Weekend Studios
In the boom of AI, fast-paced content, and brands screaming through your phone for attention, my intention behind the marketing for Weekend Studios had to be different. This was necessary to consider not only to stand out against a cacophony of attention grabbing, “cheap”, marketing tactics, but because the heart behind what we are trying to create is just, in itself, different. Sitting down with Malachi and Rohan to discuss the DNA of Weekend Studios, we discussed the types of film and art that we feel really resonates with us and what style of film we want the studio to put out. Words like, “balanced”, “stylized”, “character and narrative driven”, “fresh”, “modern but nostalgic”, and finally, “meaningful”.
I find it hard to say that we want to create something meaningful, when every other person on the planet is trying to sell you something that means something to you. But what I can say is that with Weekend Studios, we are not working to simply churn out content. The projects we work on are deeply meaningful to us before they ever reach the eyes of viewers. Something I come back to often in marketing is how to promote that sense of creation in others. With so many things grabbing at our attention, constant flows of information and content, I find that myself, and those closest to me, feel better when we are creating before consuming. This helps me to narrow our audience, the viewers we want to cultivate, the people who will resonate with our mission, and how we will reach them.
This leads me to our Marketing Strategy. Marketing is the most frustrating and satisfying puzzle ever created because it's all about understanding yourself and understanding others (tricky!). First, you have to understand who you are to your core. We are building Weekend Studios to be a platform for viewers and filmmakers who want to learn more about indie filmmaking, want to watch our films, want to learn the behind-the-scenes from creating a film, want to read our team articles, and network with other creatives. We want Weekend Studios to be a source of entertainment, inspiration, and community. To accomplish this, we will be targeting audiences that are interested in creating, being inspired, watching, or simply learning more about indie filmmaking and enjoy everything we put into these projects.
We are setting out to share what we have created and then convince people that with some dedication (in whatever spare time they may have) anyone can create beautiful and meaningful things, even when it's not their full-time job. We want our viewers and collaborators to know that we are right there with them, we work day jobs, we have responsibilities, tasks to do, errands to run, bills to pay. But we know that sometimes, you just need a “boost” or, an excuse, to create. In comes Weekend Studios.
This is our initial strategy as we have begun to build the brand of Weekend Studios and our website launch. Our strategy will absolutely be a lot of trial and error and it will change as the months go on. I am no expert by any means, and none of us are. We are simply people who have a desire to create and are going on this adventure together. We hope that you join us along the way.