Coin Rivet: Tell us about your long standing interest in the world of cryptocurrency, how it started etc.
JA: I bought some crypto from an 18 year old kid in Liverpool Street station in 2014. To be honest I didn’t know what I was doing; he could have run off with my cash, but he didn’t. I then went to some pre ICO Ethereum meet ups and I was hooked.
Coin Rivet: How did the idea for KevCoin: The Movie come about?
JA: We had been knocking about a distribution system that relied on socially involving people with a films production and sharing as much about the film as possible. This is a strong idea because it lends itself to social platforms of ‘short and often content’. We needed to start somewhere so we decided to produce a low budget film and try some of the ideas out. Hopefully we can gain some valuable insights and find decent funding to build a systematic online platform that gets low budget films into profit.
Coin Rivet: How was it shot and funded and how is it being distributed?
JA: We had a very small crew (it is best when you are shooting on the street); we improvised with real people and actors, who didn’t know how the story would develop. It means you can get stories and plots done quickly (if you have good people). We are distributing through our own website and driving traffic from social platforms. And we are going to be on Vimeo on Demand, Google Play Store and any other platforms that allow uploads and sales.
Coin Rivet: Could you talk a little about the problems associated with traditional film funding models and the advantages offered by a crypto-based model.
JA: Low budget indie film distribution is a broken system, in fact there was probably not ever a proven model to systematically move low budget films into profit. Too many film makers, once they have produced their film, expect a distributor to waltz in and hand them a cigar. This has never really happened. Barriers to entry have been destroyed and you can get films financed, but not distributed.
We also have new platforms to sell our content, but you need eyeballs to know what is happening and to care. With tokens, there are many options around writing contracts. We are just starting to experiment, but we have some cool ideas about how this could develop especially around the social media model. Most people love to be part of something early and watch and perhaps help it to grow. We think you can apply this to indie film making; there are so many interesting on and off camera stories that you can’t tell to engage an audience. It is ripe for development and potentially very lucrative.
Coin Rivet: Critics of blockchain technology argue that it is all hype and no substance. The synopsis for KevCoin even states that, Kevin “figures there are so many chancers out there in the crypto world, that he actually has a chance”. Would you say that cryptocurrencies are finally living up to the hype or are there still too many chancers out there giving the space a bad name?
JA: Narratively speaking that ‘chancers’ angle is good for us because it can be funny, and that chimes with the film. But it is a double edged sword reputationally speaking. What will make the difference is the technology and innovation. It will only change when tools and apps become useful, which they certainly will over the next couple of years. It is still very early days and the likes of Warren Buffet just don’t get it and probably never will.
Coin Rivet: KevCoin is the second in three movies. Could you tell us about your plans for the third movie?
JA: Yes, we will build our audience over this second film release and then create a funding mechanism, either crowd or semi traditional; to fund the third film…in Detroit! We will use the same techniques of finding real people and bringing them into our story. We are thinking, the world’s biggest crypto party. Now that should be fun.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author should not be considered as financial advice. We do not give advice on financial products.