NFB - Directing with the NFB
Working with the NFB
Interested in directing or co-producing a documentary, animation, new media or alternative drama project with NFB's English Program? The following guide gives an overview of the kinds of projects we produce and how to propose an idea to us.
What to expect: Marketing, Sales and Distribution
NFB productions benefit from a sophisticated marketing and distribution infrastructure as well as the support of dedicated marketing, sales and distribution teams.
Marketing
The NFB’s marketing team works to ensure that our productions reach their target markets. Marketing strategies are tailored to the unique needs of each production.
Marketing is an integral part of the programming process at the National Film Board of Canada, with NFB Marketing Managers involved from the development phase through to the launch.
Marketing Managers prepare and implement launch strategies that identify target audiences and how best to reach them, and develop promotional materials. They work with NFB colleagues as well as external partners to reach audiences effectively, whether through a community-based approach or a more traditional campaign.
An unrivalled Canadian sales network
Point-of-view social documentaries and auteur animation produced in the private sector rarely receive the kind of national and international distribution that the NFB can provide. NFB productions benefit from a distribution network that is well-established in the educational, institutional and consumer markets.
The NFB has hundreds of access points in communities across Canada, thanks to partnership agreements with the public sector (public libraries and school libraries) and private sector (distribution companies, cataloguers, movie theatre chains, video clubs, etc.). We also offer on-line sales boutiques and toll free customer service in Canada and the U.S.
A presence on the international scene
The NFB has an outstanding international reputation. Our documentaries and animated films win some 130 awards every year, with NFB films are broadcast on over 80 television networks around the world.
Thanks to framework agreements and wide-ranging partnerships with key players in the global audiovisual industry, NFB productions and co-productions occupy an advantageous position on the international scene.
A dedicated distribution team
- Sales offices and staff located in Montreal, New York, Los Angeles and Paris
- Sophisticated website, on-line sales boutiques and e-marketing capabilities, plus toll free customer service in Canada and the U.S.
- In-depth knowledge and sales experience across all media channels, including television, non-theatrical, institutional and consumer markets
- Participation in key industry markets
- Precise rights management and revenue reporting systems
