Letter from America

It's rare that a friend asks for advice and I feel unequivocally confident in my response, but today was a happy exception. I genuinely received the following email today from an old friend who is an independent web designer and film maker in the American heartland:

"Dear Jimbob,

Is there any way to post a movie using BitTorrent and get paid by people who download it? My new project has been languishing, but I am starting to shoot again and I'm hoping to get a BFD kind of audience (instead of the smallish reception our earlier documentary encountered). Obviously I do not live in Hollywood so I must plan for an alternate distribution method in the event that no one in the mainstream wants to distribute it. I also like the idea of it being on the outside."

A few weeks ago I might have scratched my head inconclusively over this one, but now I can answer in one word, which is a good feeling. The word is Prodigem. My friend, wandering blindfolded in the world of distribution, can now go and pin the long tail on the donkey.