“We uncovered just how many pain points exist”: Distribution Case Study of Indie Romantic Comedy ‘You, Me & Her’

The film team reveals their unique marketing campaign, start-up hustle, and real results.

Due to generous support from Linlay Productions, the Film-ADE Fund is able to issue a limited number of grants for scripted films. The You, Me & Her team received a grant to build out a marketing strategy around micro-influencers and to present this larger case study. This post is part of a series of case studies for experiments in the distribution and marketing of films. It’s our hope that sharing stories, and transparent data, of experimentation will help all film teams (documentary, narrative, experimental) adapt new methodologies in audience-building for their own work. This post was written by Selina Ringel and Dan Levy Dagerman from the You, Me & Her film team.

When we decided to independently launch our latest film into the marketplace without a distributor, studio, or notable name talent, we tested the limits of what two independent filmmakers could pull off. We treated You, Me & Her like a startup. We designed the release strategy in public, tweaked as we went, and let the campaign reflect the themes of the film—sex-positive, intimate, bold, and a little chaotic in the best way. We took cues from both creator-led brand campaigns and traditional theatrical playbooks. We sent out custom influencer boxes—curated packages filled with film merch, playful on-theme gifts, and handwritten notes—to spark social buzz and signal our tone. We paired that with billboards, eventized screenings, giveaways, and real-world brand activations. It wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t always smooth. But it was ours—and it felt alive.

Lessons From the Past

We had learned lessons from our two previous films. Our first feature, The Best People, followed a traditional route. We partnered with a sales agent who projected a million-dollar return based on comps. As first-time filmmakers, we agreed to a high expense cap and they had to recoup up front. Even though the film sold to over 40 countries, with Samuel Goldwyn handling U.S. digital distribution, the film made only slightly more than what Goldwyn spent. The lesson was clear: traditional distribution can work, but not always in the filmmaker’s favor.

Our second film, Single Mother by Choice, was a deeply personal project about Selina’s real-life pregnancy during the pandemic. We finished it fast and licensed it directly to HBO Max. It was a win on paper—the deal doubled our budget—but it also launched with minimal publicity. No festival premiere. No theatrical window. No marketing. It quietly appeared on the platform… and that was it. Did the film make an impact? Did anyone see it? We had no clue.

The film team’s previous film went straight to Max

These questions stayed with us and lit a fire for how we wanted to approach You, Me & Her. We wanted this film to connect loudly and directly. So with this at the core, we outlined a guiding philosophy:

• Reflect the spirit of the film—intimate, sex-positive, funny, and human

• Create real engagement, not just impressions

• Blur the line between marketing and storytelling, distribution and conversation

• Share our process: to offer transparency and insights for other indie filmmakers

Pivoting From Our Original Festival Goals

Our original “Plan A” was to premiere the film at a major festival, find the right distribution partner, and work alongside them to layer in our self-built marketing campaign—amplifying the rollout and connecting more directly with audiences.

We knew we weren’t a Sundance film—You, Me & Her is a romantic comedy with a commercial tone—but we thought we might have a shot at SXSW or Tribeca. We submitted a very early rough cut to Tribeca in the spring of 2023 and didn’t get in. SXSW felt like the best fit, but it was nearly a year away, and through conversations with other filmmakers, we knew that films without recognizable casts often struggle to gain traction at major festivals. When we looked at the 2024 data around acquisitions at festivals, the looming impact of potential strike-related disruptions, and the types of films being prioritized by distributors, it became clear that we needed to approach things differently. We chose to pivot from SXSW and focus on building a real-world showcase for the film—a proof of concept for our audience and a new kind of distribution strategy.

We had previously premiered The Best People as the Closing Night Film at Dances With Films in 2018, and the energy in that room was unforgettable. We got into Dances With Films again and began planning a full event screening for our premiere—a night that was more than the usual Q&A and step-and-repeat. Our hope was that by hosting it in LA, we could draw in not just friends and supporters, but also our personal contacts at streamers and distributors. After skipping the festival circuit entirely for Single Mother by Choice (which we sold directly to Max), we were excited to return to that energy and bring a more intentional strategy to the table.

