FASTEST GROWING PRIVATE COMPANIES – GRAVITAS VENTURES

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GRAVITAS VENTURES

El Segundo

BUSINESS: Aggregator of video-on-demand films for distribution by cable, websites and other channels.

FOUNDED: 2006

TWO-YEAR GROWTH RATE: 667%

2010 REVENUE: $5.5 million

CEO Nolan Gallagher: I had the good fortune to work at Comcast when video on demand was first being rolled out in 2003. VOD was essentially an alternative to video stores and part of my responsibility was helping the Hollywood studios navigate this new distribution channel. I thought that someone should attend film festivals and cold-call producers to help make VOD deals happen.

Early Days: I attended my first American Film Market in Santa Monica six years ago with little more than some hastily created business cards. I spent four days knocking on every hotel room door asking film distributors what their VOD strategy was. Most thought VOD was an elusive revenue stream, but thankfully a few companies let me explore that stream.

Business Goals: Grow Gravitas’ revenue from eight to nine figures over the next three years.

Biggest Challenge: The Internet has made it easy to make over 100,000 films available. From a movie lover’s perspective that may sound great, but finding what one wants can be a time-consuming process. We focus on ways to better curate and market the thousands of films in our library.

Biggest Goof: For a short time, I considered selling movies on DVD. I quickly realized that I lacked the relationships or resources to compete effectively in that market. However, that foray sharpened our company’s focus.

Fresh Ideas: As technology evolves and VOD platforms like Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and iTunes expand overseas, we will introduce our independent films to audiences worldwide. I am excited for the day when a film can be released in a billion VOD homes.

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