Q3 2019

18 | Q3 2019 Apr19398 Filmily Ltd is a tech start-up that plans to be a new leader in the relatively underutilised user generated content arena, revolutionising how brands advertise and market themselves to new consumers. Earlier this year, Filmily was named the ‘Most Innovative for Fan-Based Video Creations for Brand Management Purposes’ in the 2019 SME 100 programme. We spoke with the company’s Andy Doyle to find out more. Embracing Fan-Generated Content for the Future of Brand Development User-generated content remains an illusive holy grail for advertising and marketing firms around the world, remaining just out of sight, with experts and leaders deliberating and debating about the best way to utilise this veritable gold mine. After all, user-generated content is organic, friendly, warm – qualities that corporate- engineered content can only hope to mimic. Where others have tiptoed, Filmily have leapt in, as Andy explains in more detail. “We collect content from 100s of thousands of mobile phones at large scale events and use our back- end AI systems to create short-form fan-based content for publication via social channels. At the moment, we are working with event owners in music/festivals, sporting events and news agencies. Moreover, due to our success, we are developing a consumer version (called Stitch) which is targeted at smaller events, like Weddings.” “We are patented, unique and certainly the most advanced globally in what we are aiming to achieve.” More than anything, Filmily have done what many could not, and that is to integrate best in class supplementary processes to ensure that their product is future-proof, and adaptable to the needs of those that would make use of it. “We have a phased process for understanding content. The first phase is the ‘Environmental Phase’: when recorded using our camera, we collect data every second about location, direction, pitch, zoom, speed and more. The ‘Content Phase’ kicks in when the films are received to our servers and then every second is analysed to understand what’s in it. The ‘Who Phase’ takes place during the latter, and our software spots faces, and extracts them, automatically understanding age and emotions etc. Lastly is the ‘Brand Phase’, where we train our systems on brands, finding logos and the like in content. With all this we clients create campaigns, which take 100s of videos, automatically find the best, edit them and stitch them together.” Despite the efficacy of their product, Filmily has encountered challenges during their growth – not least of which is the most difficult for firms of all sizes across the technology industry: being recognised. “The hardest part for any tech start up is shouting loud enough to be heard and to get people to take you seriously. Luckily, the necessity of fan-based content is just being realised and coming through.” As a result, Filmily are planning to speed up their growth cycle over the coming couple of years, as Andy states in his closing comments. “We are raising investment in 2019, with a view to the B2C launch in 2020.” Name: Andy Doyle Address: 4 Castle Street, Totnes, Devon, TQ9 5NU, United Kingdom Website: www.filmi.ly Telephone: 07900241369 “The hardest part for any tech start up is shouting loud enough to be heard and to get people to take you seriously. Luckily, the necessity of fan-based content is just being realised and coming through.”