Sales, Marketing & Distribution with Mia Bays
Workshop Tutor Profile
Mia Bays is an Oscar winning film producer and marketing consultant with over 16 years experience at the commercial end of the UK and European film business, in Distribution, Marketing and Sales, and latterly financing and production.
She produced her first film SIX SHOOTER by Martin McDonagh, starring Brendan Gleeson, financed by FilmFour and the Irish Film Board, which won Best Live Action Short Academy Award 2006. It was also nominated for the best short BAFTA 2005 and won 8 other international awards.
Her first feature is SCOTT WALKER - 30 CENTURY MAN, a theatrical documentary directed by Stephen Kijak (CINEMANIA) featuring contributions from Radiohead, David Bowie (also Executive Producer of the film), Johnny Marr, Goldfrapp, Sting and Jarvis Cocker, Damon Albarn and Gavin Friday, which Time Out London gave a 5 Star review for, and called it 'exemplary..everything you want from a music doc and more'. The film premiered to great reviews at the London Film Festival 06 before opening in cinemas in the UK on April 27 2007 courtesy of Verve Pictures. International premieres were at the Berlin, South by Southwest and Tribeca Film Festivals 2007. The film is internationally sold by Moviehouse Entertainment, and will be released theatrically in the USA in Fall 2007 in minimum 10 cities.
Before becoming an independent, Mia was Head of Marketing and Distribution for Uk Lottery Film Franchise The Film Consortium 1998-2003, and launched as independent producer under own banner Missing In Action Films from May 2003
Professional Experience was gained at Mainline Pictures/Screen cinemas, Mayfair Entertainment International, Granada Films and The Film Consortium. She began as a PA at 18, was promoted to publicist, then sales executive, sales director, to Head of Distribution at 26, Head of Distribution/Marketing for the UK Lottery Franchise The Film Consortium 1999-2004, overseeing the UK release campaigns and international launches for films such as HIDEOUS KINKY and 24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE.
Mia then launched her own company at the age of 30. She has spent a decade learning to understand what audiences as well as the industry want to see and how to ensure they do, as well as building up strong talent connections and a clear idea of what constitutes a robust project. The MIA Films slate of artistically and commercially strong feature projects are in various stages of development/production, including projects by acclaimed cinematographer Barry Ackroyd, acclaimed writer/director of LAWLESS HEART, Neil Hunter, and the director of GREMLINS and THE BURBS to name but a few, Joe Dante.
Mia also works as a specialist marketing and sales consultant for producers/sales agent/distributor or financier clients. Most recently, Mia acted as marketing and distribution consultant for TSOTSI, the audience award winner at both Toronto and Edinburgh 2005 and the Michael Powell Award winner for Best British Film and winner of the Best Foreign Language Oscar 2006.
Mia's current features as marketing consultant are the Oscar 2007 shortlisted documentary BLINDSIGHT, winner of the Audience Awards at both the AFI, Palm Spring film festivals, as well as Panorama Audience Award at Berlin 2007 which is due for release fall 2007, and the acclaimed feature doc RUNNING STUMBLED by John Maringouin (which Variety cited as 'an extraordinary filmmaking debut') which Mia discovered at the London Film Festival, and is consulting on the UK release from 27th July 2007 at the ICA cinema.
Mia also teaches frequently : she runs specialist 'Sales, Marketing and Distribution' two-day workshops for all levels of participants for Arista Development Agency, and is a regular teacher at the UK National Film and TV School, and on the Board's Advisory Panel. She is also a tutor on the MA in Screenwriting and Production at the University of Westminster.
Instructions
Please complete the Application Form and the Ethnicity and Disability monitoring form and email them to : Carolyn Atherton:
workshops@lfs.org.uk
Resources
Telephone us:
+44 (0)20 7836 9642
Fax us:
+44 (0)20 7497 3718
