Ryan Harrington of A&E Indie Films joins the Doc Blog industry survey. A&E Indie Films, a branch of the cable TV channel, has gotten behind critically-acclaimed theatrical docs such as Murderball, Jesus Camp, and My Kid Could Paint That (playing in Real to Reel). Here's Ryan in an Indiewire photo with his colleague Molly Thompson (middle) and Docurama's Liz Ogilvie.

Q: What changes do you see in the documentary marketplace?

HARRINGTON: This is a very important time for making and selling docs and I'm excited to be a part of it. The past couple of years have signaled a shift and change within the marketplace - filmmakers have cheaper digital options, as do cable and broadcasters - but the sad reality is that theatrical business seems to be shrinking as the number of nonfiction films and audiences for them increases. On the flip side there are more avenues than ever for non-theatrical distribution.

Q: What advice can you give doc makers on navigating distribution?

HARRINGTON: Educating yourself on distribution should be a constant since it is changing so rapidly. Pay attention to blogs like this and others like it! Take advantage of panels and doc roundtables at festivals. Connect with other filmmakers. Do your homework on the distributors and find out what kind of docs they like and how they distribute them.

Q: What do you hope to get out of Real to Reel this year?

HARRINGTON: The 2007 Real to Reel films are political, proactive and challenging - I think Noah Cowan said it perfectly in Indiewire last week: "There is a lot of soul-searching and a lot of extremely gifted, overwhelmingly passionate cinema in the festival this year. These are filmmakers who are out to transform the way we see the world, they are out to make a difference". I'm also very excited to see the audience reactions to MY KID COULD PAINT THAT.

Come back tomorrow morning for an industry survey response from Dylan Leiner of Sony Pictures Classics, the distributor of MY KID COULD PAINT THAT.