So we began building our dream premiere. Through Selina’s relationships in Mexico, we brought on LALO Tequila as our first sponsor, hired a mariachi band, gave out film-branded popcorn, and rented a space at the Roosevelt Hotel for the afterparty. The potential buyers we invited were mostly unavailable at the time, but we also invited influencers and celebrities, hoping to get as much of a splash as possible on social media. It was a big swing—ambitious, exciting, and paid for with the last of our budget (and eventually, some out-of-pocket expenses).

photo credit: MaximoTV

One of the major challenges we faced was that many of our special guests canceled at the last minute—some even on the day of the event.

The industry strikes hit just days later, and suddenly even the actors, influencers, and friends that showed up did not feel comfortable promoting anything, even though You, Me & Her was an independent premiere. Everything we created for that red carpet moment was effectively put on hold indefinitely, making it feel as if the event had never happened at all.

And yet the audience loved the film. We had a full house. The vibe was real. We felt there was demand—and that our instincts weren’t wrong.

Over the next months, we continued to screen at smaller regional festivals, where we won some awards and saw engaged audiences really connect with the film. There were also some offers from smaller distributors with no minimum guarantees as well as some “not no” or “still tracking” types of responses. For what was on offer, we were skeptical that it would improve on our previous experiences and of course the math didn't make sense.

Furthermore, in our discussions with these distributors, it became clear that they didn't have marketing budgets or innovative ideas. If we did take one of these offers, we knew we would have to raise our own marketing budget to boost the minimum effort these distributors were going to make. Plus, we’d probably have to actually execute our ambitious campaign and be very involved with social and PR. Why were we giving up 25% or more for someone else to do the booking and take all the rights?

We decided to retain our U.S. rights and do everything ourselves with the help of a small group of collaborators. The entire team was:

• Producers: Dan Levy Dagerman & Selina Ringel

• Marketing Producer: Kiki Adams

• Publicist: 42West

• Regional Publicist: Tierney Kelly

• Social Media: Andrew Lombardozzi

• Theatrical Marketing Co-Op & Paid Ads: Film Frog

• Theatrical Marketing Asset Distribution: Paper Airplane

• Theatrical Partner & Platform: The Fithian Group / Attend

• Booking: Susanne Jacobson

THEATRICAL: A WIDE RELEASE TEST RUN

We launched You, Me & Her nationally in 250 theaters through a first-of-its-kind partnership with Attend, a digital platform being built to facilitate theatrical distribution for mid-budget and independent films. Developed by the Fithian Group (the former leadership of the National Association of Theater Owners), Attend will enable filmmakers to upload their films and metadata directly and use AI to match movies with theaters based on audience demographics and preferences. Their goal is to create a secure, transparent, and data-driven marketplace that gives filmmakers more control over how their films reach audiences.

We were the Alpha Test. That meant the platform was still in development, and many of the tools we needed weren’t fully ready. But with the support of the Fithian Group, we saw an opportunity to do something bold: bring our film to theaters across the country and make noise on our own terms—without waiting for permission.

While we achieved our goal—bringing meaningful attention to our film on a national stage—we also uncovered just how many pain points exist for independent filmmakers navigating today’s theatrical landscape.

Campaign Highlights

This wasn’t a traditional campaign—it was a decentralized, partner-powered push built on collaboration, creativity, and hustle. Our goal was to decentralize our social media campaign by tapping into trusted voices and niche communities to tell our story in an authentic way. We also treated our marketing the same way we treat our films: character-driven, emotional, a little risky.

• 250 Influencer Boxes were curated and distributed as part of our brand collaboration campaign. Led by Selina, we partnered with everyone from celebrities to theme-aligned micro-influencers—LGBTQ+ creators, sex-positive educators, cannabis entrepreneurs, and indie film lovers. Each box was filled with gifts from 15 of our brand partners, including Lindt Chocolates, {THE AND} Playing Cards, Potli gummies, discounts to The Pleasure Chest and more. We worked with the incredible Felicity Chen (founder of Potli) to help design, assemble, and distribute the gift boxes.

