Film Distribution in Detroit, Michigan

Who this page is for

You finished your movie in Detroit and you are deciding who to trust with it. This page explains what Mann Robinson Distribution does with a finished independent film, what the terms are, and how to submit.

What does Mann Robinson Distribution do for a Detroit filmmaker?

We place finished independent films and series with major streaming platforms and networks, including Tubi, and we report the money back to you. Mann Robinson Distribution is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with presence in Detroit and Los Angeles, so filmmakers working in Michigan deal with a company that keeps people in the region.

We distribute features, documentaries, series and TV shows (including sitcoms and reality series), shorts, and vertical microdramas. We carry the platform relationships, the deliverable specifications and the metadata each service requires, and we submit your title into those platforms on your behalf.

How does the process work?

Typical time from upload to going live is about 90 days. The path from a finished file to a title on a platform looks like this:

• You submit your film for review with your logline, runtime, genre and completion status.
• We review the title and, if it fits, send an acceptance letter with the terms in writing.
• You sign, then upload your master, trailer, captions, key art and metadata through the filmmaker portal.
• We run quality control on the deliverables, correct what needs correcting, and prepare the platform packages.
• We deliver to platforms, confirm the go live date, and your title appears for viewers.
• You track performance in the portal and are paid quarterly.

What are the terms?

Our distribution fee is 20 percent of gross. The terms we work under are stated plainly before you sign:

• You keep ownership of your film. We license, we do not buy your copyright.
• The agreement is a 2 year term that renews yearly, with the start date set in writing before you sign.
• Reporting runs for the length of the term, broken out per platform in your filmmaker portal.
• Payments are made quarterly by ACH, about 90 days after each quarter closes.

How do filmmakers actually get paid?

On ad supported platforms, earnings are calculated as impressions multiplied by CPM, not as a flat rate per view. That means your revenue depends on how many ad impressions your title generates and what those impressions are worth on each platform. We report both figures to you, so you can see how each one contributes to what you earn.

What does the filmmaker portal show you?

Every filmmaker we sign gets a portal account with reporting broken out per platform. You can see impressions, CPM and earnings for each platform carrying your title, along with your statements. You can check how your film is performing whenever you want to.

Why Detroit filmmakers work with a distributor

Detroit is one of the three cities Mann Robinson Distribution keeps a presence in, alongside Atlanta and Los Angeles. Distribution is the stage that starts once the film is finished, and it is separate work from producing. A completed film still has to be packaged to each platform's specification, delivered, published on a confirmed date, and then tracked once it is live. Platform relationships, quality control, deliverable specifications, metadata and revenue reporting are the work we do.

Submit your film

If your film is finished, submit it at mannrobinsondistribution.com/submit. Tell us the title, the runtime, the genre and where the film has played so far. For questions, you can reach us at distribution@mannrobinsonstudios.com.