The recent Biopic by Brian Epstein “Midas man“A film about the Beatles manager, made his debut not on a platform like Netflix or Amazon, but on a startup that presents itself as” Shopify for Filmmakers “. So what, you could ask?
The answer is that the new platform, Olyn, claims to offer a new film and video distribution model that is based on the power of social references to spread the “à la carte” streaming content. Although any production size – from the downward Hollywood blockbuster – can use the platform, the company claims that it could change the situation for the independent film industry, which tends to fight against Marketing budgets of the biggest films distributed on traditional streaming platforms.
Olyn, based in California – founded by Ana Maria Jipa, Jeremiias Buireo, Kiran Thomas and Malcolm Wood – allows filmmakers to keep up to 90% of their income while giving the public access to a streaming experience. Instead of selling films to platforms like Netflix, the model depends on the marketing budget of the filmmakers themselves, combined with influencers, film criticism and content creators acting as a distribution partners by integrating Purchase links in their content, their blogs and their social canals.
This Peer-to-Peer approach removes the platform as an intermediary and transforms the distribution of films in addition to a commitment of electronic commerce.
JIPA, CEO and co-founder of Olyn, told Techcrunch that the company provided filmmakers with the equivalent of a full-fledged streaming platform. “We provide all the technology that this implies: from DRM, 4K streaming, casting, a complete destination page that presents the film in the same way it could appear on Netflix or Apple TV, as well as all other tools such as Geomarquette, analytics and audience data. They promote their film with public relations, journalists, bloggers, film critics, etc. “She said, adding that someone you trust has much more weight than a suggestion of an algorithm on a streaming platform.
Olyn also gives filmmakers the analysis on the viewer, as in which country the film is doing well, as well as minutes watched, and a user database that watched the films. “Filmmakers can spend years making a film, but not to meet or have their audience. So we see it as a very powerful tool. It becomes an audience that you can approach directly for your next films, then grow from there, “said Jipa.
The question is: can Olyn compete with the convenience and scale of the main streamers? Although its model offers much higher income shares for filmmakers, it also means that all the weight is placed on the shoulders of production teams to stimulate marketing and partnerships.
Perry Trevers, producer at POW studioWho used Olyn to distribute “Midas Man”, considers the platform as a useful step in the right direction. “Olyn allowed us to think beyond traditional platforms, allowing us to become our own streaming service […] This involves allowing filmmakers to market and distribute films in a way that reflects success directly to electronic commerce consumers […] It is a chance to keep control of our work and to redefine how the films reach their viewers, “he said in a statement.
One of the most urgent problems in the film industry is hacking. Many users turn to illegal sources simply because a film is not available in their country. Jipa maintains that the global scope of Olyn can help fight this problem, because if someone can pay a film and watch it instantly, they are much more likely to do so.
Olyn’s foray into movie streaming occurred in part when the Wood entrepreneur and filmmaker joined himself as a co-founder of the platform, which was initially launched as a means of cataloging the active ingredients physical. Wood has launched his own film, “The latest glaciers“, On the platform.
“Independent filmmakers have already taken the financial risk to produce their films themselves. Studio Pow is self -funded. They created the film “Midas Man”. They have the freedom to be able to sell these rights to those they want. They concluded an agreement on the British market with Amazon, but they felt that it was more profitable to go directly to their audience on the American market using Olyn as a tool, “he said.
Wood thinks that Olyn can be considered “Shopify for filmmakers with a reference link”.
He noted that the average film on Amazon in the United Kingdom only obtains 2,000 views per year. “So there are a bunch of films that get millions of views, but the majority of films fall below the 2,000 brand,” he added.
The main streaming services generally offer a flat -rate license agreement, which means that filmmakers receive a single payment, regardless of the number of times their film is watched. Olyn returns this model to its head by allowing filmmakers to monetize directly according to the audience.
“With Olyn, a filmmaker can always sell his rights on the American market and use it to prefinite the film, but also capitalize on direct consumers in Asia,” said Wood.
But could the platform be used by the film industry for adults to distribute pornography?
Jipa has recognized the challenge: “At the moment, this is not the tone that we want to give, and it would be easy to attract this category,” she said. “At the beginning, we set the tone by ensuring that the films presented on Olyn are of high quality.”
“But in the long term, we aim to create a space where filmmakers, not the platform, decide what is distributed,” she added. “We don’t want to act as guards. Our vision is to allow filmmakers to have total control over what they distribute, ultimately passing by a complete SaaS model. »»
Olyn has so far raised only a small quantity of funding – a total of $ 2.8 million – in combination of $ 1.8 million from the American company Hard yaka and a number of providential investors.
