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From December until March/April 2024, as I continued my work on reviewing products B sent us for integration into THE ONLY WAY OUT, I began to grow increasingly frustrated with B. When we, meaning THE ONLY WAY OUT's producer, Marty Katz, partnered with B, he led us to believe that, based on my "amazing script," we'd (meaning Marty, Steve Schklair, Eric Schwab, Stephanie Rogers and myself), would have some incoming revenue from product integrations within 2-3 months of signing with him.
The plan was to use that revenue to help attach top talent. Yet here we were three-and-a-half months later, and we hadn't heard a word on a single integration. In fact, anytime we asked for a status update on whether he'd heard back from or followed-up with any of the brands on any of the countless pitches I'd so painstakingly crafted, he'd simply say he was working on it.
Worse, B was blindly bombarding us with countless products and brands that had absolutely nothing to do with my script or its target market. For example, my script takes place primarily in nature, yet we were getting integration pitches for products like exclusive resorts, trendy alcoholic beverages, and high-end jewelry. When we asked him how many companies he had contacted from the wish list Marty and I had sent to him (and resent at least 6 times), once again he said he was working on it.
The relationship was rapidly souring. Marty, Steve and I had asked him countless times to stop wasting our time by sending brand integrations that weren't a fit, and Marty directed him via email and phone (numerous times) to PLEASE READ THE SCRIPT, so he knew what types of products to send, and to CONTACT THE COMPANIES ON THE LIST AMY SENT, but B never seemed to get the point.
B probably never read the script, and I have my doubts he even looked at the pitch deck. He also clearly hadn't contacted a single company on my list. Even after the emails and phone calls, B continued sending countless bad product integrations with the expectation that I reply to each, and he continued not to follow-up with any of the pitches I'd worked on, and he continued not to contact the companies on our wish list.
At this point, Marty, Steve, Stephanie, Eric and I were furious with B. Marty, who had PAID for B's services, wrote more than a couple of explosive emails to him in ALL CAPS and, when the situation didn't resolve, he called B and had some pretty explosive conversations with him. B's defense was that he was giving Marty a lot of work for very little money, and that we should be appreciative because he was going above and beyond for us. He also passed the blame back to Marty for not having any word on when Scarlett Johansson would be reading the script.
We were in the thick of it when Steve messaged me to set up a time for a phone meeting. It was 9:30 at night by the time we finally connected. He said he wanted to call me and share some great news about a business he recently started, one that he believed would be incredibly beneficial to getting the script sold to a studio at some point in the not so near future. It was an exciting turn of events. I was thrilled to hear about his new venture and wished him the best of luck with it. When he was done telling me the good news, our conversation shifted back to B and the product integration mess.
I told him how frustrating it was for me to be wasting so much time responding to junk integrations that had nothing to do with my script. It's fair to say that he was just as, if not more, irritated about the situation than me. He said I should just stop responding to the junk integrations.
I loved the idea, but at the same time I was torn. I didn't want to inadvertently void Marty's contract with B, especially without talking things over with Marty, first. After all, Marty had forked out his own money to hire this guy, so I felt the final decision on how to proceed needed to be his. Steve was on board with that.
I Smell a Scam
We continued to gripe about B, and both agreed that B was probably a scammer. I told Steve I thought B's game is to collect a sizeable chunk of change from big brands who are desperate for film and TV product integrations. I figured B had promised those brands to submit their integration requests to X number of film and TV projects every week or month.
I believe B is then also collecting money from producers and filmmakers and promising to send them X numbers of brands for integrations each week or month.
However, nowhere in his contract does he say anything about trying to find brands that are appropriate for each type of production. The whole scam is just a numbers game in which B collects money from brands and film and TV producers and knows that regardless of whether he secures a single integration deal, he's still making bank! EASY bank at that!
However, I told Steve, B also knows that to stay in business, he has to occasionally score a few brand integration deals from time to time. And so, he finds projects that are easy to sell to brands for integrations and negotiates himself an astronomical payoff for each integration deal. I had to hand it to B, no matter how he played, it was a win-win situation for him.
Where is Marty? And B's Surprise Call
The next morning after my conversation with Steve, B emailed me asking, yet again, about where we were at in attaching Scarlett Johansson to the script. I messaged Marty for a status update on reaching out to Scarlett Johansson and then asked him what his thoughts were about me no longer responding to the junk integrations.
I continued working with the team and responding to the junk integrations, but Marty was unusually radio silent. In most cases, Marty typically responds to me lightning fast, replying back within a few minutes or hours, but this time days passed and there was still no word from Marty. I emailed him again asking about Scarlett Johansson. In my gut, I knew something was wrong, really, really wrong.
While I waited to hear back from Marty and, after a particularly long and miserable day wasting time on senseless brand integrations, I took matters into my own hands and decided it was time to hold B's feet to the fire and find some answers, resolve any misunderstandings, and hopefully, convince B to get off his a**! and do his job. I wrote a very kind, very neutral huge email asking all sorts of questions asking about what he needed and why he was proceeding the way he was proceeding. You know the saying, "You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar."
To my surprise, B called me within 5 minutes.
He was polite, answered all of my questions, explained his side of the story and told me what he needed to make the deal work. He said he was sitting on our pitches until we attached Scarlett Johannson or another A-list actress to my script because that's how it works and without an A-lister attached, there was no other way to get a brand attached to a film.
