Nebula to film and TV creators: “Our streaming service can offer a prestige home for existing projects”

A streaming service that provides a home for “education-ish” creators is extending its reach to the world of cinema. Nebula has announced that it will “build the pipeline from digital to Hollywood” by offering to distribute indie shows and movies alongside the platform’s existing educational content.

Nebula Founder Dave Wiskus explained his company’s approach to content distribution in a blog post. He contended that Nebula creators are not bound by any particular category but by their status as storytellers. Within that community, indie filmmakers and showrunners are natural fits.

“We think it’s time to expand the toolbox a little and make room for more storytellers,” Wiskus wrote. “We want to make Nebula a home for indie filmmakers in the same way we made it a home for factual creators.”

Nebula has already used its original content slates

to produce film-length projects led by members of its creator community. One of the first examples of that distribution strategy was IDENTITEAZE, a narrative short helmed by commentator Jessie Gender and available to stream on Nebula.

To attract additional pieces of bold, thoughtful work, Nebula is offering to apply its creator-friendly approach to the indie filmmaking process. The creator-owned streaming service began as a vehicle for experimental content that may be too risky or labor-intensive to exist on a free, ad-supported platform like YouTube.

Wiskus thinks Nebula can be “a prestige home for existing projects.” To make that belief a reality, he is approaching indie filmmakers with perks like Getty and Reuters archive access, financial tools from Karat, logins for audio providers like Epidemic Sound and SoundQ, and a new technical partnership with RED Digital Cinema. The Nebula Founder sees those features as potential lifelines for methodical creators whose vision and workflow may not jibe with the fast-paced, algorithm-driven environment YouTube offers.

Nebula can point to its work with creators to sweeten the deal it is offering indie artists, and given the current climate in the film world, the company is likely to get a good number of takers. Indie distributors like A24 and Neon have scooped up compelling films from creators whose careers began on YouTube. Nebula is ready to flip that script by offering Hollywood types a place in the creator economy. If you want to be a part of that movement, Nebula would love to hear from you.