Mark Duplass On Making “Better Deal” Than Streamers Offer For Indie TV

As the streaming landscape continues to drastically change, Mark Duplass is investing in himself and advises other creators to do the same.

The Golden Globe nominee recently detailed how he and brother Jay Duplass are approaching indie television production now that the streamers’ system of financing is “not working as well” as it was five years ago.

“I’m hoping we can build a real ecosystem of indie television the way that, from the late ’90s through today — even though it’s not as healthy anymore — there is a true indie-film ecosystem,” Duplass told Vulture. “TV festivals like SeriesFest in Denver or ATX Fest in Austin can become marketplaces that executives are forced to go to because, if they don’t get in there to buy that show in the room, they’re going to miss out.”

He added, “I truly believe there’s a confluence of interests here, if we can create all the things that worked for us in the ’90s. The streamers need awards. They have to spend less on shows. My whole business model has been based on: ‘Companies normally pay X for things. They’re thrilled that Duplass Brothers can deliver it to them for 0.5x. I can make it for 0.25x and everybody wins.’”

Duplass said the Cassavetes model of acting in hits like The Morning Show and Good American Family in order to self-finance his own work has “traditionally worked well for us” in the past.

“But we’re in the hardest moment of self-financing and trying to get your money back. We’re at a crossroads,” he explained, noting that he has to question whether he “can self-distribute for a better deal” than the streamers are offering.

Taking a “hybrid” approach to self-distribution and licensing with his recent shows like Penelope, The Creep Tapes and The Long Long Night, Duplass explained, “The more titles we own, the more those become greater than the sum of their parts.”

“I don’t feel comfortable advocating for a lot in the independent creative community right now — it’s really tough out there — but I do believe that, in the long run, if you can find ways to not lose too much money and keep cranking out a bank of titles, you’ll probably make a few things that you can license out in retirement through the years,” he added.

Duplass continued, “Let me put it this way: Five years ago was an easier time, for sure, but I was completely dependent on the existing ecosystem of the streamers. It was fine because it was working. Now that it’s not working as well, I’ve been forced to open up this road that could be an unbelievable road for us if we get it right. If I can put a dollar into making independent TV the way I want to make it, with no creative boundaries, and if I can get a dollar and 25 cents back no matter what happens through whatever new distribution model emerges, that will be better than any place I’ve been in this industry.”

Duplass Brothers Productions has retained ownership and international licensing rights to its YA series Penelope, which it has licensed to Netflix for US streaming rights and Fremantle for global. In another licensing deal, The Creep Tapes is available to stream on Shudder. For their latest series, The Long Long Night, the production company has opted to self-distribute through Kinema and Seed&Spark.