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From theaters to television to smart phones, the way people consume media is getting smaller and more mobile. In response, the way entertainers produce media is on the verge of a drastic change.
Mobile First Entertainment, a multi-channel mobile video platform, launched out of Sherman Oaks today with the goal of giving content control back to artists.
The company generates a semi-customized app, giving each user a personal platform to share their videos. By giving 75 percent of revenue to the creator, Mobile First Entertainment (MFE) is hoping to intrigue online entertainers to a more lucrative platform.
“The great thing about mobile is you can have a direct relation to advertisers and advertising and really fund yourself,” said MFE CEO and founder, Saif Rahman. “And I think creatives aren’t used to the concept of being able to be in control of your own brand on a mobile platform.”
The platform sources talent through an invite-only platform and utilizes its own video host streamer to give the talent total control over their videos. MFE said they hoped for 40 clients in their first year, but, after posting a kickstarter, they gathered 56 from the post alone. They are currently serving 65 clients and aim for 100 by the end of 2015.
MFE has launched almost entirely on grassroots funding, with the assistance of a Kickstarter campaign that has raised over $30,000. The company is now beginning to meet with VCs in hopes of receiving their first major investment.
The platform’s purpose is to bring the power back to the artist. The mobile video market has continued to grow steadily and some content producers are beginning to worry the artists aren’t seeing their fair share in this booming industry.
“I realized quickly that the old way of doing things was very antiquated and coming to an end,” said Rahman, “I was looking at what was happening in mobile, thinking the mobile platform could be its own entertainment platform. We shopped the idea to different production houses and they looked at us like we were nuts! That was 2013.”
The market has certainly changed. With apps like Snapchat launching their own mobile scripted series, there appears to be a growing audience for pocket-screen entertainment, and Los Angeles is pioneering how people create it.
“People follow their dreams out here,” said Rahman. “You have a huge batch of people who create content, whether you’re an actor producer or director. The biggest problem to fix is, if you’re a creator, how do you monetize what you have without jumping through the hoops of corporate America? For us, we want to make sure that the people who are creating things are going to take part in the $100 billion mobile ad market.”
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