and protect your idea. Learn how to pitch and who to pitch to.

Block will answer specific questions on funding for individual projects time permitting.

Cost of seminar includes numerous handouts. Specific case studies will be covered that show in a step-by-step manner how to finance documentary films.

Student Comments:

"I was a student in your weekend class at FAF last month. I wanted to touch base just to say thank you for the class and for the vast information in the packed you made for us."

"Thank you for the invaluable information you passed on to all of us at the FAF workshops earlier this month. I have been transferring and consolidating my notes and cannot begin to express the value I am getting from them. Truly a revelation... Thank you for your patience and dedication to assisting the less experienced."

"I found both workshops informative and inspiring. The message I got most clearly was get funding first, (don't put your own money into it) and it will change the way I work."
--Jennifer Haskins

"I had a good time today. Very stimulating and quite helpful."
--William Gazecki

Mitchell Block is a multi-award winning executive producer who specializes in conceiving, developing, producing, marketing and distributing independent features, reality programming and documentaries.

He produced with Sara Nesson, the 2011 Academy Award nominated documentary film, POSTER GIRL. This is the third Academy Award nominated documentary to be developed by a Block Workshop alumni.

He is an executive producer and co-creator of the Emmy Award winning CARRIER, PBS' pop-out 10-hour series, and companion feature documentary, ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE, both of which he conceived. CARRIER is the first film/video project to embed on a Navy war ship for an entire six-month deployment and was financed by Mel Gibson's Icon Productions.

Block is producing a special series, LADIES SING THE BLUES (w/t), a 10-hour history of women and the blues will include a two-hour companion feature-length theatrical documentary (and series pilot). He executive produced the 2008 Broadcast Critic's award winning film, STEALING AMERICA, a feature documentary about the 2000, 2004 and 2006 elections.

Block has extensive experience working with and pitching networks, studios and producers including: A&E, History, HBO, Discovery, PBS, MTV, Showtime, CNN as well as numerous production entities globally.

Acquisitions, Sales, Distribution & Marketing: For seven years, Block worked as an acquisitions consultant for Sheila Nevins, president, HBO Original Pictures (documentaries). His company, Direct Cinema Limited, has handled the marketing and distribution of over 60 Oscar nominated and winning documentaries, short and animated films. He has extensive experience in creative development, re-purposing individual and series works and formats, acquisitions, finance, marketing and negotiating transactions for sales, rights and copyright.

Awards: Block was an executive producer of the Academy Award-winning documentary BIG MAMA for HBO.

Teaching: Block has been teaching independent producing at USC's School of Cinematic Arts since 1978 as an adjunct professor and currently teaches a required class in the Peter Stark Producing Program. He has lectured at over 50 colleges and universities worldwide.

Global Activities: Block has served as a sales agent, programmer and marketing consultant for clients in Australia (AIDC, FFC, Film Australia), Iceland, England, France, Korea, Canada (NFB) as well as the Sundance Film Festival and the Canadian, Philippine and British Academies. He has lectured globally on film/television production and distribution.

Education: Block received a BFA and MFA in film production from NYU, Tisch School of the Arts, an MBA from Columbia University and he was a producing fellow at the American Film Institute. He did doctoral work in film and business at UCLA.

Jeffrey Tuchman - Director, Writer, Show Doctor

Jeffrey Tuchman is a Peabody and Emmy award-winning documentary producer, director and writer who, for the past twenty years, has dedicated himself to the creation of innovative documentary film and television. In that time, he has built a formidable body of long-form documentary work, with over 30 films to his credit.

Tuchman recently completed MURDER IN THE QUARTER, a true-crime drama set in New Orleans for Court TV, and VOICES OF CIVIL RIGHTS, a one-hour oral-history project on the Civil Rights movement which had its premiere at the Smithsonian Institution (and for which Tuchman won the Peabody Award). Also making its broadcast debut on The History Channel was MAVERICKS, MIRACLES & MEDICINE, Tuchman's award-winning four-part series on the history of medicine.

Currently, Tuchman is at work on a documentary series pilot for Showtime, as well as several documentary features, including VEILED HUMOR, a film about Muslim stand-up comic Shazia Mirza; AVANT GARDE, an exploration of the New American Cinema through the eyes of pioneer Jonas Mekas; and TESTIMONY, a film about his father's return to Germany to testify in a war-crimes trial against the Nazi who murdered his mother.

Known for his exploration of new forms, models, and styles of documentary filmmaking, Tuchman is sought out as a development consultant and show doctor by numerous documentary production companies and broadcast networks.

Over the past decade, he's helmed more than a dozen investigative documentaries.

As senior producer, he created the 1998 documentary, 'TIL DEATH DO US PART. This award-winning documentary was followed by, EPISODE 1 UNAUTHORIZED: THE PHANTOM MENACE, a comic one-hour special for the Sci-Fi Channel on the mayhem surrounding the release of George Lucas' blockbuster film.

His interest in political and humanitarian subject matter, both global and closer to home, began early on in his career, when he began using the documentary form to explore such diverse topics as the AIDS crisis, U.S./Soviet relations, the public schools, the environment, and penal reform.

Finally, Tuchman writes and lectures extensively on documentary filmmaking. He's done panels and workshops at Silverdocs, Real Screen, the IFP, the Tribeca Film Festival, the International Congress of History Producers and Brazil Documenta, among others. For seven years, he held a faculty appointment at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism where he taught documentary filmmaking, and he is on the board of advisors of the International Documentary Association.

Class & Workshop FAQs

How do I sign up for a class?
You can sign up online or by phone. Online is preferred. If you sign up by phone, we'll still require your email address so that you are in our system. Keep in mind that at times a class may be canceled due to scheduling conflicts or insufficient enrollment. Therefore, we strongly encourage signing up in advance.

Can I make a reservation via email?
No, you must purchase either online or by phone during business hours.

Can I reserve space in a class before I pay for it?
No, we cannot reserve space until payment is made in full.

How do I know if a class is full?
The online system will show you how many tickets are available.  If the class you want is full, you can request to be put on the waiting list in case space becomes available.

Can I sign up for a class by coming early on Saturday?
If space is available, you can register, if the online registration page shows that tickets aren't sold out. It is highly recommended that you register well in advance of the start date.

Does the IDA maintain waiting lists for classes?
If the class you want to register for is full, and we are at least 3 days away from the event beginning, a waiting list option will appear online for you to sign up. If someone later cancels out of that class, the people on the waiting list will be contacted and given a chance to register. Classes run throughout the year so you will be able to attend the class during the next session.

How far in advance are classes scheduled?
Classes will be scheduled three or four times per year, roughly around January–May, May–September and September–January. Classes are added throughout the year, so check online for an up-to-date schedule.

If I need to cancel out of a class, can I get a refund?
To receive a refund of your registration fees, you must cancel seven days before the first class session, in which case you can opt to receive a refund (in which case a refund fee will be charged.)

What happens if a class is canceled due to insufficient enrollment?
We will contact you about the cancellation and refund you the full amount by check. A receipt will be emailed to you as confirmation.

I really want to take a class, but cannot afford it. What can I do?
Send a request to mwblock@aol.com to inquire about internship or scholarship opportunities. Discounts are only available to IDA Fiscal Sponsorship participants, IDA members and students enrolled in college or recent graduate. The number is very limited due to available space. Only one internship is available for each day.

Coming from out of town?
Contact Block's office for assistance (if needed) with a nearby local accommodations, transportation or information about airport shuttles. The venue is about 20 minutes from LAX. Block is available to out of town participants prior to or after the workshops (Monday or Tuesday) schedule permitting.