The recent Bian Epstein Biopic “Midas man“A movie about The Beatles manager, did not debut on a platform like Netflix or Amazon, but at a start -up that charges himself as” Shopify for filmmakers “. So what, then, can you ask?
The answer is that the new platform, Olympus, claims to offer a new model for distribution of films and videos that lean on the power of social references to spread the streaming content “à la carte”. Although any production size – from Hollywood Blockbuster downward – can use the platform, the company claims to be a game change player for the independent film industry, which tends to fight against marketing budgets of the larger movies distributed to streaming mainstream platforms.
The California-based Olympus, founded by Ana Maria Jipa, Jeremias Buireo, Kiran Thomas and Malcolm Wood-allows filmmakers to maintain up to 90% of their revenue while providing access to the public in Streaming experience . Instead of selling films on platforms such as Netflix, the model depends on the marketing budget of filmmakers themselves, in combination with influences, film critics and content creators acting as distribution partners by incorporating market links into their content, blogs and blogs and blogs their social channels.
This peer-peer approach removes the platform as an intermediary and converts film distribution into more e-commerce type commitment.
Jipa, CEO and co -founder of Olympus, told TechCrunch that the company provides filmmakers with a full -flow platform. “We provide all the technology that implies: from DRM, 4K streaming, casting, a full destination page that presents the film in the same way it can appear on Netflix or Apple TV, as well as all other tools such as Geo -Targeting, Analytics and audiences. Streaming.
Olymp also gives detailed filmmakers about screening, such as the country that the film is doing well, as well as the minutes watched and a database of users who have watched the films. “Filmmakers can spend years by making a movie, but they never get to meet or hold their audience at all. So we see it as a very powerful tool. It becomes an audience that you can directly address to your next movies and then Grow out there, “said Jipa.
The question is, can Olyn compete with the ease and scale of big streamers? While its model offers much higher revenue shares for filmmakers, it also means that all the weight is placed on the shoulders of production groups to drive marketing and corporate relationships.
Perry Treves, producer in StudioHe used Olympus to distribute “Midas Man”, sees the platform as a useful step in the right direction. “Olyn allowed us to think beyond traditional platforms, allowing us to become our own continuous flow service […] It is about strengthening filmmakers in the market and distributing films in a way that reflects the success of e -commerce of immediate consumption […] It is an opportunity to maintain control of our work and redefine how movies reach their viewers, “he said in a statement.
One of the most pressing themes of the film industry is piracy. Many users turn to illegal sources simply because a movie is not available in their country. JIPA argues that the world range of Olympus can help fight this issue, because if one can pay for a movie and watch it immediately, they are much more likely to do so.
Olympus’s invasion of Streaming came partly when the businessman and director Wood joined the co -founder of the platform, which initially began as a way to record physical assets. Wood started his own movie, “The last glaciers“On the platform.
“Independent filmmakers have already taken on the financial risk of producing their own films. Studio Pow is self -funded. They created the movie” Midas Man “. They have the freedom to be able to sell these rights to anyone they want. They did a An agreement on the UK market with Amazon, but they thought it was more profitable to go directly to their audience in the US market using Olympus as a tool, “he said.
Wood feels that Olyn can be considered better as “shopify for cinemas with a referral link”.
He noted that the average film in Amazon in the United Kingdom only takes about 2,000 screenings a year. “So there is a bunch of films that take millions of views, but the majority of films fall under the sign of 2,000 screenings,” he added.
The main flow services usually offer a flat -rate licensing agreement, which means that filmmakers receive a lump sum payment no matter how many times their film is watched. Olyn turns this model to his head, allowing filmmakers to generate revenue directly based on screening.
“With Olympus, a director can still sell his rights to the US market and use it to predict the film, but then take advantage of the transition directly to the consumer, for example, Asia,” he said, ” Wood.
But could the platform be used by the adult film industry to distribute pornography?
Jipa recognized the challenge: “At the moment, this is not the tone we want to put and it would be easy to attract this category,” he said. “In the beginning, we put the tone by ensuring that the films appearing in Olympus are of high quality.”
“But in the long run, we aim to create a place where filmmakers, not the platform, decide what is being distributed,” he added. “We do not want to act as towers. Our vision is to allow filmmakers to have complete control of what they distribute, they finally move to a full Saas model.”
Olyn has so far increased only a small amount of funding – a total of $ 2.8 million – in combination of $ 1.8 million by US company VC Hard yaka And several angel investors.
