LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Fiction Riot, a pioneer in the production and streaming of user-engaged video, today announced its launch with the introduction of Ficto, a subscription-based platform that delivers short-form premium video series from professional producers, writers, actors and artists, designed specifically for mobile usage and preferences. With twenty series currently in production, representing a balance of original and licensed content, Ficto will be available to consumers in early 2019. In the meantime, Fiction Riot will be meeting with content creators to secure and develop its second cohort of series to follow its consumer launch.
Three of their original series, based on upcoming feature films, will be released in advance of the theatrical releases: “Can You Keep A Secret,” the international best-selling book by Sophie Kinsella; “Hush, Hush,” based on Becca Fitzpatrick’s New York Times bestseller and globally popular book series; and “Project Extraction,” an original Chinese production starring Jackie Chan and John Cena. Much more than a value add promotional tool for feature films and omni-channel properties, Ficto also opens up a new realm of original storytelling options that enable content creators to more quickly and cost-effectively bring new ideas, characters, and serialized shows to market.
According to a study from Ooyala earlier this year, more than half of all global video content is viewed on mobile devices, but the content being watched is generally longer form movies and TV programs which are not optimized for mobile platform viewing and interactivity.
“We designed Ficto specifically for mobile, with the mindset that if early TVs were designed to be hand-held, content today would look and behave much differently,” said Mike Esola, CEO and Co-Founder, Fiction Riot. “With Ficto, we want to empower content creators with a way to not only distribute video-based “fast fiction” to viewers, but also an easy-to-use toolset to allow for vertical video orientation and integrate fun mobile features to enhance the storytelling and interactivity. It’s not just about the format, it’s about the experience.”
Ficto enables this highly engaged user experience for its serialized short content, or “fast fiction,” through leveraging native mobile features such as vertical video, 360 viewing, AR, chat, livestream, and more. The platform’s proprietary technology allows Hollywood content creators to seamlessly combine traditional video assets with these mobile-first applications through a “tool box” approach.
“Fiction Riot is filling a void for filmmakers, and we’re excited to be among the first to embrace the advantages of the Ficto platform to enhance our storytelling ability on mobile devices,” said Claude dal Farra, CEO of BCDF Films. “Until now, we haven’t had access to the tools that make this process turnkey. Ficto offers a great extension for our films such as ‘Can You Keep A Secret.’ We can create an entirely original but related storyline to the film allowing fans to engage both early and in an interactive way – so they get to know the characters and also generate overall fan buzz.”
Each full series is generally 30 minutes in length, composed on average of 3 to 5 episodes that are 5 to 7 minutes long, for quick viewing by digital and mobile native audiences who have adopted a “snackable” approach to content while on the go.
“Fiction Riot has built something special because it provides artists with a turn-key approach to mobile content. It removes many of the distribution layers, makes payments transparent and has the potential to reach millions of consumers,” said Lawrence Grey, President and CEO, Grey Matter Productions and Ideogram Media. “I think it’s safe to say Hollywood is finally at a place where we have to be looking at mobile differently.”
Additionally, Ficto is among the first streaming services to pay royalties utilizing blockchain in order to create transparency of payment for all parties involved in production on par with industry rates. Through the use of smart contracts, Fiction Riot is addressing some of the broader industry challenges related to compensation. Powered by blockchain, Ficto automatically pays royalties in USD directly to artists based on how often their content is viewed. Because the formula is agreed upon upfront, everyone involved in a production is paid in a fair, consistent and timely manner.
Fiction Riot co-founder Mike Esola draws on his experience in Hollywood for nearly 20 years, primarily as an agent representing directors, screenwriters, showrunners and actors. He created Fiction Riot to help artists better align their content with how digital and mobile natives now prefer to consume it as well as to fill the void left by Hollywood’s traditional means of production, which has grown outdated and expensive for premium mobile content considering the exponentially growing demand for it.
About Fiction Riot
Based in Los Angeles, Fiction
Riot is a technology and content startup. Through its subscription
platform Ficto,
it employs award-winning engineers, A-List Hollywood artists and
household-named talent, to deliver a new, user-engaged streaming video
format designed specifically for mobile. For content creators, Ficto is
an intuitive platform with built-in tools that enables them to focus on
creating great stories that deliver a one-of-a-kind mobile viewing
experience. Fiction Riot was founded and is led by entertainment
industry veterans with a vision to deliver mobile video content that is
premium, convenient, engaging, and addictively fun. For more, visit: www.fictionriot.com.