CRI Fellow Artel Great Talks Project Catalyst & the Dilemma of Multicultural Media Distribution

2014 CRI Fellow Artel Great is a thought leader on media visibility and an advocate for the improved representation of both multicultural content creators and audiences. As a PhD candidate in Cinema Studies at NYU, a filmmaker with degrees from UCLA, and a CRI Fellow, Artel has been tirelessly instigating positive change on both sides of the camera.

During his CRI Fellowship, he has dedicated himself to Project Catalyst - an app that delivers content produced by multicultural filmmakers to multicultural audiences. Through Project Catalyst , Artel is working to give voice to often-marginalized artists and to satisfy a largely underserved audience's demand for better, more resonant entertainment . In this interview, writer/director/producer Kiara C. Jones talks with Artel about Project Catalyst - from the philosophy behind its development to how to download the app for free. 

Artel claims that "visibility is power" and we wholeheartedly agree. If you do, too, share the interview and download the app! 

3 Ways Technology is Changing the Face of the Film World

For far too long, weekend after weekend in the movie theaters we have found ourselves stuck in the mire of the mundane.  Watching the same old thing--- tentpole films, CGI, big-budget, sequels, prequels, super hero, comic book movies about white men with super powers flying through the sky in tights. 

The question becomes---  where does that leave the talented indie filmmaker with the more meager means?  Or the microbudget filmmaker with a high quality festival recognized product?  Or better still, the multicultural or underrepresented filmmaker creating for specialized audiences? 

In the digital ubiquity of today’s world it’s all about evolution, innovation, iterations, updates, new versions, better models, and constant change.  So if visibility equals power, how do the women and men making the types of films I've described above tell their stories, in their own voices and raise our collective media visibility?

Could technology be the answer?  I think so. And here are three ways I've used technology through my Project Catalyst initiative to build community and amplify the distribution of multicultural films as well as tap into film enthusiasts and movie audiences on 6 different continents in 21 countries around the world in just 4 weeks!

1. The Democratization of Information

For the first time in history we have the opportunity to engage in a total systems reboot of the film ecology.  Project Catalyst activates the same digitally powered economies of scale that allowed iTunes to change the music landscape.

Through social media campaigns we've been able to galvanize filmmakers and film lovers around the world who share the same values and introduce them to new works by indie artists who are creating some of the most creative and socially relevant work today. Platforms like Facebook allow you to target individuals with specific interests that are more inclined to appreciate the work being made in the underground. 

Engaging these people early and often helps us consolidate the energy of those who are ready to support, but didn't know what exactly to do or where to go.  One of the marvels of the internet is how much information can be shared and exchanged to expand the reach of filmmakers creating for specialized audiences.  Use this information to test out your ideas and experiment with audience building. This is the most valuable asset you can ever imagine.

2. Content & Community Aggregation

Technology also allows you to increase your volume of content creation and output at a fraction of the cost of established media entities.  From the onset I have designed Project Catalyst to be an aggregator of content and to use that content and the followings of filmmakers who created it to build a bridge and make critical connections between like minded creatives who are also working to push the boundaries of artistic expression without compromise.

The creation of the Project Catalyst Film & Music App has allowed us an opportunity to offer the world something no one else can--- a transmedia repository of the most diverse, fresh and provocative indie cinema on the planet.  In this sense, technology has not only allowed us to trigger a flashpoint of creative innovation, but to also trigger a flashpoint of artistic expression.  Now filmmakers have a signature destination where their content can reach the people who care the most about their work.

The Project Catalyst App is a signature destination that not only connects filmmakers with their target audiences --- it also provides a customized cinema and media platform that connects multicultural communities with content that reflects a broader scope of our humanity and the true spirit and diversity present in America today.

Through technology Project Catalyst allows for the aggregation and cross platform, cross pollination of content that has drawn diverse communities together.  In this way, new communities have developed around a shared new media experience and this generates new value.  Building your film community is a vital task for the modern indie filmmaker if we are to take full advantage of new technology.

3. Direct to Audience Access

Technology is also providing a new space for direct audience access.  Particularly, mobile technology.  One result of today's hyper-mediated world, is people now carry screens around with them everywhere.  Why not place your content on devices people carry with them the most, their smartphone or tablet? 

In many countries, notably in Africa and Asia, their mobile infrastructure and usage is far ahead of the United States.  Today's American indie filmmaker must think about how can I get my work on these very important screens.  Reaching these screens offers an easy access for audiences to connect with and plug into you and share your work with others who will do the same. 

