I've worked professionally in the film industry for several years now. It's no secret that the business is daunting for independent producers (if not impossible). Most writers and directors never see their visions come to life and those who do end up going broke just getting their first movie made.
There's a handful of reasons. It's an art form that requires a collective of people working together. Even if you make a movie bare bones guerrilla style you'll still need a handful of friends to volunteer their time for weeks to get it off the ground. Not to mention good luck convincing your mates to spend their weekends holding boom mikes for your 'vision'.
By this point everyone knows that movie theater fare is reserved almost exclusively for huge budget franchises (Marvel, Star Wars etc). Digital distribution seemed like the next frontier and the bastion for indy film but YouTube and Amazon have both continued strangle creators with their profit sharing expansionism.
The worst part is that even when you sacrifice everything to make your first feature film, the process bankrupts you. So without an amazing distribution deal in place (which no first time directors have access to), you'll never make a second.
I had always dreamed of a decentralized open source platform for artists. Where they would be able to share their work and have fans directly engage with the material. Before block chain technology I never thought it would be possible for them to also get compensated directly just from the popularity of their material.
This is the future of entertainment. It's just in its infancy but mark my words it will make a huge impact on the industry in several years and I'm so excited to be a part of it.
