Mipcom: BidSlate Unveils Rights Transaction Operation (EXCLUSIVE)
A pair of veteran executives has launched BidSlate as a streamlined process of transacting global media rights and distribution.
Roland Rojas and Jesse Scolaro unveiled their site this week as Mipcom got underway in Cannes with the Nov. 2 launch of the American Film Market looming. They are touting the operation as an alternative method for filmmakers who rely on film markets and sales agents to sell content.
“Working hand-in- hand with both buyers and sellers, we’ve spent several years working on the BidSlate platform in order to offer a secure and efficient marketplace for global film sales,” Rojas said. “Given our varied experiences in indie films, we understand the importance of supporting filmmakers and getting their films in front of the widest possible audience. Though we may be viewed as an industry disruptor, our objective is to offer a simple, transparent and cost-effective alternative to the current industry model.”
BidSlate notes that the current international sales model leaves many independent distributors and filmmakers out of the loop due to excessive costs and a “cumbersome, opaque” process. It verifies all members through a registration process.
Once approved, sellers can upload their media and data while buyers have access to a content library searchable by specific purchasing needs. BidSlate asserts that it uses a transaction-specific industry-standard distribution agreement, and is partnering with the escrow company Payoneer for payments.
Titles listed on the web site include Kristen Stewart’s “The Cake Eaters,” “Aloha from Lavaland,” “This Isn’t Funny,” “Behind the Mask: Batman, The Dead End Story,” “OK, Good,” “Darkness on the Edge of Town,” “Project Mad” and “Fools on the Hill.”
Membership is free for distributors. BidSlate takes a flat 20% fee from sellers per completed transaction.
Rojas co-founded production company Hand in Hand Entertainment in 2007 and helped secure financing for projects including “Hesher,” starring Natalie Portman and Rainn Wilson, and “A Late Quartet” starring Christopher Walken and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Scolaro has produced more than 25 feature-length films and documentaries and founded production company The 7th Floor back in 1999. He’s worked with Kristen Stewart, Kevin Pollack and Hugh Jackman.
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