EXCLUSIVE: Watrfall, the Ron Perlman-backed creator platform, is planning to put the power in the hands of audiences.
The company, which we first told you about in August last year, has opened submissions on its first slate, which will be a $275,000 creator fund, with filmmakers and showrunners able to pitch their original content ideas until November 15.
Watrfall will award $150,000 to one feature film and $75,000 to a TV pilot, with ten projects in development receiving $5,000 each.
The process will work by Watrfall execs reviewing every submission and responding to applicants within six weeks. This is where the audience comes in, with eligible projects presented to the Watrfall community for a vote. The top selections will then receive the funding.
Watrfall, which launched as a content funding platform for creator-led film and TV projects, will allow creators to “retain significant ownership of their intellectual property and more creative control” through financing and distribution, with the company and the Watrfall Community holding the rest and receiving a share of revenues.
The Watrfall Community is soon set to launch as a free-to-join collective that gives audiences a voice in the creative process. Founding members “will receive exclusive benefits, including numbered membership cards and early access to projects.” Referrals will unlock additional perks, with the longer-term goal being they also have access to live creator Q&As, behind-the-scenes content, exclusive premiere experiences and more.
Sons of Anarchy and Hellboy star Perlman co-founded Watrfall with Michael Donovan, Dana Landry and Willie Morris. Some of the Watrfall team are in Cannes this week for MIPCOM, which begins this morning.
“We built Watrfall to realign the entertainment value chain – where creators are in control, where the people who make content actually benefit from its success, and where film and television lovers everywhere can have a real seat at the table,” said Perlman last year.
Today, Donovan said: “As a fellow creator, there’s nothing more fulfilling than seeing a project you believe in come to life. One of the greatest challenges in this industry is getting a project off the ground without compromising the vision that inspired it. With Watrfall, we’re putting creators first by providing the initial resources and support they need to bring their stories to audiences without sacrificing their creative independence.”
“Watrfall is challenging the traditional studio model by giving audiences something they’ve never had before: a seat at the table,” added Landry. “Rather than leaving greenlight decisions solely to studio executives, we’re inviting audiences to play a meaningful role in shaping the content that we consume and the overall future of entertainment.”