Indie Rights

Indie Rights, Inc. is an American independent-film distribution company based in Los Angeles, California, and a subsidiary of Nelson Madison Films. The company was incorporated in 2007 by Linda Nelson and Michael Madison after the pair had spent several years producing films and exploring the practical difficulties faced by independent filmmakers. Its business was developed around a simple premise: filmmakers needed a distribution organization that understood production constraints, explained release options clearly, and could place individual films on a broad range of digital platforms rather than relying only on traditional theatrical or catalog-driven deals. The company grew out of an online community created by Nelson and Madison. Before Indie Rights became a formal corporation, they operated a private MySpace group known as Indie Co-op, where independent filmmakers exchanged information about self-distribution, film festivals, audience development, and changing digital-release practices. The group reflected the founders' view that many emerging filmmakers lacked access to reliable distribution guidance and that conventional distributors were not always sufficiently transparent about how films were marketed, licensed, and accounted for. Incorporation gave the founders a legal entity through which distribution agreements could be executed on behalf of other filmmakers. Indie Rights primarily distributes independent films through video-on-demand and digital entertainment services. Reference material identifies platforms including Amazon Video, Google Play, Hulu, and iTunes, as well as searchable rental availability through YouTube and video-game consoles. The company has also pursued theatrical windows when appropriate, including releases such as We Are Kings and Fray in 2014. In 2014, it became the first independent studio carried by M-GO, a subscription-backed home-viewing service supported by six major studios. In 2016, Indie Rights launched a subscription channel through services including Roku. The company's catalog has included documentaries, dramas, thrillers, science-fiction films, comedies, horror titles, and festival-oriented independent features. By early 2018, the catalog was reported to contain more than 450 films. The company has also handled titles that received festival recognition or attention from specialized audiences, including Druid Peak, Delivered, Fray, Butterfly Crush, American Songwriter, Transatlantic Coffee, and Purdah. Its distribution model has allowed filmmakers whose work did not secure placement at major festivals to pursue smaller theatrical engagements followed by digital distribution. The 2015 experience of Where We Started, which moved from a short theatrical run at Arena Cinema Hollywood to digital platforms after receiving favorable reviews, illustrates this route. Indie Rights remains closely associated with the production activities of Nelson Madison Films. The parent company produced Bigger Than Live in 2002, Shifted in 2006, and Delivered in 2011. The founders' combined experience in acting, writing, producing, directing, technology, finance, and release planning shaped the company's identity as both a filmmaker-led distributor and a production enterprise. The business has participated in industry organizations including the Independent Online Distribution Alliance and the Independent Film & Television Alliance, and Nelson and Madison have conducted seminars for filmmakers seeking to build audiences through social networking and digital distribution. Financial performance, current ownership details, and the company's present operating scale are not established in the supplied sources.

