From Start to Store

Operations at Distribution Solutions.

Along with dependable service and mastery of their day-to-day responsibilities, our Operations team values diligent planning, preparation, and careful execution as a pathway to growth.

Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.
– Will Rogers

We know that an Operations department isn’t typically full of spotlight seekers. The adjectives “reliable” and “accurate” are key qualities that might spring to mind. Our team is, indeed, focused on keeping things running smoothly, which requires epic levels of detail management. They also possess an uncanny ability to anticipate situations that will require immediate attention or will be important to address six months down the line.

The Operations team deals in the past, present, and future in a quiet, pragmatic manner that creates the foundation for our business dealings.

So it’s tempting to take them for granted. And while we here at Distribution Solutions are reminded on a daily basis of what wonders these humans are, we are totally OK with our partners relaxing and putting their trust in our Operations Team, so that they can deal with the rest of their business.

That’s the true magic of Turnkey Operations, after all.

We have a robust menu of Operations services that address the whole gamut of needs for physical and digital distribution. Our label partners benefit from whatever customized level of service they require to support their titles. And we offer a lot!

A complete list is available on our website, but here are some of the greatest hits:

Asset Ingestion & Management
BOM Build/Changes
Component Creation
Credit and Collections
Demand Management
Inventory Management
Order Management
Procurement
Replication
Return Management
Rights Management
SKU Creation
VMI Services

Our Operations team members are located across the country (in key time zones) and work together every step of the way, to ensure cost-efficient and seamlessly executed product releases. Their hard work allows our partners’ titles to move easily from start to store, turnkey.

To get details about our Operations capabilities, drop us a line at studios@ds.aent.com.

Three Key Steps

“Connect content to consumers” is a marketing team mantra here at Distribution Solutions. And nowhere is that connection to consumers so delightfully direct as it is on digital platforms.

As the digital age pushes forward, Austrian scientist Dr. Florian Kaps endeavors to save the last Polaroid factory, hoping to preserve the art of analog photography…and to encourage people to slow down and reconnect with nostalgic “real” things.

In fact, when it comes to digital platforms, we believe a holistic consideration of creative elements is essential, as it provides the opportunity to formulate a cohesive approach to the assets and messaging used to reach the intended audience for the content.

While each film or episodic property represents unique artistic expression, each follows the same DS process, an evaluation gauntlet designed to assess a title’s strengths and opportunities and to navigate around any challenges to success.

Our marketing focus is upon the three key moments of consumer evaluation, each a step in the short journey that a viewer takes from “browse” to “transact” on a digital platform:

Optimized Key Art. We evaluate art against the competition at large and other similar content to see how it stacks up. Does the title treatment pop? Can a viewer ascertain the genre at a glance, based on imagery? Are we leveraging any emerging (and relevant) trends in the marketplace? In short: we ask ourselves pointed questions, in order to identify and modify key art to ensure it is arresting enough to get someone to want to learn more.
A Supercharged Synopsis. This is where we hook ’em. Sell it don’t tell it, as they say. Our copywriters love a challenge–and one of our favorites is converting a feature-length viewing experience into a precisely worded, dynamic selling tool–in both 140 and 250 character lengths. Our success here prompts a consumer to click the almighty “watch trailer” link, where budding viewing decisions come to blossom (or wither).
A Powerful Trailer. This is it, the big time. We strive for a trailer that leaves the viewer wanting more. The aim is clear story-telling, that hits upon all the key marketing angles (great cast! important director! award wins!) that draw in the target genre audience. Here is where the excitement builds and turns a ‘maybe’ into ‘sold’ as the consumer decides there is no need to look any further.

When it comes to the “Creative Trifecta” as described above, we don’t reserve this approach for just a subset of Distribution Solutions’ label partners. This is a basic deliverable, served up regularly during the course of the collaboration, in order to build the best marketing presences possible on platforms.

Want to learn more about DS and our services? Try us at studios@ds.aent.com today!

Stream Big.

There’s probably nothing left to be said about the proliferation of streaming services and the enormous appetite to be filled in these unprecedented times. Consumers looking for content, and so much content to be had… it’s a timeless love story…

*“Oh hey…I should totally watch everything there is.”*

Beyond the biggies (Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Hulu) the streaming choices have exploded–and consumers are game to expand their consumption like never before. (Exhibit A: This Flixd article, which lists over 200 options available. Enjoy the rabbit hole.)

At Distribution Solutions, this niche-rich environment is right up our alley. Vice President of Digital Sales, Kelly McGee, and her sales team have grown our list of platform partners across all formats–SVOD, AVOD, TVOD–to capture as much of this new landscape as possible. Her game plan: create a ridiculous number of opportunities for the diverse independent film and tv content we represent for our label partners…and grow that revenue!

Yep. Our partners’ content offers a broad array of genres, directors, and unique perspectives and voices…aaaand it just so happens that the marketplace is going crazy with opportunities for accessing content, beautifully organized by interest and subgenre. It’s a glorious time to be where we are–and we are up for the challenge!

The team’s approach to getting content to consumers isn’t a one-size-fits-all deal. For starters, we watch every movie we are going to pitch. (This sounds uber-basic, but that isn’t always the case in this industry.) This “screen everything” pledge gives us the foundation to understand the content and identify the target audience(s) and the platforms on which they may be found.

Once our team gets to know what a film is (and is not), consults with commercial planning, reviews with marketing, pulls comps, and determines likely performance potential, and takes at least one full breath, then we recommend a customized Go To Market strategy. Our aim is always to work closely with our label partner to help the content reach its full potential in the marketplace.

Stay tuned to the newsletter for future snapshots of our successes on digital and streaming platforms.

Don’t want to wait for some future post? Please contact us at PR@aent.com if you’d like to connect with our team.

Hello!

Distribution Solutions is excited to launch our new weekly newsletter, as we put the (pardon the slightly overused phrase) “dumpster fire” that was 2020 behind us and approach this new year with joyful enthusiasm.

Among our business goals for the new year is a commitment to shining a light on our capabilities and how we help create success for our partners. And what better way to do this than a ‘show & tell’ format!

Stay tuned for our brand-new weekly blog, containing what we like to think of as bite-sized case studies that will give readers a sense of our reach, expertise, and value in the industry.

If you’d like to know more about any topic or would like to set up a meeting with us, please email PR@aent.com.

We wish you a Happy New Year!