How to Find Film Producers (No Matter Your Level of Experience)

Ever wondered where all the producers are hiding? You’re not alone. 

In 6 years of producing, I’ve been asked ‘how can I find producers?’ more times than I’ve made scene breakdowns, so let’s dive in. 

The truth is that there are thousands of producers out there. The real question is how do you find producers that are actively looking for work like yours? 

It’s surprisingly simple, so I’m going to break down the method to finding like-minded producers, plus give you three different places to reach new producers. 

Zeroing in on Like-Minded Producers 

1: Create a list of films you love and consider to be similar to the types of films you make (or want to make) 

2: Research the producers and production companies involved – IMDb is the best place for this

(For this, it’s useful to pick films made within the last 5 years on a low-mid budget and in the same country as you to find producers that are – generally – accessible to you) 

3: Start keeping a list or spreadsheet of producers and companies you want to reach out to Your list should include: 

• Name 
• Contact info (don’t worry if you can’t find any – we’ll come back to that) – Recently-produced films 
• Any social media profiles they have 
• Any recent news/features/articles about them 
• Specific reasons why you want to get in touch with them 

Once you’ve started building your list, you’ll find there are a lot of producers out there that are already producing films like the ones you want to create, which means they’re most likely looking for ideas and scripts like yours. 

Every time you watch a film and think ‘I’d love to make something like this’, add the producer to your list. 

Making the Connection 

Now you’re starting to grow a list of producers making similar work, you might find yourself wondering ‘okay, but how do I actually reach out to them – without sounding pushy or annoying them?’ 

The best thing to do is slowly start building a relationship with them before ever mentioning your own projects. 

A creative who goes straight into pitching and project-talk is a little like a guy that tries to kiss you within 10 minutes of the first date – generally unwelcome. 

Instead, start by interacting with them and their work on a slow and steady basis. To make it easier, here are three different ways. Pick the one(s) that work best for you.

1: Social Media (including LinkedIn)

We may loathe social media and its interference in our lives, but if someone on your list has public profiles, it’s a perfect opportunity to start building a relationship with them. 

Follow, like and engage with their content. This is as simple as leaving (meaningful) comments whenever you see a post from them. 

Your name will become more and more familiar to them, so when you’re ready to reach out you’ll no longer be a stranger sending them a cold email, you’ll already have a relationship with them. 

It also makes reaching out a lot easier as you’ll have plenty of topics for small talk – just mention their recent posts. 

2: Festivals & Events 

Couple of caveats with this one. First, don’t force yourself to go to events if you’re an introvert. You’ll hate every minute of it and feel uncomfortable during all the conversations (trust me, I went to multiple events every week because I thought that’s what I had to do to grow my network). 

Second, this is most effective when the people on your list are at the festivals/events, so you might find yourself relying on this method less than the other two. 

But when you do see someone from your list attending an event (either as a guest or a speaker), make time to go to the event and either connect with them there, or send them a message afterwards to say how much you enjoyed seeing them. 

If it’s not possible to go, you can still reach out to them with a quick message to say congratulations, and ask when they’re next going to a festival/event. 

3: Email 

This is by far the most effective method of starting a genuine conversation with a producer. 

That said, you have to get the contents of the email right, or you risk annoying the person you’re contacting and at worst, run the risk of being asked to not contact them again.

As always, it’s simply about starting a conversation without taking up too much of their time. 

You’re likely to get the best response when you keep it short, sweet and to the point. So let them know who you are, what you make and why you’re emailing them specifically. 

This could be letting them know that you recently watched their film, and wanted to get in touch as you make similar projects. 

Finding Short Film Producers 

If you’re struggling to find producers that are still making short films, then Instagram and Facebook groups are going to be the most effective methods. 

Use relevant hashtags (eg. #shortfilmproduction #shortfilmproducer #shortfilmmaking) and location-specific hashtags (eg. #londonfilmmaking #londonfilmmakers) to quickly find producers. 

You can also find high-quality filmmaking Facebook groups and search in the group for ‘producer’. 

Both of these methods will quickly give you a list of producers who are making shorts and smaller-scale productions. 

Getting Out of Your Own Way 

Unfortunately reaching out to producers is a perfect opportunity for any lingering self-doubt or imposter syndrome to pop up. 

The easiest way to get past this is to make connecting with producers part of your weekly work routine. The more you do it, the more natural it will feel, and the more confident you will get. 

If you’d like more ways of finding film producers, you can download 15 Ways to Find Producers here.

Did You Know?

Charlotte Atkinson

Charlotte Atkinson is a producer and productivity strategist, helping writers and directors become more productive so they can create more films. She first trained on the BFI Academy where she produced the Borderlines-selected short film ‘Bookworm’ and was selected for BAFTA mentorship. She now has her own production company and her most recent project, ‘Wool’ is currently screening at festivals worldwide. Charlotte also works as a mentor for ScreenSkills, ScreenNorthants and the BFI Academy