Local ‘Streaming’: Pop Up Cinema will premiere in Ecuador to watch film, series and theater content

This Friday, December 3, it will be officially presented Pop Up Cinema, “The first platform of streaming subscription cinema that produces its own original content ”. The idea was born when cinemas and theaters closed their doors during the COVID-19 pandemic.

More than five years ago, Ricardo Velasteguí and Alberto Pablo Rivera talked about directing their own productions. Ricardo has been doing it as a theater director at Pop Up Teatro and Alberto Pablo, as a film director at New Rock Cinema. The experience of both merges and gives life to this artistic project. “It all started in a pandemic when cinemas and theaters were closed. Entertainment totally migrated to the digital world and we saw it as an opportunity to start this project ”, comment Rivera and Velasteguí, two of the five partners who have given life to this platform.

For approximately two years, they have worked on the development of technological tools that make up the platform and also in film production, that is, in the content that Pop Up Cinema will provide. There are more than 200 artists (among musicians, actors, technical team) who have participated in the production process that, to date, has more than 30 productions including short films, series, feature films and documentaries.

“17 million people reside in Ecuador. This public consumes between national television, cable TV, streaming by subscription and free videos on the internet. Our audience is hybrid and consumer crossover. For this reason, we wanted to raise the quality bar to a cinema language like Netflix or HBO but with stories and faces very much our own. This reflection of society and identity is something that the public will appreciate… ”, say Ricardo and Alberto.

The best moment

With a subscription of $ 4.99 per month, the forerunners of this project seek to deliver quality products every month, with “our very own faces and stories” and with an international reach in mind. “The audiovisual industry generates employment for all types of artists: directors, screenwriters, actors, producers, musicians, cameramen, technical staff, editors and post-producers. During the pandemic we were able to create jobs and film, which is what we are most passionate about ”.

This platform will be active in 25 countries from its launch. Both artists mention that the mission is to continue generating momentum for the “orange economy”, knowing that the audiovisual “does not have a ceiling” and having as references other countries such as the United States, a country in which entertainment represents 25% of GDP . In Ecuador it is 1.2% and they aspire to continue growing.

Despite the pandemic, the creators of Pop Up Cinema believe that this is the ideal time to launch this product. “Our motivation is the entertainment of the public, and after a pandemic that affected us all, what we most need is to lift our spirits and fill our subscribers with joy. That is what art does, that is the essence of Pop Up Cinema ”.

In a first phase, Pop Up Cinema decided to adapt the highest grossing works of Pop Up Theater to the cinema, under the category of micro-cinema. “We have the numbers of the highest grossing works and we decided to start there as original content. We also have a license to distribute other Ecuadorian feature films and also ours that we are also producing. We already have some miniseries in pre-production that will be premiered on the platform ”, they commented.

Other important data

• The investment in this platform reaches close to half a million dollars.
• The actors have received financial compensation for their work. In addition, they signed an agreement with Uniarte to pay annual royalties. Uniarte is the Society for the Management of Intellectual Property Rights of Authors and Interpreters. Pop Up Cinema becomes the first company to pay annual royalties to actors. They will also pay royalties to musicians through Sayce.
• Pop Up Cinema does not contain commercials or ads within the platform. Advertising will be integrated through “product placement” within the original content.
• Pop Up Cinema is a producer, distributor and exhibitor. It has its own app for cell phones, website and with its server and tools such as cast. It can be navigated and played through a Smart TV.
• The project has taken about two years for its cinematographic development and the implementation of technological tools.
• It can be accessed by downloading Pop Up Cinema from the Android Play Store or the Apple App Store. Also through the website www.popupcinema.ec or from your cell phone by cast to the TV.
• On Saturday, December 4, the platform will be active for Ecuador, Latin America, the United States and Europe.