If the gates of Hollywood won’t open to let you in, then you have to build your own platform on which to advance. That’s been the approach employed by filmmakers Geoffrey Jean-Baptiste and Kareem Rogers along with business partner Jean-Pierre Adechi. Together they run the production company Authorized Dealer Films. The company specializes in crafting documentaries, commercials, music videos and more. Between them they have prior credits including “Law & Order,” “Making the Band 4,” and more. They have also partnered with local aspiring artists, directors, actors and filmmakers to form the Alphabet City Dolly Film Festival. The festival is a unique showcase held throughout New York’s Alphabet City where moviegoers travel from venue-to-venue to discover new talent.
Rolling Out got close-up with Jean-Baptiste as he talked about how they manage the financial challenges, how to spot unethical people and the philosophy that guides their company.
What are the financial challenges associated with your business and how do you manage them?Unfortunately, in film finances are often the biggest challenges when trying to achieve a high production value look. We chose to invest in a camera, the quality of this camera compensates for the production value we [might] lack.
I would assume that a good deal of your work comes from networking. Please speak on the importance of networking and some of the dos and don’ts you’ve learned along the way.Keeping in touch with your network and keeping them up to date with your experience and your exploits is a definite do. The definite don’ts are not to burn your bridges with the higher-ups or even the lower rung associates. You never know who anyone might be or become. I moonlight on other people’s projects and I’m definitely scouting when I do this. Those who change the way they talk to me after finding out my company owns a Red Camera, reveal their shady tendencies that will no doubt extend to their business ethics.
What is unique about the way you run your company? We often take on different roles and we pick up the slack for one another. Beyond that we are simply trying to achieve one ultimate goal: being a truly original and influential media outlet. In striving for that our philosophy tends to be there are nothing but new ideas to be found.