Indie Rights developed from the collaboration of Linda Nelson and Michael Madison, whose professional backgrounds combined finance, computer systems, acting, film production, writing, directing, and distribution planning. Nelson had been based in Los Angeles since 1980, while Madison moved there from Duncanville, Texas, in 1999 to work in the entertainment industry. They first partnered in 2000 on Bigger Than Live, an NSYNC concert film intended for IMAX exhibition. Although the film reached a theatrical run and broke even, the filmmakers later lost home-video distribution rights after a lawsuit exposed deficiencies in their original rights arrangements. The dispute also forced the closure of their production office and became a formative lesson in the legal and commercial risks of independent production. The founders regrouped and pursued Shifted, a crime thriller released in 2006. While working on the film and attending festivals, they gained direct experience with the difficulties of reaching audiences without established industry connections. Nelson concluded that major festivals such as Sundance and Cannes were difficult to access for filmmakers lacking those relationships. In response, Nelson and Madison created a private MySpace community called Indie Co-op. The group provided practical information about self-distribution, smaller festivals, social networking, and audience development. It also reflected their criticism that distributors did not always provide sufficiently clear accountability systems and often preferred acquiring broader catalogs rather than evaluating individual films on their own terms. Because the community needed a formal entity capable of signing enforceable distribution agreements, Indie Rights was incorporated in 2007. The founders positioned the company as a distributor with firsthand knowledge of production rather than as a purely external licensing operation. Indie Rights concentrated on video-on-demand and other digital channels, building relationships with services such as Amazon Video, Google Play, Hulu, and iTunes. It also pursued rentals through YouTube and video-game consoles, helping independent films reach audiences without depending entirely on conventional theatrical bookings or physical home-video distribution. The company gradually expanded beyond straightforward digital placement. It oversaw theatrical releases including 9 Full Moons, We Are Kings, and Fray, and in 2014 became the first independent studio included on M-GO, a subscription service backed by six major studios. Indie Rights used short theatrical engagements and festival exposure as potential launch points for later digital releases. Where We Started, for example, received a limited run at Arena Cinema Hollywood in 2015 before moving to digital platforms after favorable reviews. This approach offered filmmakers a path to market even when their films did not enter the principal festival circuit. Indie Rights also remained connected to production through Nelson Madison Films. The production company made Bigger Than Live, Shifted, and Delivered, with Delivered using Red Digital Cinema cameras and Adobe CS5 software as budget limitations encouraged a tapeless workflow. The company and its founders continued to support filmmaker education through seminars on social-media audience building and digital release planning. Indie Rights joined the Independent Online Distribution Alliance in 2008 and participates in the wider independent-film trade through membership in the Independent Film & Television Alliance. In 2016 it launched a subscription channel available through platforms including Roku. By early 2018, the distributor's catalog was reported to exceed 450 films. The catalog included documentaries, dramas, thrillers, horror films, science-fiction titles, comedies, and festival-recognized features. The supplied reference material also identifies later catalog titles such as Unconformity, Bluff, Goodbye, Petrushka, and Move Me No Mountain. Publicly available information in the supplied material does not establish current leadership beyond the founders, ownership changes, financial results, or the company's present catalog size.

• 2018

  Catalog exceeded 450 films

  [1]Indie Rightsen.wikipedia.org

  Reference material reported that Indie Rights had distributed more than 450 films by early 2018.

• 2016

  Launched a subscription channel

  [1]Indie Rightsen.wikipedia.org

  Indie Rights introduced a branded subscription channel through services including Roku.

• 2014

  Expanded theatrical activity and entered M-GO

  [1]Indie Rightsen.wikipedia.org

  The company handled theatrical releases including We Are Kings and Fray and entered the M-GO home-viewing service.

• 2011

  Delivered was released

  [1]Indie Rightsen.wikipedia.org

  Delivered became a later Nelson Madison Films production and used Red Digital Cinema cameras and Adobe CS5 software.

• 2008

  Joined the Independent Online Distribution Alliance

  [1]Indie Rightsen.wikipedia.org

  Indie Rights joined an industry network focused on online film distribution.

• 2007

  Indie Rights was incorporated

  [1]Indie Rightsen.wikipedia.org

  The founders incorporated Indie Rights to execute distribution contracts for independent filmmakers.

• 2006

  Shifted was released

  [1]Indie Rightsen.wikipedia.org

  Shifted became the company's first production and helped the founders develop practical distribution experience.

• 2003

  Nelson Madison Films was formed

  [1]Indie Rightsen.wikipedia.org

  Nelson and Madison established their own company to make independent feature films using local talent.

• 2000

  Founders began collaborating on Bigger Than Live

  [1]Indie Rightsen.wikipedia.org

  Linda Nelson and Michael Madison partnered on the NSYNC concert film Bigger Than Live for IMAX theaters.

A filmmaker-led independent-film distributor that combines production experience with digital, video-on-demand, limited theatrical, and subscription-channel release services.

