Besides things like outreach screenings (and your wrap party!), there are some other more formal channels for showing your work. The two main ones are festivals and broadcast outlets. This section explains a bit about how they work, and how to see if a particular festival or channel is right for your piece.

Festivals

So, you may have heard of these things called film festivals. Some of the most famous ones are Sundance in Utah and Cannes in France. These high-profile festivals are huge events and feature innovative feature-length narrative and documentary films as well as some shorts. You may be intimidated by the rigid guidelines, high submission costs and fierce competition involved in these more high-profile festivals. If this is the case, then you will be happy to know that for every Sundance, there are hundreds of important and prestigious film festivals around the world and there is probably at least one that would love to feature your work. Things to keep in mind about festivals:

- Festivals are great exposure and may help you to self-distribute your movie or to find a distributor.
- You can list your festival appearances in your promotional materials.
- Festivals are great places to meet with audiences, get feedback and have discussion about the issues addressed in your movie. You can turn your festival showing into an outreach screening!
- Festivals are amazing places to network. You can meet other filmmakers who are doing similar work, as well as potential mentors and other helpful people.
- Festivals usually get press coverage, which can mean press coverage for you and your movie.

More at YMDi.org:
Festival Basics
How to figure out which festivals are right for you

Tips for getting your work on the air

Figure out who wants what. Some channels simply care about filling their airtime, but others want edgy material that will improve their brand image, win awards, and get press. Of course everybody cares about ratings -- but some stations are not driven by the number of eyeballs they attract. Public Access stations, for example, have a mission to serve the public and do not collect ratings information.

Our advice is to think local. Local TV, cable, and radio stations are good launching pads for young producers who want to get their work on the air. Your best bet is to check out your local Public Access station. If you're working with an after-school program or an institution, the organization may already have a show on Public Access that has airtime for youth media. If not, many Public Access stations offer local viewers training and opportunities to use their equipment to produce their own shows.

If you have a tape or PSA you really really think is good, try to get it to the attention of the station manager at your local PBS station (or public radio station, if you've made a radio piece). But first make sure your work meets broadcast standards.

As for getting your work on a national TV or cable show, the news is less encouraging. It's tough for independent producers of any age to get their program on broadcast television -- that is, one of the big national networks like CBS, ABC, or NBC or one of their local affiliates. Getting a short public service announcement, or PSA, on the air may be a little easier but is still a challenge.

More at YMDi.org:
Broadcast Standards
Broadcast Contracts
List of Broadcasters