Carl Icahn's Son Launches Film Start-Up

Film enthusiasts vote at the box office on which movies succeed or fail. The idea behind a new Web site, Massify.com, is to give them a vote on which films are made in the first place, along with some say in the script and the casting.

Massify members (membership is free and anyone can join) are offered a platform to promote themselves and whatever current projects they are involved in, and are also eligible to vote on other users' film ideas through online competitions in which members vie for financing and distribution from Massify and its partners.

And after granting money to winners of its online competitions, determined by popular user vote, the investors in Massify will maintain a financial interest in the films that originated there, and help produce and bring them to market.

Massify aims to encourage collaboration, but it is not a philanthropic enterprise. Like most Web sites, Massify wants to attract advertisers even as it faces the challenge of proving itself as a practical place for the film industry and the public to discover new talent. "We're building an audience before the film is made," said Kenneth Woo, one of Massify's two founders.

Brett Icahn, Massify's other founder, said: "Online networks should apply a democratic process to the creation of content, not just the distribution of it," he said. "The Massify community crowdsources the best ideas, and elects the best actors. It's more a production network than a social network, because it's driven by a creative purpose."

Keep Reading

Comments

[javaman]

10:22 AM on 03/11/2008

These types of "public input" ventures on script and project choice have come and gone. Mostly gone. It will be discovered much like McDonalds did years ago when they wanted to hire "real" people to act in their commercials. They found out lesson # 27 of film making. "real" people can't act. Just like the "real" people can't write and "real" people make really crappy choices when it comes to a story line.

Have fun guys, it won't last long.

[JScott]

11:12 AM on 03/11/2008

'Just like the "real" people can't write and "real" people make really crappy choices when it comes to a story line. '
Like those in 'the biz' can do any better?

Next up-have monkeys do it.