• Fandango Buy-2-Get-1 Promo, inspired by the film’s central threesome storyline, gave audiences a playful incentive to attend in groups. We worked with Fandango directly to design and launch the promotion, making it one of the first sex-positive ticketing campaigns in recent memory.

• Digital Billboards in Times Square & Sunset Blvd put us in two of the most iconic media spaces in the country. Times Square ran for one day; Sunset ran for one month.

• 5-Trip Giveaway to Mexico, created in partnership with the Nayarit Tourism Board; hotel partners Imanta Resorts, W Hotel Punta Mita, and Casa Selva Sayulita; and RealTime Media to set up the legal and logistics. The trip giveaways offered a premium incentive to audiences and boosted engagement across platforms.

• Childcare Discounts with BUMO made it easier for parents to turn our film into a date night. The program offered discounted childcare during screenings, reinforcing our messaging around modern relationships and inclusive intimacy.

• Local Partnerships with LGBTQ+ orgs and pleasure-positive spaces gave our release grassroots energy. From co-hosted screenings to event pop-ups, these partnerships rooted our national rollout in real community.

Budget & Strategic Value

The total production budget for You, Me & Her was $500,000—raised entirely by equity investors, with no bankable name talent or pre-sale guarantees. Our previous experience taught us an incredibly valuable lesson. Marketing is not a post-production afterthought—it’s a central, creative phase of modern independent filmmaking.

So we raised an additional $350,000 for theatrical marketing and distribution to position the film for maximum visibility, legitimacy, and downstream value.

Key Highlights of Our Marketing Spend:

• $100,000 towards a strategic marketing collaboration with exhibitors. Film Frog suggested partnering directly with movie theaters to join marketing efforts. Theaters that booked the film received funding, matched digital ad spends, marketing assets and new, original content.

• $3,000 for the digital billboards on Sunset Blvd and in Times Square, affordable due to timing and inventory.

• Over $100,000 in additional in-kind contributions from brand partners, including influencer box products, travel giveaways, and sponsored event activations.

The theatrical release did not come close to recouping the cost to market and distribute the film. But the visibility we generated would ultimately help to secure a STARZ SVOD deal and in-flight licensing agreements with American Airlines, Qantas, and Jetstar through Encore Inflight. It helped attract international representation through CardinalXD and supported our TVOD rollout via Bitmax.

More importantly to us, we retained creative and financial control throughout the process.

What Worked

Partnering with the Fithian Group and Attend was the top win for us. Their commitment to innovation, transparency, and true collaboration gave us not only infrastructure but the belief that we could scale our vision nationally.

With their support, we went from a personal indie campaign to a 250-theater release. They didn’t just give us access- they treated us like partners, listened to our goals, and adapted alongside us, and helped us navigate a rapidly changing landscape. Other things that worked for us:

• The Brand Partnerships. We secured 20 total brands, including both the brands included in the influencer boxes as well as the W Hotel in Punta Mita. We emailed over 1,000 brands to land those 20 brands, but each brought their own networks and energy to the campaign—through giveaways, in-store signage, social content, and cross-promotion.

• Hiring a publicist. We landed press coverage in IndieWire, Variety, and The Hollywood Reporter, along with broadcast segments on FOX News in New York City, Philadelphia, and Austin.

• Our sold-out event screenings in New York, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Austin, Kansas City, Boston, and Miami energized audiences to spread the word.

• We gave away five trips to Mexico and gave away products from brands at every premiere screening. Local brand activation and audience giveaways helped create momentum and word-of-mouth, especially in cities with scant traditional press or paid media support.

• The film was featured on 20+ podcasts, with ongoing support from influencers who posted organically and frequently throughout the release.

• 227 out of 250 influencers we engaged posted at least one story on social media—many posted multiple times, especially when attending premieres or in-theater screenings. A handful even continued to post organically, sharing updates about our airline and Apple TV releases without any prompting.

