With distribution channels fragmenting more than ever, Cairns Crocodiles, presented by Pinterest is putting the spotlight on one of the industry’s biggest tensions: instinct versus data and who really decides what becomes a hit.
On Wednesday 13 May, the new Film & Screen Track will host the ‘Distribution and Devotion’ panel. It will bring together senior director of content at HBO Max Australia & NZ John Beohm, writer-director-producer Caden Pearson, RUSH Films producer Cody Greenwood, and tourism expert and founder and CEO of Julie King & Associates, Julie King, to unpack how content cuts through in an increasingly fragmented, algorithm-driven landscape.
At the centre of the conversation is Heated Rivalry, a show that didn’t rely on blockbuster marketing spend but instead built momentum through emotional resonance and audience discovery. It was picked up by HBO after Beohm spotted its potential on a smaller platform and has since become a case study in how powerful storytelling can travel, scale and find its audience.
But this session goes beyond a single success story. It interrogates how audiences behave today, how platforms surface content, and how creators, commissioners and marketers can better understand what people actually want. In a world shaped by algorithms and infinite choice, the challenge is no longer reach, it is relevance.
Producer Cody Greenwood will also be talking about her fabulous film, Birthright, due out in cinemas immediately after Cairns Crocodiles.
As Catherine de Clare, co-curator of the Film & Screen Track and editorial director of Irresistible Magazine, puts it: “Great content doesn’t just reach people anymore, it moves them,” she said.
“What we’re seeing now is devotion over distribution. When something resonates, audiences don’t just watch, they follow, share and build communities around it.”
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The session will also explore the growing influence of the creator economy, where individuals can build loyal audiences faster than traditional studios, alongside the rise of screen tourism, where emotionally engaged fans turn content into real-world journeys, driving visitation, spend and long-term impact, which can loop right back round to funding opportunities.
“At a time when the rules of distribution are being rewritten in real time, this is a conversation that cuts to the heart of how stories succeed today, and what it takes to make them last,” de Clare added.
Have you seen the full Film & Screen agenda? See more here.
If you work in the film industry, email [email protected] for a VIP discount code.