So if you’re only interested in watching or having your content appear on broadcast or cable tv, Hollywood movies, or anything coming out of dominant media you probably don’t know anything about Touch by Shola Amoo, or Page 36 by Nelsan Ellis or I’ve Been Life by Cody Chesnutt, or any of the really amazing artists featured on the Project Catalyst App who are doing fantastic work all over the world, and you're definitely missing an opportunity to connect with your audience in a new more intimate way,  a way that will only continue to grow.

By being featuring their work on the Project Catalyst App our direct audience access has provided several filmmakers with new opportunities to showcase their films in traditional film festivals.  Festival directors have approached me about films that appear on the App and I've been invited to curate a program of films in the 18th annual Urbanworld Film Festival in New York City. 

This venture, dubbed, Urbanworld Underground by Project Catalyst takes place on Saturday September 20th at AMC 34th Street Theater and is increasing exposure for filmmakers and extending the life and reach of their work. 

For more info and tickets to Urbanworld Underground by Project Catalyst go to: urbanworld.org/underground .  We'll be exhibiting six films, including, sci-fi, animation, documentary, and thriller genres.

So when you're thinking about your next move as a filmmaker or ways to increase viewership and build community, think about the ways I've described above to employ new technologies and take advantage of the Project Catalyst App as a platform to let your cinematic voice be heard across the world! 

Leave a comment below and tell me the ways you're using technology to spread your film and media content.

Great ideas can change the world but it requires great people to make it happen, so download the Project Catalyst App here and spread the word.

Artel Great in Black Enterprise talks CRI, Project Catalyst, and Film as an Opportunity

2014 CRI Fellow is making waves and headlines with this CRI Fellowship project, Project Catalyst. 

During the course of his CRI Fellowship, Artel has launched Project Catalyst as movement for multicultural content and is supporting that movement with the Project Catalyst app, which is dedicated to distribution of diverse content to a receptive and engaged multicultural audience - an audience that the mainstream media often ignores.

Read the latest article on Artel and his work at BlackEnterprise.com, read his research and reflections here on the CRI blog, check out Project Catalyst online and on Facebook, and - most importantly - download the Project Catalyst app here. 

Artel will be talking more about Project Catalyst and the work he's done through his CRI Fellowship at the 18th Annual Urbanworld Film Festival, where he is curating a program of short multicultural content and will speak on a technology panel. More info to come!

On the Good Foot: the Project Catalyst NYC App Launch Review

It has been said “if you can make it in New York City, you can make it anywhere.”  After spending a year designing and building the Project Catalyst App, the time had come to unleash it on the world.  What better place to do so than New York City.  As you know, my research agenda centers on uncovering new solutions to expand media diversity and multicultural film distribution.  My goal is to use digital technology to bring progressive entertainment to underserved multicultural communities. 

Contemporaneously, the Project Catalyst App is designed to offer filmmakers from diverse backgrounds a signature destination that would showcase their incredible movies and music videos to people around the world.  This is a long overdue solution to expanding humanistic and diverse media content.

The Project Catalyst New York City App Launch was held at the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA) in the heart of Fort Greene Brooklyn. 

The event took place in a large art gallery featuring the work of an amazing visual artist, and was designed to be part industry mixer, part presentation.  I did no public marketing for this event.  My team and I sent personal invitations to guests we believed would share our values and desires.  Our guests were treated to delectable hor devours and beverages and soulful tunes from DJ Jahmedicine.  Attendees included: actors, filmmakers, producers, scholars, writers, and musicians, and television personalities.  People from diverse backgrounds who really desire to see a positive shift in the representational politics of film and media distribution. 

My presentation informed guests why the time was ripe for change to occur and why the Project Catalyst App was the perfect solution for the new social savvy multicultural media creator and consumer.  After all, people of color make up nearly 60 percent of the movie-going audience, shouldn’t they be better represented on the screens they watch? 

The most exciting aspect of the event was revealing the app to the audience on a large projector.  I was able to showcase a brief overview of the apps functionality and content.  We watched snippets from the Project Catalyst App, which features three distinct content channels: Reflections (i.e. short narrative) Vibes (i.e. music videos), and Truth (i.e. documentaries).  Guests were excited to see the app's beautiful design and how seamless it operated.  After all, giving a live presentation from my smartphone, could have gone two ways--- very good, or very bad.  Thankfully, the presentation at MoCADA went very well. 