What Didn’t

• Showtimes dropped with little notice, which hurt presales. Many theaters didn’t list screenings until the week of release, which meant our early calls to action had nowhere to direct interested audiences—generating buzz but not converting.

• We opened against a Marvel film. While we hoped counter-programming would work in our favor, we struggled to compete with a major studio release that had tickets on sale a month early and dominated exhibitor attention. In practice, many of the co-op advertising efforts didn’t pan out as we’d hoped—larger films were paying more for placement and became the priority for theaters.

• Sometimes screening times changed mid-run as theaters adjusted to prioritize higher-performing films, often dropping or shifting our showtimes without warning. In at least two cities, confirmed audiences showed up to find their screening moved or canceled.

• It was extremely difficult to get confirmation on if our marketing assets were used locally. We didn’t know if our trailer was playing or if our poster was up, making it impossible to measure impact or fine-tune our outreach.

• Lack of interest from film critics. We had hoped the legitimacy of our release would attract national-level press—ideally in The New York Times or The Washington Post—and spark a cascade of reviews down to local outlets. That didn’t happen.

• Our Valentines Day release date overlapped too much with Oscar coverage, further slowing outreach, press coverage, and audience turnout.

• Influencers are intentional about curating their feeds, so most stuck to posting Stories rather than tagging the film in permanent posts. Only about five shared to their main feed, which meant the majority of influencer content disappeared after 24 hours. Our goal was to capture these videos for future promotion, but it was difficult to track and archive everything in real time.

• We attempted to launch a nationwide internship program, building street teams of college students who could learn about indie film marketing while helping spread the word about the movie. But we made an early assumption based on knowing which cities the film would be playing in, but struggled to confirm specific theaters. In several cases, by the time interns were ready to go, the nearest theater ended up being too far from their campus. With a bit more lead time and clearer venue info, we believe this could have been a valuable addition to our campaign.

What It Took

This campaign didn’t run on autopilot. It ran on hustle. We ended up managing every detail from logistics to content strategy and brand integration. We operated across multiple platforms, time zones, and last-minute pivots, constantly adjusting to changing showtimes, evolving data, and unknowns in the release.

And we made it work, not because the system was built for us, but because we refused to wait for permission.

Most Impactful Content Collab: {THE AND}

We partnered with {THE AND}, a relationship card game and content platform known for intimate, therapy-style conversations. In the days leading up to the premiere, we filmed a raw, vulnerable conversation between Dan and Selina—essentially a live therapy session about their real relationship.

It was intense. It was honest. And it was completely on-brand. Since the film is a hyperbolic take on their own dynamic, this collaboration blurred the line between art and life, extending the film’s emotional core into the campaign.

Performance:

• YouTube (channel: 914K subs): 13K views, 89 comments

• Instagram: 2,160 likes, 64 comments, 379 shares

• TikTok: 59.5K views, 2,037 likes, 63 comments

The content sparked genuine engagement across all platforms and became one of the most emotionally resonant pieces of the campaign.

Audience Response

Once the film was out in the world, the audience became our loudest advocates.

• Trip giveaway winners posted nonstop, sharing beachside photos, gratitude for the film, and tagging our brand partners—turning a promo into a living, breathing travel diary.

• Fans posted ticket stubs, curated and on-theme unboxings, heartfelt voice notes, and emotional video reactions—they saw themselves in the film and wanted to tell the world.

• Viewer-posted reviews on how deeply the film resonated connected to our original intent as filmmakers to actually feel our audience directly.

Digital Ads & Performance

With Film Frog, we launched a modular paid ad campaign focused on performance and personality—executing targeted media buys that leveraged the organic viral momentum of our trailer. While the content itself was built in-house, Film Frog handled execution, optimization, and placement across platforms.

