WATCH THE MEETING HERE:

https://youtu.be/Zm_SDt0QJto

What is Coffeehouse Cinema?

Technically, what is it? A microcinema screening series that’s blowing up in LA. Each screening they offer:

• 2 to 4 curated short films
• Live Q&A with the filmmakers
• Social hour to connect with the community

Ellis’ & Eddie’s Philosophy on How to Make an Excellent Experience

• They’re not reinventing the wheel, but rather bringing novelty to an old experience.
• It’s not necessarily something brand new, but a merging of new and old
• It offers the audience a sense of wonder — surprising/delighting them with the experience that’s unlike what they typically experience when watching movies
• ALWAYS ASKING: How do we want people to feel [when they walk in / when they watch these films / when they leave this experience] ?

The strategies that took them from impossible to inevitable:

• Went with intuition first and foremost, understood their own taste and followed it
• Started with the relationships they already had:
  • Films from filmmakers they knew
  • Those filmmakers offered referrals
  • Expanded to working with distribution platforms to find films
  • Now/soon opening up to take submissions
• The people directly around you are your first audience. Bug your friends!
• Invite and then send singular follow ups to individual people!
• Used both photo/video of the first event to demonstrate on socials and offer some proof
• Platforms used: TikTok & IG (and ofc Substack!)