Tracking the movements and insights of movie distributors, especially in the independent market, is as much within baseball as it is in Hollywood. They are hard-nosed negotiators, wining, dining, cajoling, and haggling to extract the best possible deal for filmmakers and producers.
These agents also happen to be some of the most press-averse people in the industry (always thinking about their clients). But Variety managed to track down Lena Ronson, who led UTA’s premium indie sales division for almost two decades, for a wide-ranging conversation during the launch of several titles at Film Marche, including Jordan Firstman’s The Club Kid, Bruce Dern’s confessional Darnis, Asghar Farhadi’s Parallel Tales, and Seth Rogen’s animated film Tangles.
Here she talks about the tumultuous decades in film sales, gender equality in show business, and the wave of entrepreneurial filmmakers taking the lead.
How did you get started?
I went to graduate school with the intention of becoming a bilingual educator. In one of my classes, I did a research paper on a program in Mexico that uses video monitors to teach agricultural skills to rural farmers. That was my “wow” moment for the power of media. From there, I combined my degree with media studies, which led to an internship at Nickelodeon. I worked in acquisitions, which was a dream because educational entertainment is such a rewarding career. It made me rethink my entire path. I ended up working in international sales at Lakeshore Entertainment and learned how content travels. And seeing the world was another selling point.
I spent 11 years in the field, which gave me a strong foundation and a global perspective. I realized that one industry I didn’t understand was the agency business. It all starts there – the written word, the IP, the script, the story. It felt essential to me. So I went to William Morris and then UTA. I have been there for almost 17 years. What we’re doing here is very productive in nature. We are working collaboratively with the film production team. We identify packages, work with international teams to analyze budgets and source independent funding opportunities. These are obtained through international presales, tax rebates, regional funds, and equity. You can do whatever you want with both your left and right brain.
What was your first sale?
It was from Time Life Library. “Animal Kingdom” perhaps.
What is the biggest change in the independent sales market that you have observed over your career?
When I started in the early 90s, it was a very different business. At the time, the focus of the business was the US syndication market and home video. These were solid and stable, so the big growth area was international. You can also bundle your movies together with a big production deal, but this is rarely done these days. The market was so relationship-oriented that distributors could sell movies based on a single sheet or poster. Now it’s different and challenged, but I’ve seen this before. Home video is gone and now we have streaming, but the opportunity is still exciting. We’ve been in reset mode since the years after COVID-19 and the streaming boom. So we’ve learned to be more adaptable, globally-minded, and audience-focused. As a result, the domestic market has become less reliable for our model and the international market has become more important.
What types of projects are certain?
In the independent space, we know the genres that work. High horror, prestige projects, action. It’s easier than most drama movies, but that doesn’t mean you should stop making it. We don’t follow the formula, we focus on story, budget, packaging and international appeal. You can make a movie for a specific audience, but if you understand who you’re making the movie for and can attract them, that audience can be small and it doesn’t have to be a huge commercial success. It was a great time in the early days of streaming because you needed a pipeline. Now they produce and create themselves.
One thing that has become clear since COVID-19 is that these deals take a very long time to close.
It’s an observable fact. I joked with someone recently that maybe it’s taking more time because veterans in this industry are older and prefer the sleep we do. So no more overnight bidding wars. The reality is that many more independent films are being produced without advanced distribution deals. If you are a buyer, you must see them all. You may also need to run the model in-house for things like finances and audience. This takes time. Our job is to help guide distributors along the way, often including post-sales insights like movie dates and marketing methods. Today, it’s a more difficult path and not every movie can garner such massive sales. But there’s a new model that allows for more entrepreneurship, and it’s exciting. Look at the release of films like “Iron Lung” by our client Marc Plier.
What do you think about the constant emergence of new and revamped theatrical distribution companies?
More distributors is a good thing, creating more opportunities and strengthening the market. We’re really excited to see what’s happening in places like Black Bear and Clockwork. We have high expectations and hope everything will be successful.
You have been a top female leader in your field for almost 20 years. Talent agencies have always been a little better at gender equality compared to big Hollywood. What was your experience?
I was raised by two educators. My brother and I were raised to be equals and have always felt that we had the opportunity to do whatever we wanted. Starting a career in international sales was a great place for a woman to be. I’ve seen the old patterns[of Hollywood]but I don’t think I’ve ever faced injustice. I can say that UTA definitely supports the skills that women can have equally. They respect everyone as an individual. I also have a great group of women on my team. Looking across the industry, it’s encouraging to see that other agencies’ sales groups are also led by women.
How do you think about AI in terms of how movies are made and distributed?
Well, it seems we can’t ignore it. The question is, how can you get ahead of it and use it to your advantage? The immediate reaction is, “We’re going to be replaced by humans.” There is simply no substitute for human talent. There is no substitute for a filmmaker’s perspective or original authorship. For independent films, finding ways to reduce the budget is important, which will affect whether the film gets made or not.
There’s a world where it actually helps alleviate the pressure and expectations on filmmakers that are often a challenge in indies.
Yes, we can help you get your budget right and help with post-production and VFX. We are currently testing something and are working on creating fire scene smoke instead (practical effects).
What are the traditions of Cannes?
We spent our first night at Le Massieu (a leafy, cavernous, upscale restaurant) and talked about movies. Four units are on the market this year. One in the Official Selection, one in the Cannes Classic, one in the “Un Certain Regard” category, and one in the Special Presentation. This year is a very exciting year for us.
