How one film distributor built trust and scaled by giving 1,000+ filmmakers instant access to their performance data.
Colin LaViola is the founder of 7 Palms Entertainment, a film distribution company based in Columbus, Ohio. With over nine years in the industry, Colin and his team work with more than 1,000 filmmakers to distribute short films, features, and TV series on an international scale.
The film distribution industry has long struggled with transparency. For 7 Palms, that meant clients were often left in the dark, waiting months for static PDF royalty reports. Without a real-time view into licensing, revenue, and expenses, filmmakers grew frustrated and anxious about their films’ progress.
“If you didn’t know what was going on for six or 12 months, you’d start to think, ‘Is nothing happening?’ That was the issue we were facing.”
As a small team, 7 Palms also struggled to keep up with the volume of inquiries. Responding to dozens of filmmakers each month asking for updates was time-consuming and unsustainable.
The search for a solution was driven by necessity. Colin and his team explored various platforms, ultimately choosing Databox for its affordability, ease of use, and ability to integrate directly into their existing client portal built with Copilot.
“We looked at building a portal from scratch, but Databox offered a smarter, more economical option that did exactly what we needed.”
The implementation came with a typical learning curve, especially with managing large volumes of data and configuring Google Sheets integrations. But once the setup was complete, Databox fit seamlessly into their workflow.
“The design features were good and it was easy to adapt. The most difficult part was connecting all the data properly, given we work with over 1,000 filmmakers.”
With Databox, 7 Palms transformed their approach to client communication:
“We’ve heard from our filmmakers that they truly appreciate the transparency and communication. In our industry, that’s a big deal.”
The automated dashboards not only improved client satisfaction but also helped differentiate 7 Palms in a competitive industry.
“If you’re considering Databox, know that it’s going to make your life a whole lot easier. Whether it’s for client-facing metrics or internal use, once you commit, your business is going to run smoother.”