robwebb2k

I’ve learned a bit about a very interesting company called b-side over the past few weeks. They’re focusing on, as their tag line describes, “the other side of film”. B-side brings their technology to film festivals around the globe to help poll audiences and create valuable hard data about films. They also are an independent distributor of films – their technology allows them to identify the best films in festivals which they sign to distribution deals. Their site is slick – users can watch previews and purchase full length films, as well as create user accounts and get recommendations. The 43 films currently available through the site are presumably the films that b-side has signed. I just watched “Before the Music Dies” and highly recommend it. They also have the cult hit “Four Eyed Monsters” and lesser known titles like “Phone Sex Grandma“.

B-side may be a hit for their investors through site sales alone, but the data that they can pull from festivals could be extremely valuable if they are able to identify and purchase the rights to the next Napoleon Dynamite, or sell information to those who are interested in doing so. B-side is a great example of a company that has identified an information inefficiency that can be exploited to the benefit of everyday folks (via movie downloads on the site that they wouldn’t otherwise get) and big money players (interested in sniping the next low cost blockbuster). Definitely check them out.