UTA Indie Sales Head Rena Ronson Dishes on Decades of Market Disruption, How AI Can Benefit New Voices and Her Sacred Cannes Tradition

Tracking the movements and insights of film sales agents – especially in the indie market – is about as inside baseball as it gets in Hollywood. They are hardline negotiators, wining and dining, cajoling and haggling to get filmmakers and producers the best deal possible. 
 
Those agents also happen to be some of the most press-averse figures in the industry (it’s always about the client). But Variety managed to pin down Rena Ronson, who has led UTA’s premium indie sales outfit for almost two decades, for an expansive chat as she launches multiple titles at the Marche du Film – including Jordan Firstman’s “Club Kid,” the confessional Bruce Dern doc “Dernise,” Asghar Farhadi’s “Parallel Tales” and the Seth Rogen-backed animated film “Tangles.”

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Here she discusses a wild few decades in selling movies, gender equity in show business and a wave of entrepreneurial filmmakers taking control.

How did you get your start?

I went to grad school thinking I’d be a bilingual educator. In one of my classes, I did a research report on a program in Mexico that taught agricultural skills to rural farmers on a video monitor.  That was my “Wow” moment over the power of media. From there on, I combined my degree with media studies and that led to an internship at Nickelodeon. I worked in acquisitions, which was a dream because education entertainment is so rewarding. It made me rethink my whole path. I wound up at Lakeshore Entertainment in international sales, learning how content travels – and seeing the world was another selling point.

I spent 11 years in that field, and it gave me a strong foundation and a global perspective. I cam to realize that one part of the industry I did not understand was the agency business. That’s where it all starts – with the written word, IP, scripts and stories. That felt essential to me. So I went to William Morris and then UTA, where I’ve been for almost 17 years. What we do here is very producorial by nature. We’re working side-by-side with the filmmaking teams. We identify the packages, we work with the international teams to analyze budgets and source independent financing opportunities. Those come through international pre-sales, tax rebates, regional funds, equity. I get to do all the things I love, both left and right brain.

What was your first ever sale?

It was from the Time Life animated library. “Animal Kingdom,” maybe. It felt incredible.

What are the most seismic shifts in the indie sales market you’ve observed over your career?

When I started in the early 90s, it was a very different business. It was U.S.-centric. Home video was unstable but a huge growth area, especially for international. Cable was huge. We could do massive output deals and bundle films together, which you very rarely do today. We could sell a film based on a poster, because the market was extremely relationship oriented. It’s different now, and challenged, but I’ve seen this before. Home video went away and now we have streaming, but the opportunities are still exciting. Today, I view the market as pre or post COVID. We’ve all learned how to become globally minded. There’s such a larger awareness in the audience of how films are put together, as are the filmmakers we work with, so we remain focused on the larger audience. Domestic sales are less reliable in our film finance models. We adapt.

What types of projects are sure things?

In the independent space, we know the genres that work. Elevated horror, prestige projects, action. It’s easier than most dramatic films, but it doesn’t mean we should stop making them. We don’t look to fit molds, but we focus harder on story, budget, the package and international appeal. You can still make films for a specific audience, but that audience can be smaller and it doesn’t have to be a massive commercial success – as long as you know who you’re making that film for, and you attract them. In the beginning of streaming, it was an amazing time because they needed pipelines. Now they’re producing and creating for themselves.

One thing that’s abundantly clear, post-COVID, is that these deals take so much longer to close.

That’s observable fact. I joked to someone recently, maybe it’s taking longer because the veterans in the business are older and like our sleep, so no more overnight bidding wars. The reality is, many more indie films are getting made without front-loaded distribution deals. If you’re a buyer, you’ve got to watch all of them. That’s a lot of models to run – on finance, audience, etc. Our job is often to help show distributors a path to that – including post-sale insights like how these movies can be marketed. This sector is also becoming so entrepreneurial, which is inspiring. Look at the launch of films like our client Markiplier’s “Iron Lung.”

What do you make of the crop of new or revamped theatrical distributors popping up?

More distributors is only a good thing, it creates more opportunity and strengthens our marketplace. We’re really excited about what’s happening at places like Black Bear. We have high hopes, and we want them all to be successful.

You’ve been a woman leader at the top of her field for almost two decades. The talent agencies have always been a bit better about gender equity compared to larger Hollywood. What has your experience been?

I was raised by two educators. My brother and I were raised to be equals, and I’ve always felt that I had the opportunity to do whatever I wanted. Starting in international sales was a great place to be a woman. While I did see the old school patterns [in Hollywood], I don’t think I’ve ever faced unfairness. I will say, UTA unquestionably supports women – the skills they bring to the table as equals. They respect everyone as individuals. I have a great group of women on my team, too, and I am heartened to look out across the industry and see the other agencies sales groups are also led by women.

How are you thinking about AI, in terms of how films will be made and distributed?

Well, it seems we can’t ignore it. The question is, how do we get ahead of it and use it to our advantage? The immediate reaction is to say, “We’re replacing humans,” There is absolutely no substitute for human talent. There’s no replacing a filmmakers perspective or authorship. For indie films, it’s a question of figuring out ways to help us lower budgets – which impacts whether a film is made or not.

There’s a world where that actually helps reduce pressure and expectations on the filmmakers, which is often the challenge with indies.

Yes, helping right-size budgets or assist in postproduction and VFX. We’re testing something right now, working on creating smoke for a fire scene instead of [practical effects].

What are your Cannes traditions?

We spend our first night at [the lush, cave-like fine dining experience] Le Maschou and we talk about our films. We’ve got four in the market this year. One in the official selection, one in Cannes Classics, one in Un Certain Regard and one Special Presentations. It’s a very exciting year for us.

What are your Cannes traditions?

We spend our first night at [the lush, cave-like fine dining experience] Le Maschou and we talk about our films. We’ve got four in the market this year. It’s a very exciting year for us.