Editor

After building several successful partnerships with filmmakers and festivals throughout its first year in business, Austin-based Bside Entertainment has unveiled its innovative platform of services at the South By Southwest (SXSW) 2006 Interactive/Film Trade Show. Bside is led by a strong advisory board that includes writer/producer Steven Bochco, former Polygram Films president Andrew Fogelson, top entertainment attorney Barry Hirsch, Slamdance co-founder and former AFI Fest director Jon Fitzgerald, and Academy Award winning editor Stephen Mirrione. Bside is the first online community that allows filmgoers to review and recommend films, filmmakers to interact directly with their audiences, and festivals to track theater buzz. Bside discovers the best films playing the festival circuit, and brings those films to audiences—wherever they are.

When audiences raved about director Scott Allen Perry’s documentary, “The Outdoorsmen: Blood, Sweat, and Beers,” at the Austin Film Festival this past October, Bside listened, offering to distribute the film. Bside used word-of-mouth marketing and online buzz and within months, “The Outdoorsmen” was outperforming Oscar-winning Hollywood favorites at Austin’s Alamo Drafthouse, and was reaching new audiences in theaters from New York City to Anchorage, Alaska. “I knew that my film belonged in theaters,” explained filmmaker Perry. “Bside proved that it doesn’t take millions of dollars to help people connect to a film.” Bside estimates that they spent less than $500 per city in advertising the movie – an unprecedented budget even for independent film.

"The story of ‘The Outdoorsmen’ is just beginning," said Bside Founder and CEO Chris Hyams. "By enhancing the film festival experience, finding terrific films embraced by audiences, and exploring alternative distribution methods, Bside can help independent films reach a level of success previously thought impossible." Bside has partnered with the upcoming Philadelphia, Jacksonville, and San Diego festivals, and has already selected the second film it will help market – IFC Documentary “Rank,” which premieres this week at SXSW. The “Rank” relationship is part of a broader Bside marketing partnership with IFC, including promotion of IFC films at film festivals across the nation and the potential incorporation of Bside’s online community into IFC.com. "IFC is very excited to partner with Bside,” relates IFC Marketing and Promotions Director Evan Fleischer. “Their interactive community, with its unique connection to independent film audiences, fits the IFC brand perfectly - enabling us to bring IFC's great films and programming to an even broader audience."