upside | UP058: Audience Awards // creating opportunity for filmmakers through contests, festivals, and distribution

Interview begins: 7:35
Debrief begins: 48:15

Paige Williams is the founder and CEO of Audience Awards.

Audience Awards is an online platform that organizes contests and film festivals in hopes of providing more opportunity and exposure to independent filmmakers. Operating in Montana, Audience Awards opens submissions to anyone who has a story to share while offering prizes such as camera equipment and mentorship with industry regulars.

Audience Awards now hosts 65,000 filmmakers and covers an audience of 200,000 viewers. Paige, an experienced filmmaker herself, shares her thoughts in hoping to grow those numbers and offers insight into how their company has shown success.

We discuss:
- First inspirations for making film (9:00)
- Original film experiences (11:45)
- Impetus for Audience Awards (16:00)
- Audience Awards today (18:30)
- Film festivals and contests on Audience Awards (23:02)
- Growth of Audience Awards (30:10)
- OTT: Over The Top platforms (31:03)
- Growth and scaling (33:23)
- Future opportunities at Audience Awards (35:49)
- Running and funding a tech company vs a film (37:41)
- Growth as a question of money vs. opportunities offered (41:02)
- Operating in Montana (45:20)

Audience awards was founded in 2013 and based in Missoula, Montana.

Learn more about Audience Awards: https://theaudienceawards.com/
Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm
Learn more about our film: https://upside.fm/test-city-usa
Take the listener survey: https://upside.fm/survey

Show Notes

Interview begins: 7:35
Debrief begins: 48:15

Paige Williams is the founder and CEO of Audience Awards.

Audience Awards is an online platform that organizes contests and film festivals in hopes of providing more opportunity and exposure to independent filmmakers. Operating in Montana, Audience Awards opens submissions to anyone who has a story to share while offering prizes such as camera equipment and mentorship with industry regulars.

Audience Awards now hosts 65,000 filmmakers and covers an audience of 200,000 viewers. Paige, an experienced filmmaker herself, shares her thoughts in hoping to grow those numbers and offers insight into how their company has shown success.

We discuss:

First inspirations for making film (9:00)
Original film experiences (11:45)
Impetus for Audience Awards (16:00)
Audience Awards today (18:30)
Film festivals and contests on Audience Awards (23:02)
Growth of Audience Awards (30:10)
OTT: Over The Top platforms (31:03)
Growth and scaling (33:23)
Future opportunities at Audience Awards (35:49)
Running and funding a tech company vs a film (37:41)
Growth as a question of money vs. opportunities offered (41:02)
Operating in Montana (45:20)

Audience awards was founded in 2013 and based in Missoula, Montana.

Learn more about Audience Awards: https://theaudienceawards.com/
Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm
Learn more about our film: https://upside.fm/test-city-usa
Take the listener survey: https://upside.fm/survey

What is upside?

Named a top 27 business podcast by Fortune, upside examines startup investing outside of Silicon Valley.

Every Wednesday, we speak with an early stage founder. We interview them as if we are angel investors considering the company as an investment opportunity.

Each show has three segments:

1.) Intro: independent research of the company
2.) Interview: interview with the founder
3.) Debrief: breaking down the opportunity

Sometimes, we share Coffee Chats interviewing venture capitalists, community builders, and later-stage founders.

Subscribe and see why Business Insider called our podcast "Almost as Good as Getting an MBA."