Ron Perlman-backed Watrfall has opened submissions for its first creator slate, a $275,000 fund with an unusual twist: after executives review pitches, the platform’s community will vote on which eligible projects get financed.
The money and the mechanism
The fund is split three ways. One feature film receives $150,000, one TV pilot receives $75,000, and ten projects in development receive $5,000 each. Creators can pitch original ideas until November 15.
Watrfall says its executives will review every submission and respond within six weeks. Eligible projects then go to the community for a vote. The top selections get the funding. That replaces the conventional closed-door greenlight with a public, if still curated, decision.
Why this matters for the business
For entertainment marketers and content strategists, the model is a signal worth tracking. It sits between a traditional development grant and crowdfunding: Watrfall supplies the capital, but the audience acts as the gatekeeper. That can turn early voters into advocates who have a stake in a project’s success before it is released.
Creators also get a different deal structure. Watrfall says they retain significant ownership of their intellectual property and more creative control, while the company and community hold the rest and share in revenues.
The community layer
The Watrfall Community is set to launch as a free-to-join collective. Founding members are promised exclusive benefits such as numbered membership cards and early access to projects. Referrals unlock additional perks, with live Q&As, behind-the-scenes content and premiere experiences on the longer-term roadmap. Some Watrfall team members are in Cannes this week for MIPCOM.
- Submissions close November 15; the team responds within six weeks.
- Feature funding: $150,000. Pilot funding: $75,000. Development grants: $5,000 each for ten projects.
- Eligible projects are voted on by the community, not chosen solely by studio executives.
Co-founders Michael Donovan and Dana Landry framed the pitch around creative independence and a real voice for audiences. Landry said the goal is to invite audiences to play a meaningful role rather than leaving greenlight decisions “solely to studio executives.”
From a marketer’s view, a community with voting rights is also a ready cohort for launch campaigns. People who chose a project are likely to watch, share and defend it. That is the same logic behind fan ownership in sports and early-access communities in gaming, applied to scripted film and TV.
The open question is whether audience preference maps to bankable content. A vote tells you what an engaged niche wants; it does not guarantee reach beyond that niche. Still, for a first slate, that may be the point: test the model, learn what the community selects, and refine before scaling.
For creators, the practical checklist is short. Have an original concept ready by November 15, structure the pitch for two audiences—the internal review and the community vote—and be clear about the IP and revenue split you are offering. For media teams, the slate is a low-cost testing ground: watch whether community-voted projects convert to early audience demand.
Source: Deadline
