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The late Brian Epstein biopic “ Midas Man , ” a film about the manager of The Beatles , debut not on a platform like Netflix or Amazon , but on a inauguration that bills itself as “ Shopify for filmmakers . ” So what ? you might necessitate .
The answer is that the young platform , Olyn , claim to offer a new model for picture show and video distribution that lean on the power of social referral to spread “ à la carte ” stream content . Although any size of production — from Hollywood blockbuster downwardly — can use the platform , the companionship claims it could be a game changer for the independent film manufacture , which tends to clamber against the marketing budgets of the big movies parcel out on mainstream streaming platforms .
California - based Olyn — founded by Ana Maria Jipa , Jeremías Buireo , Kiran Thomas , and Malcolm Wood — set aside filmmakers to keep up to 90 % of their revenue while giving hearing access to a streaming experience . Instead of films being sold to platforms like Netflix , the model hinges on the selling budget of the filmmakers themselves , combined with influencers , movie critics , and content creators acting as distribution pardner by embed purchase inter-group communication within their cognitive content , blogs , and social channel .
This equal - to - peer approach does off with the platform as a middleman and turns movie distribution into more of an e - DoC - panache engagement .
Jipa , Olyn ’s CEO and Colorado - founder , told TechCrunch that the company provides filmmaker with the equivalent weight of a full - blow streaming platform . “ We put up all the technical school that imply : from DRM , 4 kB streaming , casting , a full landing place varlet that presents the film in the same way that it might appear on Netflix or Apple TV , plus all the other instrument such as geo - targeting , analytics , and interview data . They push their flick with atomic number 59 , diarist , bloggers , film critics , etc . , ” she said , adding that a recommendation from someone you trust deport far more weighting than a mesmerism by an algorithm on a streaming weapons platform .
Olyn also afford filmmakers analytics on viewership , such as which country the motion-picture show is doing well in , as well as minutes catch , and a database of users who have learn the movies . “ Filmmakers can spend years seduce a movie but do n’t ever get to meet or own their audience at all . So we see this as a very powerful shaft . It becomes an interview that you’re able to straight off address for your next movies and then develop from there , ” tell Jipa .
The question is , can Olyn compete with the convenience and graduated table of major streamers ? While its model offers much high revenue shares for movie maker , it also intend all the weight is grade on the shoulders of product teams to drive marketing and partnership .
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Perry Trevers , a manufacturer atStudio prisoner of war , which used Olyn to distribute “ Midas Man , ” sees the platform as a helpful step in the right direction . “ Olyn has enabled us to think beyond traditional platforms , letting us become our own cyclosis table service … It ’s about empowering filmmakers to market and pass out cinema in a means that mirror the direct - to - consumer success of e - commerce … It ’s a chance to hold control over our piece of work and redefine how film reach their watcher , ” he said in a statement .
One of the most pressing issues in the film industry is buccaneering . Many user deform to illegal source merely because a film is unavailable in their country . Jipa argues that Olyn ’s world reach can avail combat this issue , because if someone can pay up for a moving-picture show and look on it instantly , they ’re much more potential to do so .
Olyn ’s raid into picture cyclosis came about partly when entrepreneur and film maker Wood get together as a cobalt - laminitis of the platform , which initially launched as a manner to catalogue forcible assets , after being introduced to them by co - partner in crime and journalistCraig Leeson , who had worked with Olyn and distributed his film , “ The Last Glaciers , ” on the Olyn platform .
“ Independent movie maker have already taken the financial jeopardy to acquire their film themselves . Studio prisoner of war is ego - financed . They make the “ Midas Man ” moving picture . They have the exemption to be able to trade those rights to whoever they want . They did a raft in the U.K. market with Amazon , but they feel that it was more profitable to go direct to their audience in the U.S. marketplace using Olyn as a creature , ” he tell .
Grant Wood feels Olyn can be best thought of as “ Shopify for filmmakers with a referral link . ”
He noted the average film on Amazon in the U.K. stick only around 2,000 thought per class . “ So there ’s a clump of films that are getting million of view , but the majority of films fall below the 2,000 view mark , ” he add .
Major streaming service typically offer a lump - sum licensing deal , meaning filmmakers get a one - time defrayal regardless of how many times their film is watched . Olyn riff this simulation on its point by allowing film maker to monetize directly ground on viewership .
“ With Olyn , a film producer can still trade their rights to the U.S. securities industry and use that to pre - fund the film , but then also capitalize on going direct - to - consumer in , say , Asia , ” read Wood .
But could the chopine be used by the adult film manufacture to disseminate porn ?
Jipa acknowledge the challenge : “ Right now , this is not the tonicity we want to lay , and it would be sluttish to attract that category , ” she said . “ At the start , we are setting the timber by check that the picture show featured on Olyn are mellow calibre . ”
“ But in the longsighted condition , we take aim to create a space where film maker , not the political program , decide what gets distributed , ” she add together . “ We do n’t require to act as gatekeepers . Our vision is to leave film maker to have full control over what they dish out , eventually run to a full SaaS model . ”
Olyn has so far raise only a small amount of funding — a totality of $ 2.8 million — in a combining of $ 1.8 million from U.S. VC firmHard Yakaand a act of holy man investors .
