Introduction to Olyn

The recent biopic "Midas Man," a film about the manager of The Beatles, was released on a new platform called Olyn, which describes itself as "Shopify for filmmakers." This may seem insignificant at first, but it marks a notable shift in the way films are distributed.

A New Distribution Model

Olyn offers a novel approach to film and video distribution, leveraging the power of social referrals to promote "à la carte" streaming content. This platform is open to productions of all sizes, from Hollywood blockbusters to independent films. According to the company, this model could be a game-changer for the independent film industry, which often struggles to compete with the marketing budgets of larger movies on mainstream streaming platforms.

How Olyn Works

California-based Olyn, founded by Ana Maria Jipa, Jeremias Buireo, Kiran Thomas, and Malcolm Wood, allows filmmakers to retain up to 90% of their revenue while providing audiences with a streaming experience. Instead of selling films to platforms like Netflix, Olyn’s model relies on the marketing budget of the filmmakers themselves, combined with influencers, film critics, and content creators acting as distribution partners by embedding purchase links within their content, blogs, and social channels. This peer-to-peer approach eliminates the platform as a middleman, turning movie distribution into an e-commerce-style engagement.

Benefits for Filmmakers

Jipa, Olyn’s CEO and co-founder, explained that the company provides filmmakers with the equivalent of a full-blown streaming platform, including DRM, 4K streaming, casting, and a full landing page. Filmmakers promote their movies with PR, journalists, bloggers, film critics, etc., and a recommendation from someone you trust carries far more weight than a suggestion by an algorithm on a streaming platform. Olyn also gives filmmakers analytics on viewership, such as which country the movie is doing well in, as well as minutes watched, and a database of users that have watched the movies.

Competing with Major Streamers

The question remains whether Olyn can compete with the convenience and scale of major streamers. While its model offers much higher revenue shares for filmmakers, it also places all the weight on the shoulders of production teams to drive marketing and partnerships. Perry Trevers, a producer at Studio POW, which used Olyn to distribute "Midas Man," sees the platform as a helpful step in the right direction, allowing filmmakers to market and distribute films in a way that mirrors the direct-to-consumer success of e-commerce.

Combating Piracy

One of the most pressing issues in the film industry is piracy, with many users turning to illegal sources because a movie is unavailable in their country. Jipa argues that Olyn’s global reach can help combat this issue, as users are more likely to pay for a movie and watch it instantly if given the opportunity.

Olyn’s Origins

Olyn’s foray into film streaming came about when entrepreneur and filmmaker Wood joined as a co-founder of the platform, which initially launched as a way to catalog physical assets. Wood launched his own film, "The Last Glaciers," on the platform.

[Image: The Olyn team]

Empowering Filmmakers

Wood feels Olyn can be best thought of as "Shopify for filmmakers with a referral link." He noted that the average film on Amazon in the U.K. gets only around 2,000 views per year, while Olyn allows filmmakers to monetize directly based on viewership. 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.

Potential Challenges

Could the platform be used by the adult film industry to distribute pornography? Jipa acknowledged the challenge, stating that the company is setting the tone by ensuring that the films featured on Olyn are high quality. In the long term, they aim to create a space where filmmakers, not the platform, decide what gets distributed.

Funding and Future Plans

Olyn has so far raised $2.8 million in funding, a combination of $1.8 million from U.S. VC firm Hard Yaka and a number of angel investors. The company’s vision is to allow filmmakers to have full control over what they distribute, eventually moving to a full SaaS model.

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