• Film production · 2002

  Bigger Than Live

  An NSYNC concert film produced for IMAX exhibition and the first major collaboration between Linda Nelson and Michael Madison. Its theatrical run reportedly broke even, but a later rights dispute prevented the planned home-video distribution and became an important lesson for the founders in rights clearance and contract structure.

• Independent feature film · 2006

  Shifted

  A crime thriller and the first production associated with Nelson Madison Films. The film featured Jeris Poindexter, Jill Wagner, and Vanessa Johansson. Its production and festival activity helped Nelson and Madison understand the commercial, legal, and promotional work required to bring an independently made feature to audiences.

• Independent feature film · 2011

  Delivered

  A crime thriller produced by Nelson Madison Films and directed by Michael Madison, who also played the lead role. It was produced during a transition toward tapeless, lower-cost workflows, using Red Digital Cinema cameras and Adobe CS5 production software. The film received recognition at the WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival, including an award for supporting actress and a special jury award.

• Film distribution service · 2007

  Indie Rights digital distribution

  The company's core service places independently produced films on video-on-demand and digital platforms. The reference material identifies Amazon Video, Google Play, Hulu, iTunes, YouTube, and video-game consoles among the distribution outlets used. Indie Rights also supports release sequencing that may combine festivals, limited theatrical engagements, digital rentals, and subscription availability.

• Subscription film channel · 2016

  Indie Rights subscription channel

  A branded subscription offering introduced through services including Roku. The channel extended Indie Rights' role beyond individual digital transactions by presenting a curated selection of independent films through a recurring-access model.

• 2015Where We Started release pathway

  United States

  After the film did not reach the major festival circuit, Indie Rights supported a short Arena Cinema Hollywood run followed by digital-platform distribution.

  Outcome. Favorable reviews from the theatrical engagement helped support the film's transition to digital release.

  Source
• 2014Independent-film theatrical and digital window strategy

  United States

  Indie Rights combined limited theatrical releases with later digital availability for selected films, including We Are Kings and Fray.

  Outcome. The approach broadened the company's release toolkit beyond direct video-on-demand placement.

  Source
• 2007Indie Co-op filmmaker community

  United States · Online

  Before and around the incorporation of Indie Rights, Nelson and Madison used a private MySpace group to share guidance on self-distribution, festivals, social networking, and independent-film audience building.

  Outcome. The community provided the conceptual and practical foundation for creating a formal distribution company.

  Source

• 2016

  Launched a branded subscription channelProduct launch

  Background

  The growth of platform-based film subscriptions created another route for packaging and monetizing independent titles.

  Action taken

  Indie Rights launched its own subscription channel through services including Roku.

  Aftermath

  The offering extended the brand into recurring-access film programming, although the supplied material does not provide subscriber or revenue figures.

  Source

• 2014

  Expanded into theatrical and subscription-supported distributionStrategy

  Background

  Although its principal business was video-on-demand distribution, the company sought additional ways to expose independent films to audiences.

  Action taken

  Indie Rights handled selected theatrical releases and entered M-GO as an independent studio.

  Aftermath

  The company gained a broader release model combining theatrical exposure with home-viewing services.

  Source

• 2010

  Adopted a tapeless production workflowStrategy

  Background

  Budget limitations in independent filmmaking encouraged the company to reduce production costs and simplify post-production.

  Action taken

  For Delivered, the company used Red Digital Cinema cameras and Adobe CS5 production software.

  Aftermath

  The production demonstrated the company's adaptation to lower-cost digital filmmaking tools.

  Source

• 2007

  Created a formal distributor for independent filmmakersStrategy

  Background

  The founders' online filmmaker community needed a legal organization capable of entering enforceable distribution agreements.

  Action taken

  Nelson and Madison incorporated Indie Rights and began distributing films made by other independent filmmakers.

  Aftermath

  The company became the distribution arm associated with Nelson Madison Films and developed a primarily digital release model.

  Source

1. 1Indie Rightsen.wikipedia.org
2. 2The Insider's Guide to Independent Film Distributionbooks.google.com