This was not our expectation going into the deal. It's not what he told Marty when Marty signed with him.
Besides, I knew from my time working as a freelance motorsports journalist and helping amateur racers find sponsorships years ago, I knew that brands didn't always need A-list talent on board. Of course, it's 110% easier to get product placement deals when you have A-list talent attached, but you can still work a deal with companies before that happens, especially when you have two powerful, veteran Hollywood producers, and an incredible Hollywood director attached to the script, people who have worked on some of Hollywood's biggest, and most memorable films.
The primary reason Marty signed on with B was so that we could raise funds through product integrations, funds that would open the door to us submitting to talent through their agents, funds that would then be used to pay an A-list actor's read fee.
And yet, here I was listening to B tell me that without Mrs. Johansson, or another A-list actress attached to the script, we had absolutely zero chance of getting product integrations.
"I'm sure you can understand that these companies want A-list talent," he kept saying.
Irritated, I took a breath and then asked him if he'd contacted any of the companies on the wish list I had sent to him. He said he was working on it and that he knew the CEO at The North Face, but didn't want to contact her until... you guessed it, Mrs. Johansson was attached.
This was a pointless waste of time and waste of Marty's money. I was itching to get out and find money for this film, so I made a decision to do B's job for him. I live in Colorado, home to so many amazing outdoor gear, apparel, and sports nutrition companies. It was time to start hitting up those companies myself and see what I could do.
Unfortunately, any leads I managed to get, I needed to pass to B, but B assured me he'd follow-up on them. I had my doubts.
My final question was pretty inconsequential considering... We had been sent numerous products that were in the same vein, for example energy bar brands. The team and I wondered if it was okay to pitch to each brand or just one. After all, it wouldn't work to have two competing energy bar brands in the film. B said to always pitch to both brands because when the time came, he planned on negotiating with each company in the hopes of starting a bidding war to get the best deal for our film.
Before we ended our conversation, I voiced my irritation with responding to the brands that clearly weren't a fit for our film. I asked him nicely to stop sending irrelevant brands. He said okay, then reiterated that it was essential that I respond to EVERY integration he sent, even if the answer was no. I once again told him that was a waste of time, and he said he needed those responses, but wouldn't elaborate as to why. I hung up, glad we'd had the conversation.
Frustrated as I was by B's inaction on the brand integration front, I was incredibly grateful for our conversation. The conversation filled in a lot of gaps in terms of questions I'd had about how he was operating. I learned a lot from him and was given a unique glimpse into how he operates. I also now had something concrete to take back to Marty and the team to explain why we weren't getting traction on product placements.
Immediately after the conversation, I checked my email and saw that I still hadn't heard back from Marty. My heart sank. For days I had been carrying around this sickening "something's wrong" feeling deep in the pit of my gut. My anxious brain went off-the-rails, and I began recalling several stories I'd heard from other screenwriters and producers I'd met along the way, who'd had films never see the light of day because the film's producer, director, or key talent passed away or randomly decided to jump to a new project, before or during production.
I knew Marty well enough to know that he wouldn't just abandon THE ONLY WAY OUT, but I also knew that left only one other possibility, one that was far more upsetting and far worse than abandonment. With my intuition and anxiety at an all-time high, I grabbed my phone and immediately dialed Marty, praying with all my being that he was okay.
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Brand Integration Wish List
THE ONLY WAY OUT
By Amy Giaquinto
Potential branding partners for brand integration/product placement.
Clothing and Gear
For many of the following companies, we can feature/integrate several of their products into the film. For example, Black Diamond headlamps, hiking poles, casual clothing, backpacks, climbing gear and climbing apparel, etc.
Mountain Hardware
ASOLO
Spanx
Leatherman
Petzl
Prana
The North Face
Columbia
Patagonia
Black Diamond Equipment
La Sportiva and Scarpa
REI
Backpacker’s Pantry
Osprey
LL Bean
Lululemon
Yeti
Outdoor Research
She Fit
Eddie Bauer
Deuter
ARC’TERYX
Solomon
Merrel
Keen
Coleman
Kelty
Marmot
MooseJaw
Alpine Mountain Gear
ALPS Mountaineering
Gossamer Gear
Monteum
Leki
EST Gear Tactical Shovel
Thermarest
UDAP bear spray
Frontiersman bear spray
Mace Guard Alaska bear spray
Counter Assault Bear Spray
Nike
Birkenstock
Cameras
Sony
Nikon
Cannon
Pentax
Olympus
First Aid
Adventure Medical Kits
Johnson and Johnson
Tylenol
Advil
Food/Energy Gels/Bars
Backpacker’s Pantry
Mondelez International: Cliff Bars
GU Energy Labs
Gatorade
Honey Stinger
Hammer Nutrition
Science in Sport
Isotonic Energy Gel
Boom Nutrition
Huma
Untapped
Powerbar
Muir Energy
Kellog’s RX Bar
Kate’s Real Food
General Mills Lara Bar
KIND
Justin’s
Taos Bakes
Bobo’s Oat Bars
Skratch Labs
Pro Bar
Helicopters
Airbus
Bell
Boeing
Sikorsky
Leonardo
Vehicles
Subaru
Audi
Jeep
Toyota
Tech
Garmin
Motorola
Spot
ACR
Cobra
Midland Outfitter
Bass Pro Shops
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I think there should be a billion-dollar yacht floating by in that scene. Totally fits!
Haha terrible fits for the film!! How frustrating