Yes DIY Distribution Is Time-Consuming, But Indie Filmmakers Who Just Rely on Distributors and Package Their Film with Stars These Days Go Broke

There are "experts" who will tell indie filmmakers to only make movies with name actors because that's what sells. But what these experts don't tell you is that, without more, these deals (in 2009) rarely get the investors their money back.
Traditional distributors want genre and stars, but they aren't paying enough for investors to recoup. Maybe a better way of putting films together and marketing them is to rely on the Internet and Do-It-Yourself techniques.
Although he means well, I think Florida-based Sales Agent/Producer Rep. Russell Hess doesn't understand the new rules. The deals Russell wants filmmakers to make 1) work best with films that ape studio pictures (e.g., not truly independent films, but low-budget genre pictures with stars) 2) won't provide enough for an independent filmmaker to pay his or her investors back and 3) will only make money for Russell and the distributor, leaving the filmmaker and the investors at a loss.