Feb 1–24 Performance:

• Meta: 3.09M impressions | 226K clicks | $0.13 CPC

• YouTube: 3.66M impressions | $0.02 CPV

• Trailer Views: 569K

• CTV: 618K impressions on NBC, HBO Max, CNN | 2,900 site visits

• Website: 135K unique visitors

THE RESULTS: TVOD, SVOD & DOWNSTREAM RIGHTS

The theatrical release was a massive lift for our small team—an all-hands-on-deck effort that demanded relentless coordination, creative problem-solving, and real-time execution. For a film that didn’t come through the traditional festival pipeline, the national theatrical release helped position You, Me & Her as a serious, conversation-worthy project. It gave the film a platform and a presence—on marquees, on social media, and in the minds of audiences and buyers alike.

That legitimacy allowed us to leverage the theatrical campaign into downstream opportunities. It also gave us the foundation (and rights retention) to expand our ecosystem—with a podcast, a bestselling book, and a roadmap we can now replicate and refine.

Here’s our breakdown of how the release didn’t end in theaters…

TVOD & AVOD

We’re launching our transactional (TVOD) and future ad-supported (AVOD) rollout through Bitmax, an aggregation service that allows us to retain full creative and financial control and get the film onto corporate commercial platforms directly by paying a fee.

• Platforms: Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, and FandangoGo

• Ownership model: We pay a service fee up front and keep 100% of our profits

• Total backend control: Full visibility into performance, audience data, and earnings

• Transparent analytics: Real-time reporting and platform-specific insights

• AVOD Opportunity: Eventual expansion into ad-supported streaming with a 90/10 revenue split in our favor

• Official TVOD Launch: April 24, 2025

We are also rolling out on Kinema, blending transactional viewing with community screening tools.

SVOD: Licensing to STARZ

Navigating an SVOD deal for a film like You, Me & Her in the current landscape was exceptionally challenging. Platform executives genuinely responded to the film—some attended screenings, tracked our campaign, and praised its originality and tone. But despite the enthusiasm, the response was often the same:

“We’re looking for genre pieces with bigger stars.” Or “We’re focused on in-house productions right now.”

It was a stark contrast to just a few years earlier, when our manager Doug Warner successfully sold Single Mother by Choice to HBO Max. At the time, there was a robust acquisitions department actively scouting for indie content. But by the time we brought You, Me & Her to market, that department—and many like it—had been “restructured.”

Still, we kept going. We finally found the right partner in STARZ, who licensed the film for their platform. The deal gave the project not only a high-profile streaming home, but a deeper sense of validation in an industry that so often sidelines films like ours.

It’s a critical piece of the larger puzzle for the film—as we support our downstream strategy, validate our campaign approach, and create long-tail opportunities across platforms. It’s not a financial home run, but it’s a foundational step—and one we’re actively tracking as we continue to grow the film’s ecosystem with:

• The Be The Train podcast

• A behind-the-scenes documentary

• Selina’s book, Be the Train: The Mindset and Tools You Need to Make Your Own Feature, which is on sale via Amazon and is a #1 Bestseller in its category

Timeline Recap

• December 2022 – Wrapped principal photography

• June 2023 – Finished post

• July 2023 – Premiered at Dances With Films

• Fall 2023 – Festival run + brand building

• October 2024 – Locked Attend partnership

• January 2025 – Shipped influencer boxes

• February 14, 2025 – Opened in 250+ theaters

• March 2025 – TVOD via Bitmax, Airlines Deals, International sales agent, and STARZ deal

• April 2025 – Press push + monetization ramp-up

CONCLUSION: JUST THE BEGINNING

This wasn’t only a film release. It was an experiment in disrupting some of the legacy systems.

We maximized exposure. We tested new systems. And we built real connections—with audiences, brands, and each other. It went further than any release we’ve ever done. We learned how much marketing is an essential part of the filmmaking process, deserving the same creative energy and strategic planning as development or production.

As entrepreneurs, this was a barometer for what to do next. But we’re still in the messy middle.

Today, the film is live on all major TVOD platforms. It’s streaming on STARZ later this summer. It’s flying around the world.

We’d love for you to watch the film, follow the journey, and reach out. We’re building something bigger than a movie. Since we’re building a model rooted in creativity and community, there’s room for more voices in this conversation. Let’s keep going—together.