Olyn, a groundbreaking platform for film and video distribution, is transforming the way filmmakers market and distribute their content. Founded by Ana Maria Jipa, Jeremias Buireo, Kiran Thomas, and Malcolm Wood, Olyn presents itself as a "Shopify for filmmakers," allowing creators to distribute films directly to audiences while retaining significant control over their work. By employing a social referral model, the platform not only provides filmmakers with a comprehensive streaming service but also enables them to retain up to 90% of their revenue.
Olyn empowers filmmakers to step beyond traditional distribution platforms, offering them the tools to operate as their own streaming service. This innovative approach mirrors the direct-to-consumer success seen in e-commerce, allowing filmmakers to reach their audiences without intermediaries. The platform's unique model allows influencers, film critics, and content creators to embed purchase links within their content, fostering organic promotion through trusted sources rather than algorithms.
“A recommendation from someone you trust carries far more weight than a suggestion by an algorithm on a streaming platform.” – Ana Maria Jipa
The platform supports filmmakers in retaining control over their work, redefining how movies reach their viewers. With initial funding of $2.8 million from U.S. VC firm Hard Yaka and several angel investors, Olyn has launched a limited number of high-quality films. This strategic choice aims to set a high standard for content featured on the platform.
“At the beginning, we are setting the tone by ensuring that the films featured on Olyn are high quality.” – Ana Maria Jipa
Olyn's CEO, Ana Maria Jipa, envisions the platform as a tool to combat piracy in the film industry by providing secure distribution and detailed analytics. Filmmakers using Olyn gain access to comprehensive viewership data, including geographical performance metrics and viewer engagement statistics. This data-driven approach allows creators to better understand their audience and tailor future projects accordingly.
“We provide all the tech that implies: from DRM, 4K streaming, casting, a full landing page that presents the film in the same way that it might appear on Netflix or Apple TV, plus all the other tools such as geo-targeting, analytics, and audience data. They promote their movie with PR, journalists, bloggers, film critics, etc.” – Ana Maria Jipa
Malcolm Wood highlights the platform's ability to facilitate both traditional and direct-to-consumer sales strategies.
“With Olyn, a filmmaker can still sell their rights to the U.S. market and use that to pre-fund the film, but then also capitalize on going direct-to-consumer in, say, Asia,” – Malcolm Wood
A significant advantage of Olyn is its capacity to connect filmmakers with their audiences directly. This connection allows creators to build a dedicated following that can be leveraged for future projects.
“Filmmakers can spend years making a film but don’t ever get to meet or own their audience at all. So we see this as a very powerful tool. It becomes an audience that you can directly address for your next movies and then grow from there,” – Ana Maria Jipa
Perry Trevers, a filmmaker utilizing Olyn's platform, emphasizes the empowerment it provides in marketing and distributing films.
“Olyn has enabled us to think beyond traditional platforms, letting us become our own streaming service […] It’s about empowering filmmakers to market and distribute films in a way that mirrors the direct-to-consumer success of e-commerce […] It’s a chance to retain control over our work and redefine how movies reach their viewers,” – Perry Trevers
The flexibility of Olyn extends to productions of all sizes, from Hollywood blockbusters to independent films. The platform's ultimate goal is to evolve into a full Software as a Service (SaaS) model, granting filmmakers complete control over their content distribution.
“We don’t want to act as gatekeepers. Our vision is to allow filmmakers to have full control over what they distribute, eventually moving to a full SaaS model.” – Ana Maria Jipa
Ana Maria Jipa clarifies that although Olyn could easily attract a broad range of content categories, the current focus remains on maintaining high standards.
“Right now, this is not the tone we want to set, and it would be easy to attract that category,” – Ana Maria Jipa
Leave a Reply