The creative and artistic class in New York City straightaway embraced the new Project Catalyst platform, which was not an easy task to achieve.  Truly, a feat in and of itself.  In fact, our potential for expansion and partnerships was enhanced from this event.  Geoffrey Guerrero of the Katra Film Series (a Latino film series), Kay Shaw of the National Black Programming Consortium, and other organizations in attendance reached out to express their desire to develop collaborative partnerships and showcase their content on the Project Catalyst App. I guess you could say we got started off “on the good foot.” 

My goal is to begin to aggregate content and communities to enhance the platform, reach wider audiences, and create greater value through collective actions and engagement. 

One highlight of the event was the enthrallment of noted image activist and CNN contributor, Michaela Angela Davis, who after witnessing the demonstration of the Project Catalyst App immediately became an advocate for the transmedia platform and strategy.  In fact, Davis tweeted about the app touting its uniqueness as the "Netflix culturally curated around people of color."--- I could not have said it better myself!

I firmly believe that great ideas can change the world, but it requires great people to make it happen.  That’s why I need your help to download the app and share it with as many people as possible--- For easy access, you can find the Project Catalyst app here to download for free & watch.

See more about Project Catalyst initiatives at ProjectCatalyst.com

Find us on Facebook here and Follow us on Twitter here for more updates. 

What is the Project Catalyst App?

As you know, I’ve been conducting research and spearheading the development of an innovative transmedia platform, dubbed Project Catalyst, that expands the possibilities for diversity in cinema and media through its convergence with new technology, community building, and the world of visual art via work created by filmmakers and artists of color.

Now, I have an exciting update aimed specifically at all you filmmakers and film lovers.

My vision to initiate fresh media distribution strategies, through Project Catalyst has taken a positive new step--- we’ve gone global. 

I’ve been working with a team of talented people to design, build, and launch the Project Catalyst App.  Where users can watch film, music videos, and documentaries from the brightest new indie artists right on a smartphone or tablet.  The app is compatible with iPhone and Android devices, and you can even watch on your flatscreen TV by using Google Chromecast or AppleTV.

With the Project Catalyst App,  I’ve designed the first application software to distinctively showcase narrative short films, documentaries, and music videos all made by talented indie artists from Black, Latino/a, and Asian communities.

The app’s content features an impressive array of genres from drama to animation, sci-fi to experimental.  The app currently offers three distinct content channels: 1) Reflections,  2) Vibes, and 3) Truth.   Reflections = narrative, Vibes = music videos and Truth = documentary. 

My goal is to use digital technology to bring better film options to multicultural communities by offering Project Catalyst as a signature destination that showcases incredible movies and music from artists who are creating work outside the Hollywood mainstream. 

It’s a long overdue solution to expanding humanistic and diverse media content.

My team and I have spent the last four weeks organizing a national launch tour for the Project Catalyst App.   We’ve been reaching out to artistically underserved populations across our multiple social media platforms, and so far we’ve successfully executed crowd-filled invite-only events in New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles. 

The goal here is to offer the creative class, media influencers and early adopters a chance to sample the goodies and help spread the word.  The response has been fantastic!

As of today, there are people watching the Project Catalyst App on every continent in 14 different countries across North and South America, Europe, the Caribbean, Asia, the Middle East, Australia, and Africa.  All of this based on positive word of mouth from our three launch events.

Could the Project Catalyst App be the perfect platform for a new generation of social savvy consumers?  Undoubtedly. 

I’ll be revealing the strategy behind our thought campaign and details from each launch event soon.  Also, stay tuned for behind the scenes video content from our tour and insights into how you can use the Project Catalyst App to expand the reach and extend the life of your film or new media project.

Get the app free right here: http://projectcatalyst.mobapp.at/

For more info go to: projectcatalyst.com and ‘Become a Catalyst.’

Find us on Facebook here and follow us on Twitter here.

Great ideas can change the world, but it takes great people to make it happen.

Artel Great's Project Catalyst App Launches - IndieWire Helps to Push Out Press

2014 CRI Fellow Artel Great has just completed a three-city release tour for the Project Catalyst App, a multicultural media distribution tool that he's been developing during his Fellowship, to enthusiastic crowds and positive press from industry trades. 

