Building your producer email list

Build a targeted, high-quality producer contact list for cold outreach on a specific script. Expected outcome: 400+ vetted contacts over a two-week sprint at ~30/day.

1. 01

   Prerequisites

   • IMDb Pro account (a 1-month trial covers a sprint) — required to see producer contact info.
   • The contact list template, where every contact gets logged.
   • A daily target you hold: 25–50 names/day. 30/day × 14 days ≈ 420 contacts.
   • Baseline cold email response is ~1%; strong subject lines, targeting and follow-ups can reach ~4%.
2. 02

   Define your search filters

   • IMDb Pro → Titles → Released Movies (left sidebar).
   • Genre: match your script. Country: e.g. United States unless targeting another market.
   • Release date: last ~3 years to present, so producers are currently active.
   • Budget range: match your project (e.g. $5M–$25M for low-budget indie). MPAA rating: match your script.
   • Save Filters and name the search so you can return to it.
3. 03

   Mine each film for producers

   • Open the film's IMDb Pro page and expand the Filmmakers section.
   • Scroll to Producers. Skip line producers — they can't greenlight or champion your script.
   • Middle-click every remaining producer into its own tab before processing anyone, so you don't lose your place.
4. 04

   Qualify each contact

   • Direct personal email → capture, highest priority.
   • Company email with no gatekeeper listed → capture, better than nothing.
   • Representation / agent / manager listed → skip. No gatekeepers.
   • No contact info, or based outside your target country → skip.
   • Only phone / website → optional: call or inquire, otherwise move on.
5. 05

   Log each contact

   • Name, email (prefer personal over company), phone and IMDb link if visible.
   • Genre of the film you found them through.
   • Film title in ALL CAPS — this formatting matters for the later outreach step.
   • A one-line personal note: a scene, a character, a shared connection. Used to personalize the cold email.
6. 06

   Rinse and repeat

   • Close the film tab, open the next film from your saved filter results, repeat steps 3–5.
   • Continue until you hit your daily target, every day for two weeks.