Dynamo Blog

 

User Announcement: Dynamo Shutting Down

Mon, 04/22/2013 - 10:00pm — rob

Dear filmmakers, distributors and media makers,

It is time to shut down Dynamo.

After more than three years of helping shape the landscape for online film and video distribution, it is clear that the Dynamo platform comes very close to what the industry needs, but it is not sustainable at this time.

We sought to provide the most open system we could, enabling anyone to sign up for free and immediately begin distributing programs online with a simple revenue sharing agreement. The support and maintenance required to effectively serve the long tail of everyone who ever produced a video was too costly to maintain in terms of time, management, hand holding and missed opportunities.

The potential for Dynamo was huge, and the overall opportunity in the marketplace remains huge. We were one of the first companies to prove the potential for direct-to-fan video rentals and sales. In fact our earliest projections for the rise of VOD and demise of the DVD were almost exactly dead on, and the general market continues to grow for direct-to-consumer distribution. Yet, as any investor will tell you, there is a huge difference between being right about the marketplace and successfully running a business in that market. 

Over the next couple of months we will close out accounts and wrap things up. All users will receive the funds that remain in their accounts. You will receive an email shortly with instructions to collect funds and close your account. As we try to settle many of these at once, we ask that you be patient if payout requests and support requests take longer than usual. By the middle of June we will shut down technical support and your existing video players will not work. By the end of June all funds will be paid out and all operations will shut down completely.

In the meantime, we encourage you to consider working with Distrify or Vimeo Pro for continued hosting and delivery. Each has its pros and cons, but both provide good alternatives. Please avoid a lack of service by beginning this transition now.

Thank you for your years of partnership. It has been a pleasure to work with all of you. Together we really did help shape the evolution of contemporary media.

Best wishes, 
Rob Millis

Forward! The Necessity of Twitter

Thu, 01/24/2013 - 12:32pm — rob

As part of my series of posts for the Hope for Film I recently offered some guidance for filmmakers who are new to Twitter. Here is an excerpt from the latest post:

Many filmmakers I talk to have frozen up before posting their first tweet —What do I say? What if it sounds stupid? Who cares what I think about this? If you set aside your marketing strategies for a moment and think of Twitter as a cocktail party, you’ll find that this is easier than you think.

The best first step may be to simply say hello to one of the people you want to engage with. You can say hello to me for instance: “@robmillis it’s great to find you here on Twitter. I’ll be connecting with fans and sharing news about my work here.” Then simply share reviews of your work, your thoughts on the industry, share links to new work from the actors and directors you admire or have worked with — your audience will appreciate the engagement and your followers will multiply.

The most important part of using Twitter to build an audience is that you are truly building relationships. With that in mind, remember that this is a digital cocktail party, not a sales call...

Social networks are absolutely necessary for independent filmmakers, but they don't have to be difficult or annoying. Click here to read the full post at Hope for Film and don't forget to follow Dynamo on Twitter!

 


Hope for Film: There Is A Time To Get Paid & A Time To Promote

Sun, 01/13/2013 - 3:39am — rob

Dynamo founder Rob Millis is now writing a weekly column for Ted Hope's fantastic Hope for Film independent film blog. The first entry focused on free distribution and the importance of user experience. An excerpt:

"Because so much of our media consumption is ad-supported, it can be tempting to run ads with almost any video content. Just like the FBI warning at the start of a DVD, viewers will sit through a bit of advertising for a feature film they’re looking forward to, but don’t confuse tolerance with enthusiasm, particularly for short content like trailers. Ads may be a smart consideration for networks like ABC and ESPN, but most filmmakers will only be losing fans and making little or no revenue in the process."

Read the rest here: http://trulyfreefilm.hopeforfilm.com/2013/01/there-is-a-time-to-get-paid-a-time-to-promote.html