Indiewire has followed Artel's CRI Fellowship and featured the Project Catalyst app launch events in an article last week. Writer Curtis Caesar John notes, 

"The Project Catalyst app presents a significant breakthrough.  It is the first application software to distinctively showcase narrative short films, documentaries, and music videos all made by and featuring the brightest new multicultural talent from Black, Latino/a, and Asian communities. With a wide array of film genres represented including drama, animation, and experimental, the app’s content deals with themes of love, identity, sacrifice, family, and more. The app features three separate content channels with fresh names in place of typical categories: 'Reflections,' 'Vibes,' and 'Truth' to replace narratives, music videos, and documentaries. Users who download the app receive a new way of experiencing culture through mobile devices and digital content that reflects the type of programming multicultural communities are clamoring for."

The app is available for Apple and Android mobile devices; download the app here to start watching!

See more about Project Catalyst at ProjectCatalyst.com

Congratulations, Artel!

Are We Waiting In Vain?

Make no mistake.  We are at war.   I’m not talking drone strikes.  I’m talking semiological warfare.  And it’s being waged by members of a corporate owned media industrial complex.

The battle is incessant for the spirit and mind of the people.  Semiological warfare is not waged on a traditional battled field with missiles or IEDs.  It’s waged on a cultural terrain with signs,images, and symbols. Movies. Television.  Music, and Advertising.

The commanders of this war strategize and execute plans that determine what we hear and see in dominant media. Their actions largely determine what we “like.”  And sadly, the folks making these decisions about our lives do not have the best interests of people of color in mind.  What is worse, this elite group is telling our stories in their voices.  They’re shaping our images from their perspectives.

Let it be known— there’s work to be done, and we need your help!  I am not afraid to get my hands dirty in the war games of media culture, especially if it means helping make the world a better place for our children’s future.  After all, a wise person once said, “the first shall be last, and the last shall be first.” A pretty revolutionary statement when you think about it.  We can no longer sit idly by waiting in vain for our voices to be heard.

My work with the CRI is designed to contribute to advancing media culture by offering multicultural audiences an opportunity to benefit from a customized cinema that caters to their experiences.  I aim to achieve this by capitalizing on the same digitally powered economies of scale that revolutionized the music industry. (Think of a film version of iTunes designed exclusively for people of color).

Based on my current research in cinema, media studies, and segmentation analysis, I’ve realized there remains asubstantial market for film and media that speaks directly to the lives and experiences of diverse communities (Black, Latina/o, and Asian-American), including in broader audiences who have multicultural tastes. The question becomes— why has dominant media willfully ignored this vast segment of the national audience?

I’ve spent much time thinking about what I can do as a cinema artist, media scholar, and historian, and what is my responsibility to engage in the heart of cinema’s most vital role in our society, which is to increase our vision of the possible.  It is from this line of inquiry that Project Catalyst was born.  My aim is to provide multicultural audiences with a distinctive voice that addresses their strong demand for better entertainment. Sure. We go to the movies in large numbers.  But the stories and images projected on the silver screens do not reflect the nature, depth, or breadth of our humanity. 

Project Catalyst emerges to showcase communities, films, artists, and filmmakers that Hollywood pretends do not exist.  We are offering new cultural programming that is perfectly aligned with the needs and desires of multicultural audiences.  Furthermore, Project Catalyst is also combining hybrid theatrical and alternative cinematic exhibition as a disruptive innovation designed to:

• provide better entertainment options in artistically underserved communities,

• offer a vital alternative distribution service for film and media artists whose work explores humanistic diverse perspectives, and to

• give audiences rich multilayered cultural experiences that are aligned with the needs and desires that express the love, laughter, and depth of our everyday lives.

In this respect, Project Catalyst is addressing a very specific need for a previously ignored population.  By delivering fresh and exciting film and visual culture to diverse communities across the United States, I intend to engage our audiences in a larger cultural and civic dialogue, by questioning worn-out social structures, and challenging Hollywood institutional practices through our own customized cinema and media arts.  At the end of the day, the work of Project Catalyst is critical to achieving the diversity needed in media to help save lives and open up new windows of possibility and understanding within our rapidly changing, highly mediated Twenty-First century culture.

We must truly begin to celebrate diversity in cinema and media— the audience is there, the appetite is there, the buying power is there, and the time— is NOW.  I real(eyes) great ideas can change the world, but it requires great people to make it happen. So I need your help. Go to our newly designed website www.projectcatalyst.com and fill out the information to “Become A Catalyst,” and get involved to show your support.  I look forward to taking this amazing journey with you!

Like our Facebook Page and follow us on Twitter for more details on how you can help spark this exciting change!!!