The Film Sales Company

What The Film Sales Company does

The Film Sales Company is a privately-held, New York City-based independent film sales, financing, and distribution firm founded in 2002 by Andrew Herwitz, a former Miramax Acquisitions head and entertainment attorney. The company represents an accumulated catalog of more than 300 documentary and narrative feature films, including Academy Award winners and nominees and titles premiering at Sundance, Cannes, Tribeca, SXSW, Hot Docs, and Toronto. Its revenue is generated across four streams: transaction-fee film sales to domestic and international distributors, project financing for fiction and documentary productions, quote-based educational licensing to schools, universities, film societies, libraries, and non-profits, and direct-to-consumer streaming via its YouTube channel (@TheFilmSalesCompany), which offers free viewing with multilingual subtitles.

The underlying operating model is relationship-driven rather than technology-led: the platform is built on two decades of festival presence, distributor relationships cultivated by Herwitz and his small team, and an industry reputation evidenced by high-prestige catalog inclusions. There is no disclosed proprietary technology stack, no AI/ML capability, and no mobile application — distribution and sales activities are supported by a public website (filmsalescorp.com) built on Squarespace alongside the YouTube channel. Go-to-market is hybrid: sales-led outbound to distributors and educational buyers, event-led at film festivals and markets, and consumer-led via free YouTube streaming with subtitles in French, Spanish, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Arabic, Russian, and Hebrew.

The company operates from a single New York City office with a small named team (President Andrew Herwitz, sales/licensing contact Carylanna Taylor, and operations contact Jess Linde). It has no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, subsidiaries, or acquisitions on record, and remains founder-led after more than 20 years. Revenue, headcount, and deal volume are not publicly disclosed.

Name

The Film Sales Company

Legal name

The Film Sales Company

Website

https://filmsalescorp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Film Sales Company is a privately-held, New York City-based independent film sales, financing, and distribution firm founded in 2002 that represents 300+ award-winning documentaries and features to distributors, educational institutions, and consumers via YouTube.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Film Sales and Distribution

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Distribution (51212), Other Motion Picture and Video Industries (512199)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822), Services-Allied To Motion Picture Distribution (7829)

akta.pro primary industry

Sales Agency Representation & Deal Structuring (MPADAAAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

International Sales & Licensing (Territory Pre-Sales) (MPADAJAC), Catalog / Library Distribution & Re-Release (MPADAJAK), Royalty, Reporting & Revenue Share Administration (MPADALAJ)

Keywords

• Independent film sales
• Film distribution services
• Film financing
• Educational film licensing
• Documentary distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Film Sales and Distribution: Selling films for domestic and international distribution to major and specialized distributors. The company has sold over 300 films since inception in 2002.
2. Financing: Raising financing for numerous fiction and documentary projects through established relationships and expertise in the film industry.
3. Educational Licensing: Licensing films to educational institutions, film societies, libraries, and non-profit organizations for educational purposes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Film Sales Company provides sales representation and distribution services for independent films, connecting filmmakers with domestic and international distributors across theatrical, streaming, and home video markets. The company also raises financing for fiction and documentary projects and operates an educational licensing program for academic institutions and a direct-to-consumer YouTube streaming channel with multilingual subtitles.

Product overview

The Film Sales Company is a New York City-based film sales, financing, and distribution company founded in 2002 that has sold over 300 films for domestic and international distribution. The company operates as a unified platform combining Film Sales & Distribution services, Film Financing capabilities, an Educational Licensing module for academic institutions, and a Direct-to-Consumer Streaming option via their YouTube channel. Their portfolio includes award-winning documentaries and narrative features spanning genres from horror and thriller to documentary and drama, with films having premiered at Sundance, Cannes, Tribeca, SXSW, Hot Docs, Toronto, and other leading festivals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Carylanna TaylorcoreOthersPrimary contact for rights availability, film submissions for sales consideration, and educational licensing inquiries. Reached at [email protected]
• Jess LindecoreOthersContact for general inquiries and delivery matters. Reached at [email protected] or (212) 481-5020
• Andrew HerwitzcoreOthersPresident of The Film Sales Company. Previously ran Acquisitions at Miramax for six years and practiced entertainment law at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton and Garrison LLP. Graduate of Harvard College, Columbia Business School, and Harvard Law School.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Cinetic Media: Cinetic Media is a New York-based independent film sales, financing, and distribution company with a similar boutique catalog model and festival-driven deal flow, directly competing for the same filmmakers and distributor relationships as The Film Sales Company.
• Protagonist Pictures: Protagonist Pictures is a London-based international sales, financing, and production company for independent film, directly comparable to FSC's combination of sales representation, financing, and festival-based deal flow.
• Submarine Entertainment: Submarine Entertainment is a New York-based sales and distribution company for independent documentaries and narrative features, operating with a comparable boutique catalog, festival presence, and transaction-fee model.
• Films Boutique: Films Boutique is a Berlin-based international sales agent representing independent films at major festivals, with a comparable catalog and direct territorial pre-sales model that overlaps FSC's international distribution business.
• Wide Management: Wide Management is a Paris-based international sales agent specializing in independent and arthouse films, with a catalog and festival-driven distribution model comparable to FSC's international sales business.

Broad incumbents

• Grasshopper Film: Grasshopper Film is a New York-based independent distributor of documentary and arthouse films, overlapping with FSC's catalog as both a competitor for filmmaker representation and a potential buyer of FSC-sold titles.
• IFC Films: IFC Films is a major US distributor of independent films with a much larger catalog and direct theatrical/VOD capability, frequently acquiring titles that FSC and similar sales agents represent.
• Neon: Neon is a major US distributor of independent and arthouse films with a strong festival-acquisition model that directly competes with boutique sales agents including FSC at Sundance, Cannes, and TIFF.
• A24: A24 is a major US independent studio producing and distributing arthouse and indie films; while vertically integrated, it competes with FSC for premium filmmaker representation and directly acquires many of the festival titles FSC represents.
• Kino Lorber: Kino Lorber is a broader US distributor and streaming operator for independent, arthouse, and classic films with a much larger catalog and direct theatrical/home-video capability, making it a buyer and adjacent competitor to FSC's distribution clients.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@TheFilmSalesCompany
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-film-sales-company

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Film Sales Company