Your Name: Karin Chien
Business Name: dGenerate Films, Inc., a distributor of contemporary independent film from China
Type of Business: Arts & Entertainment
Business Location: Brooklyn, New York, United States
Website www.dgeneratefilms.com
Twitter @dgeneratefilms
Facebook www.facebook.com/dgeneratefilms
Reason for starting
To distribute films about China, made in China, by Chinese filmmakers to Western audiences. Also to support the growth of independent, uncensored cinema in China.
How do you define success?
Building audiences for Chinese independent cinema, contributing to their revenue stream, and of course, keeping the business going!
Biggest Success
Our most recent success is forming a partnership with acclaimed distributor Icarus Films to broaden our company’s reach.
What is your top challenge and how have you addressed it?
All of the partners work on the company in our “off” time, meaning weekends and any other time we steal from our primary occupations and families! So making sure the day-to-day operations ran smoothly was a daily struggle. We tried various approaches, but in the end, we decided to sub-license the “back office” operations to a more established distribution company, which allows the partners to focus on things we’re best at: acquiring films in China, building relationships with Chinese filmmakers, and branding our company.
Who is your most important role model?
My sister. She handles the toughest situations with incredible grace and compassion.