RealBigHits
FAQ / Technology
Frequently Asked Questions

FINISHED/AGENCY/PITCHING

How do you pitch my project?

We use a combination of phone calls, in person meetings, and festival/markets to meet prospective buyers. Particular buyers have different preferred communication patterns and approaches that they prefer. If appropriate marketing materials are not available, then our internal team may need to work to prepare or refine these prior to a pitch (sizzles, bibles, trailers, one sheets, etc.).

To whom do you pitch my content?

We pitch to organizations that are interested in your particular genre or format. We can work with you to identify appropriate targets.

What are my chances for success?

This depends on market demand, the quality of your project, and ever-changing tastes in the marketplace. Last year's smash idea may be this year's folly.

How selective are you for taking on projects?

With the goal of becoming and online marketplace, the realbighits.com itself is not selective, but our agency business is. We cannot fairly accept all titles for active promotion, so we need to screen for quality and market demand those titles we actively promote and highlight in our marketing and direct sales efforts.

What are the fees involved?

We charge standard distribution fees of 35% (thirty-five) of all money received unless there is a contract to the contrary. Additional fees are charged for digital, marketing, and technology services.

What happens when there is interest in my project?

Each situation is different, depending on your interest, the buyer/partner, and the content. RBH staff works directly with you when there is interest, coordinating and guiding the process. Passionate creatives sometimes lack the experience to best present ideas and to negotiate the best deal possible.

The ownership of your project is yours alone. Your guidance and input is welcomed for every partnership, sale, or license.

Once my work is sold, will I get 100% of the money that my project is sold for?

No, RBH will collects its commissions and fees, if any, before you get paid.

Will I still have creative control of my project once it is sold?

Creative control of your project will be part of a deal negotiation. Depending on the prospective buyer/partner, it may be an issue.

Who are RBH's Buyers?

The buyers come from longstanding Empress relationships or from current publicity or marketing efforts. Empress has been providing goods and services to the industry since 1998. Buyers are staff and executives from a range of production companies, traditional broadcast and cable networks, and digital platforms.

FINISHED/DISTRIBUTION

Can I just use my staff or my post house?

"Distributor" is our service to place your content on digital platforms (e.g. iTunes) where it can be viewed for a limited period of time ("tVOD"-transactional video on demand) or permanently ("EST"-electronic sell through). As a distributor, we both make sure that the content passes quality standards and is correctly encoded AS WELL AS promoted on the site, which is important for increasing the potential revenue earned from the site.

Send to Platform
Pass Q/C
Market & Promote
Titles on platforms
Your Efforts
Maybe
Very Unlikely
No
Aggregator/Post House
Yes
Yes
No
RealBigHits
Yes
Yes
Yes

Which files do I need to send to you?

Files: Apple ProRes 422 (HQ)

720x480 SD - aspect defined 16:9 = 853 ~ 480 / 4:3 = 640 ~ 480

1920x1080 HD

Native Frame Rate (NTSC or PAL)

Uncompressed QuickTime

Please use guidelines for ProRes noted above

Audio should be laid out in the following manner:

1- L

2- R

3- C

4- LFE

5- Ls

6- Rs

7- Stereo L

8- Stereo R

All tracks should be PCM Little Endian

Separate 5.1 audio is accepted as .WAV files sent as individual tracks

My content will be placed on which platforms?

This depends on which platforms we pitched to that accepted your content.

How long does it take to get the content on the platforms?

This varies, based on the platform, often 6-8 weeks.

Is there a timing issue with publishing?

Content is published at any time, but we can build a marketing strategy to optimize your returns based on timing.

How much money can I make from the platforms?

This depends on the quality of the content, the fickle demand of the marketplace, how well it is marketed/promoted, the pricing, and the timing. Revenues range from millions of dollars to almost nothing.

Will this restrict my ability to sell//format to others?

That depends on the target buyer. Some may require content to be removed from a platform as part of a licensing agreement.

Which reports do you provide?

We can provide quarterly detailed reports of revenues and fees, if applicable.

Can I promote the platform content on my website?

Yes, you should be actively involved from your web and social media.

Can I remove the content from these platforms?

Yes, content can be removed, but there may be a lead time of up to two weeks before it is removed.

FINISHED/TECHNOLOGY

How can the technology help us?

Our eMAM system (www.empressmam.com) can build a customer facing portal to promote and sell your content. It can also power native mobile, tablet, or OTT device (Roku, etc). for users to consume your content.

How can you get customers to pay for or subscribe to our content?

We cannot. Your current marketing and promotional efforts must attract potential customers to your site. We can design an attractive interface and efficient process, but you must market the site and provide compelling content for which they are willing to pay.

What else can I do with the technology?

eMAM is a complete media asset management, so customers use it for managing a wide number of different workflows, including storage/archive, collaborative production and editing, review and approval, marketing, broadcast automation, and digital publishing. We would be happy to provide more details or a web demo at your convenience.

Is it cloud based?

The system can run entirely on the cloud, it can entirely from your one or many offices (on premise), or as hybrid system with parts on both. Many customers integrate it with their on- premise production, storage, and archive systems.

Where is the content stored?

On premise, in the cloud, or hybrid. It is often easier to store native/high resolution storage on premise for storage/archive, editing, and broadcast workflows.

Is it secure?

eMAM has flexible settings for controlling user access and permissions. It can use active directory/LDAP, or other corporate security settings. Cloud content is generally stored and processed in the Microsoft Azure cloud system, which has cutting edge protection built it, generally far better than what small and medium companies are able to provide on their own. On premise systems are generally set up according with security based on your internal network. We can add additional security features as added: we even manage secure pre-air broadcast for a prominent cable company.

How much does it cost?

eMAM is a software based system. There are several options available. There is a cloud SaaS (software as a service), where you get a login and we manage all of your content in the cloud. The software can also be purchased for use on your hardware. It is also available as one-year use licenses (subscribe).

Cloud storage is based on several factors, especially storage and users.

On premise software has several packages available, depending on your needs.

Who designs the interface?

Our design team can work with you and your staff to make a responsive modern design for your platform or your team can design it and we can build the functionality.

Do we need IT staff to set it up?

Empress is a software company. We set up cloud systems, but often our customers want to use organizational IT or a local system integrator to install on premise/local systems. System integrators are listed on the eMAM website.

Where can I find more information?

The empressmam.com website has a wealth of information. Our team can provide a web demo and discussion about the system. We attend major technology trade shows worldwide. You can contact a system integrator/reseller local for you-these are listed on the website.

May I test the system before buying?

Yes, you may set up a free trial account to test the basic functionality. For an on premise system, we can set up a trial account for larger systems.