Elevating Diverse Voices in a Volatile Film Distribution Landscape

Nikki Stier Justice, Head of Distribution for Buffalo 8 and Independent Producer 
Monday, April 17, 2023, 5:30 PM EST
via YouTube Live

Co-hosted by Associate Professor Clarissa Ceglio and DMD students Tariq Rakha,  Palmer Anderson,  and John Hitchiner

Watch the Recording of the Event:

The independent film market is facing unprecedented challenges due to oversaturation and changing post-pandemic buying habits. Despite these obstacles, there is a unique opportunity for elevating diverse voices in film, as the demand for on-screen diversity and the commercial viability of those titles has aligned.

About the Speaker: 

Nikki Stier Justice is an independent producer and seasoned entertainment executive with a background in film production and distribution. She is currently the Head of Distribution for Buffalo 8 and an Adjunct Instructor at UCONN in the Digital Media & Design department.

Justice started her career at 20th Century Fox working in feature film development/production on projects including The Maze Runner and Ford v. Ferrari. In 2014, she moved to start-up production company Good Deed Entertainment (GDE), where she helped grow the company into a multi-million dollar studio. As Chief Operating Officer she oversaw development, financing, production, distribution, corporate branding and marketing on a slate of 7-10 releases a year. 

She has produced multiple projects including latino thriller, Coyote Lake, starring Camila Mendes and Adriana Barraza, as well as horror anthology Nightmare Cinema from acclaimed directors Joe Dante, David Slade, Mick Garris, Ryuhei Kitamura and Alejandro Brugues. In 2017 she helped launch the distribution arm of GDE by bringing in the Oscar® nominated Van Gogh biopic, Loving Vincent. She has overseen the release of over 100 films including All Nighter, Extra Ordinary, Journey’s End, Tell It to the Bees, Lucky Grandma, To Dust, For Walter and Josiah and This Changes Everything. 

As a producer, distributor and instructor, Justice’s focus is on films from diverse voices that are designed to transform viewer opinions, influence change and successfully recoup production costs.

As a producer, distributor and instructor, Ms. Justice’s focus is on films from diverse voices that are designed to transform viewer opinions, influence change and successfully recoup production costs.

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