You’ve seen it happen — an independent film with a strong story and a solid budget lands in the marketplace and never finds its footing. In today’s landscape, the $7M–$15M range is one of the most exciting spaces you can work in, big enough to bring in meaningful cast, experienced directors, sophisticated investors, and the attention of sales companies and streamers. But that opportunity comes with real weight. When millions of dollars are on the line, you need to know your film can deliver both creatively and commercially before the cameras ever roll.
Here’s where so many creatives get stuck — they commit to a budget before knowing whether the project can actually support it. They go out to investors without a clear finance plan or capital stack, without sales estimates to back up their numbers, and without understanding what those investors need to see before writing a check. And even when the film gets made, unfavorable distribution terms and a poorly understood revenue waterfall can quietly erode the profits that should have flowed back to you and your partners. At this budget level, those blind spots aren’t small mistakes — they’re millions of dollars at risk.
That’s why you’ll want to learn from Jeanette B. Milio. A veteran producer and entertainment finance expert with over 25 years of experience, Jeanette has overseen more than 50 projects with a combined production volume exceeding $250 million. As CEO of Alliance Cinema, she structures equity, debt, and content library strategies, and her credits span Paramount, Lionsgate, Sony, Netflix, Amazon, Apple TV+, and HBO — including “The Experiment” with Adrien Brody and Forest Whitaker, “13” with Jason Statham and Mickey Rourke, and “Dark Tide” with Halle Berry. She literally wrote the book on the subject, “Entertainment Finance Today,” and she consults for Netflix and Amazon Studios on finance structuring and feasibility. Simply put, she’s sat on every side of the table you’re about to approach.
In this exclusive Stage 32 webinar, Jeanette will walk you through how to package a film the marketplace actually wants, determine what your film is worth through sales estimates and pre-sales, build a finance plan and capital stack that reduces your risk, understand investor economics and recoupment, and follow the money to protect your profits. You’ll also take home her Template Finance Plan, Template Waterfall, and Template CAMA, plus get your specific questions answered in a live Q&A. You’ll walk away with Jeanette’s $7M–$15M Green-Light Checklist and the confidence to know — before you commit millions — whether your project has a realistic path to recoupment and profitability.
