First of all, why don't you introduce yourself to those of us who
not already know you?
My name is Michael Joy and filmmaking and storytelling have
become an essential part of my day-to-day life. There are some people that
have a passion for music and while I agree that music can be the
soundtrack to your life, a motion picture can incorporate all the
elements. I think when your favorite songs are combined with an incredible
narrative and visual, the result can be a life-changing experience. I’m
not only an enthusiast of cinema but I’m also a student of the craft,
and horror is my favorite genre by far. I think everyone loves a true
underdog and their is no genre in the history of cinema that has been more
of an underdog than that of horror. There is so much untapped potential
within the horror industry that hasn’t been explored. I am always
searching and hoping to uncover stories of horror that have yet to be
told. What can you tell us about your
company Marketing Macabre, and the philosophy behind it? Marketing
Macabre was created to solve a common problem among independent
filmmakers: The inability to afford marketing. I wanted to create an
alternative to overpriced PR companies and give the indie guy a chance to
be seen. It’s really that simple. I provide a voice for the voiceless
independent horror filmmakers. How
did Marketing Macabre come into being in the first place? And from
a professional point of view, what makes you the perfect candidate to run
a PR company like Marketing Macabre? It’s been a
decade in the making. Since 2008 I’ve been operations manager for the
popular horror website Horrornews.net. I’ve also worked for other
entertainment sites like Totally Driven Entertainment, 1Wrestling.com, and
What Culture. On a daily basis, I get press releases from tons of
different PR companies as well as major studios like Universal and
Fox.
While working on that side of the desk, I was able to form my own opinions
on the press being given to me and see first hand what worked and what
didn’t work with our readers. During this same time period, I
was granted a tremendous opportunity with the Philadelphia-based
distribution company Artsploitation Films. I was hired as their director
of marketing and also had a hand in acquisitions. Artsploitation purchased
the US rights to foreign films and released them on Blu-ray, DVD, and
VOD. It was a valuable learning experience being able to work with
aggregators and also directly with VOD platforms. I handled
Arsploitation’s marketing campaigns which included press releases and
social media outreach. I believe I’ve been given the unique
opportunity to see both sides of the coin, while working for a major media
outlet and a distribution company. I wanted to take this knowledge and
apply it to my own creation - Marketing Macabre. With Marketing
Macabre promoting primarily horror projects, why is that, and is
horror a genre at all dear to you, and why (not)? Most PR
companies have a broad range of clients promoting everything from drama,
comedy, documentaries, science fiction, horror, and more. My background is
primarily in horror and I’ve acquired many contacts within the horror
industry throughout the years. It only made sense that Marketing Macabre
would be a boutique type marketing company that would cater to the genre
that I’ve held so dear through the years. I’ve been a horror
fanatic for as long as I can remember. My earliest memories are watching
Dr. Shock and Creature Double Feature on Saturday afternoons and
discovering great treasures like Godzilla and
Hammer Films. On a
personal note, my mom recently passed away, and she loved a great horror
film. She introduced me to the classics, Dracula,
Wolf Man, and
Frankenstein. I’ll always cherish those memories.
So
without giving any secrets away, what are some of the services Marketing
Macabre offers, and what makes them vital to the success of a movie? I
provide the necessary pipeline for filmmakers to reach to the horror
media, and we do this primarily with press releases. We are happy to
provide guidance to filmmakers that will allow them to maximize their
reach. Our services also include social media outreach, crowdfunding help,
custom articles, and featured interviews and reviews. How
do indie horror filmmakers acquire your services, and do you do any
vetting in terms of what movies you take on? Filmmakers can
email me at joyhorror@msn.com to
find out more information on my web page,
https://marketingmacabre.weebly.com/.
We specifically deal with horror marketing, so if you bring us a comedy or
drama, it’s not really in our wheelhouse. If it’s horror and we think
we can get you the necessary coverage to help your brand, then we will. If
for some reason your film isn’t a good fit, we will let you know. Do you have any free
advice for indie horror filmmakers struggling to make it? Never
quit. It’s a difficult ride and not everyone makes it to the end. It you
stick it out and complete your project, you have accomplished something
amazing. Believe in your work and promote it correctly… You made it. Now
people need to see it. Some
current projects you're handling you'd like to give a shout-out to? Marketing
Macabre is currently handling marketing for the following brands, American
Horror Channel, Scumdance Film Festival, Vidi Space Film
Festival, The Slasher App, Hacking Hollywood Pitch Fest,
and…
the following independent films, The
Listing, Human Hibachi, Eternal
Code, Room 9, Hybristophilia, Abstruse, The
Initiation, Last American Horror Show Vol. 2, Palomino &
Swissy, Lection, In Darkness I Wait, Night of the
Devil, The Last Ones, Borderland, RoboWoman, and Mirage. Any
specific future plans for Marketing Macabre? Marketing
Macabre continues to grow our outreach with horror media outlets and that
just means better service for our clients. Our future is bright. Your
all-time favourite filmmakers and movies (not necessarily only within
horror)? Here are some directors and movies that have
changed my life… Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill 1
& 2, Jackie
Brown, Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood. Martin
Scorsese’s Goodfellas, Taxi
Driver, After Hours, and The Departed. John
Carpenter’s Halloween,
The Thing, Big Trouble in Little
China, and In
the Mouth of Madness. Steven Spielberg’s Jaws,
Close Encounters of the
Third Kind, and Raiders of the Lost Ark. George Lucas’ Star
Wars,
Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. Stanley Kubrick’s
The Shining, Eyes Wide
Shut, and Full Metal Jacket. John Hughes’ The
Breakfast Club, Weird
Science, and Sixteen Candles. Cameron Crowe’s
Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Almost Famous and Singles. Paul Thomas
Anderson’s Boogie Nights and
Inherent Vice. Brian De Palma’s
Scarface and Phantom of the Paradise. Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho,
Rear Window, and Trouble with Harry. Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life
and Arsenic and Old Lace. Kevin Smith’s Clerks 1 &
2 and Chasing Amy. Sam Mendes’ American Beauty. Francis Ford Coppola’s
The
Godfather 1 & 2. Rob Zombie’s House of 1,000
Corpses, The
Devil’s Rejects, and Halloween ... and of course, films you really deplore?
|
Feeling lucky? Want to search any of my partnershops yourself for more, better results? (commissions earned) |
The links below will take you just there!!!
|
|
|
The
remakes of Psycho, Amityville Horror, and The Fog
were all painful to watch. Your/your
company's website, Facebook, whatever else? If anyone is
interested in my price guide, please email me at joyhorror@msn.com
and I would be happy to send information and answer any questions. Please
feel free to follow my Marketing Macabre Facebook group, https://www.facebook.com/groups/767211830150856/ Anything
else you're dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask? I’m
teaming up with professional wrestling legend Austin Idol to produce a
horror series for the next generation gamified video entertainment
marketplace, Bitmovio. I have also confirmed funding for my
movie DEAD afterlife, and I should have some information about
pre-production soon. Thanks
for the interview!
|