Dana Harris-Bridson reports in IndieWire on Creator Camp and the Three-Picture Theatrical Deal: Attend Is Betting the Internet Can Fill Movie Screens.

She writes, “The Austin-based creator collective distribution arm, Camp Studios, signed a three-picture theatrical deal with Attend Theatrical Marketplace, the Fithian Group company that connects filmmakers directly with movie theaters, streamlining the process of booking and releasing films.”

“The real bet is if creators already know their audience, why can’t that audience show up to a cinema?”

The first test is indie rom-com Two Sleepy People.

My take: I’ve been waiting for this moment for twenty years, ever since video first started appearing on the Internet.

This is much more than a story about a distributor picking up a movie for distribution; it’s tentative proof of a new and emerging theatrical distribution model that will replace the crumbling one.

The big difference to me is the importance of Audience. In the Legacy Model, it was simply assumed that the audience would show up if enough money was spent on marketing. In the New Model, online creators have ongoing relationships with their audiences before making their movies and then rely on them to manifest local screenings on demand through critical mass.

In simple terms:

OLD = Legacy Creator -> Movie -> Distributor -> Cinemas -> Audience.

NEW = Online Creator -> Audience -> Movie -> Distributor -> Audience -> Cinemas.

Best wishes to Attend and Creator Camp!