Peeping Todd director Josh Munds discusses revealing the perverse musical for everyone's viewing.

      Josh Munds is the director of Peeping Todd, a darkly comedic new musical centered around a peeping Tom (Chris Alan Evans) fixated on a young woman (Mabel Thomas). In the following piece, he shares insights on how the film connected with its audience and bypassed the conventional distribution model.

      “How come he don’t want me, man?”

      When Will Smith’s character in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air said this about his father, it struck a chord with my young heart. It remains one of the most poignant moments in television. Even as a child, I grasped the longing for belonging and acceptance. Fast forward to today at the age of 26 (don’t check that), and that line resonates with me more than ever.

      Not because my father abandoned me… no, it’s far worse. It’s because major distribution companies didn’t want my film, Peeping Todd—a dark comedy musical about a peeping Tom named Todd who is obsessed with Claire, a woman unaware of his existence. A perfectly normal, family-friendly concept, right? What’s not to enjoy?

      You might think, “This whole Fresh Prince/dad abandonment analogy is a poor comparison.” Well, you’re mistaken, and I’ll explain why. You are your father's child, but when you create a film, that film becomes your child. Your baby… complete with messy diapers.

      So when numerous distribution companies keep saying no, it feels like your dad leaving after an enjoyable day with ice cream… only to return long enough to give you a kick in the face and remind you that he’s still leaving.

      I say this jokingly, but the sting of rejection can be real. Fortunately, even before filming Peeping Todd, we anticipated that we might need to self-distribute. If you’ve watched the film, you might understand why. While planning, we envisioned the worst-case scenario. So when the day arrived and many distributors declined, it didn’t feel like a sudden setback. It was more akin to an awkward magic carpet ride without the magic.

      (L-R) Peeping Todd cinematographer Alexander Jeffery and director Josh Munds with Thomas.

      It reminds me of Tommy Boy, where Chris Farley’s character, Tommy, wants to order chicken wings at a restaurant, only to find the kitchen closed. He boldly asks for wings, risking rejection because he knows he has pizza in the car. This is us enjoying our trunk pizza.

      Did we successfully cut out the dreaded middleman distributor?

      Absolutely… not. We had positive discussions with several distributors. Once they deemed Peeping Todd not a fit, they often referred us to another company that might be interested—like a less exciting game of hot potato. Or worse, hacky sack. However, these conversations ultimately steered us in the right direction. They also led to a realization:

      If we opt for a distributor, it must be someone who understands this film. The right partner. Unfortunately, both PureFlix and Christian Mingle turned us down immediately, so we aligned with a more secular, sin-adjacent company. (Fingers crossed, I can still snag Kirk Cameron for the Peeping Todd sequel.)

      On the topic of sin-adjacent: Once FilmQuest, a genre festival in Provo, Utah, accepted our film, we felt we had found the perfect home for Peeping Todd. And we were spot on. The film performed exceptionally well there. It was precisely the audience we had been seeking.

      FilmQuest significantly shifted our outreach. Instead of us reaching out, people began to contact us. We felt like Pedro Pascal with an adorable dog in Central Park... just irresistibly charming. In fact, a French company that had distributed the indie hit Hundreds of Beavers in that market requested a screener of our film and eventually became our first partner. I’ve always believed the French were my type of people. They appreciate bread. A match made in heaven.

      Another advantage from FilmQuest was a connection with ScreamBox, a genre-focused streaming platform with an audience that loves these types of late-night films. We licensed our streaming rights to them for an exclusive period. (Subscribe now to catch our film when it’s released soon.)

      Chris Alan Evans plays the titular role in Peeping Todd and co-wrote the film.

      Peeping Todd has always been about us betting on ourselves and maintaining the film's marketing and messaging. At least, that's what we tell ourselves. The reality is, it took many rejections to secure the few yeses that truly made a difference. We never employed a sales agent; we simply knocked on every door ourselves.

      What types of films should you create to ensure distribution?

      The truth is, it’s tough for everyone these days. The major "indie" festivals are increasingly favoring celebrity-driven projects. Distributors are struggling, and films that would have garnered significant minimum guarantees in the past are now only getting revenue-sharing or back-end deals. Put simply, you