Built by someone who's lived the festival grind

I cut my teeth in film. Produced movies. Submitted them to festivals. Helped my best friend found one of the most popular film festivals in America and served as its director for several years. I know what it feels like to juggle spreadsheets at midnight, fight with submission platforms, and wonder why the tools built for this industry seem designed by people who've never set foot in a screening room.

I went on to found the first online film market and distribution platform — years before the streaming boom made digital distribution obvious. Eventually, I left the industry to build systems in other sectors, helping businesses redefine their models to be more efficient, more consumer-focused, and more profitable — all within ethical frameworks.

Then I got a phone call from a friend in the festival business. He was frustrated. The same problems I'd lived through a decade ago were not only still there — they'd gotten worse. More tools, more fragmentation, more fees, less integration. Festivals were spending thousands across disconnected platforms and still bridging the gaps with Google Sheets.

I asked a simple question: What if one intelligent platform connected filmmakers, festivals, and audiences — and actually understood the industry it was built for?

Festaiv was born.