A Vision For Success

The average Irish film-maker lives in a world far removed from the glitz and glamour of a Hollywood premiere.

The task of getting the funding to bring together a cast, crew and the equipment to make even a modest film is a tough one and it requires commitment and passion, True commercial success is elusive for most– there are much easier ways of making money. Film graduate Brendan Phelan knows this but sees a business model in helping Irish movie-makers realise their dreams.

“ In Ireland, when you leave college as a film-maker, you are left to fend for yourself and there are no established networks to help you make your way in the business,” he says.

Phelan has worked in directing for a number of independent production companies since graduating with a masters in Film & Television Studies from DCU, but has always wanted to do his own thing.

His vision is to put his fledgling firm, Crewger, at the centre of the Irish film industry bringing together a community of film-makers and technicians to pool information and resources, organise training and host screenings – all via an online platform. “All around the country, you have people working in isolation. They might need to hire some equipment for a few days or need cast or crew – or they might want to offer their services. By registering on our site, they can hopefully access what they are looking for.”

Phelan’s enthusiasm for the business is palpable but it has been matched from the start with a recognition that he had a lot to learn. “I was always confident in the concept but obviously having an idea is never enough in itself. Two things have convinced me to turn it into a business - market research and professional advice.  I approached the Dublin City Enterprise Board early on and the advice they gave me has proved invaluable,” he says.

“I have had numerous meetings with members of the internet, business and filmmaking communities. I also consumed books such as 'The Beermat Entrepreneur' to get insiders advice on how to turn a good idea you are passionate about into a workable business.”
 
Phelan has been developing the site for the past year with his brother Patrick, an accountant, and has long-term ambitious to attract 4,000 paid members providing subscriptions and other revenue streams.

For now, the plot involves getting a critical mass of people to interact with the site for free to provide a launch pad for a more commercial enterprise. At the moment, around 3000 visitors a month are logging onto crewger.ie. The online business is also organising real world events including screenings and get-togethers in clubs, which are attracting up to 150 guests and Brendan also maintains a blog on the crewger.ie site to maintain interest.

“We’re creating opportunities for people to come together and encouraging people to organise themselves. There will be a strong local dimension in the way the site is organised. For example, film-makers in Mayo will be able to interact with others in their area and collaborate on projects,” Brendan says.

He reckons that there are around 1,500 traditional film-makers in Ireland. However, the explosion of interest in sites such as You Tube, where amateurs can post their videos on the internet, means that interest in film-making and access to new audiences is growing at an unprecedented rate. “There is a huge hunger out there to create content, particularly amongst the younger generation, something that really frightens the television establishment,” he says.

The Phelans’ ambitions are being supported by the Dublin City Enterprise Board. The Board has provided €5,000 in a feasibility study grant - a welcome injection in this embryonic venture which Phelan says has helped them gain credibility. The brothers reckon they will spend €30,000 in the initial phase of their development, with around half coming from their own savings.

Attracting additional funding is one of the main challenges the Phelans face. “Crewger is venturing into new territory and it’s a hard sell. We’re a little ahead of the curve and we need to convince people that what we are doing is more than just a website – we’re creating an online community,”  says Brendan.

With the current slowdown in business lending this may not appear to be an ideal time to be sourcing money for new venture but Patrick’s finance background has been a big help in putting together a professional and coherent business plan for the venture, Brendan says, and he is confident that further financing can be secured in the coming months.

Getting others in the business to buy into Crewger’s vision has been another challenge. Brendan says that one of the key tasks for Crewger now is to get the owners of production facilities to open up their services and to engage with the Crewger community.

While there’s an undoubted benevolent element to the Crewger story in the brothers’ desire to support Irish-film-making, the Phelans are also convinced that there’ s  a compelling business plot. “We’ve ideas around software licensing for the more professional film-maker and if we can make a success of it in Ireland, there’s every reason to believe we can roll-out our model abroad,” Brendan says.

His advice to would be entrepreneurs: “ Don’t make any financial investments without major market research. Not only will it allow you to confirm how solid your initial idea is financially, it will also bring up other services or revenue streams you may not have thought of.”

www.crewger.ie

© 2009 Dublin City Enterprise Board. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or part without the permission from the D.C.E.B.

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