Santa Monica movie-streaming service Feeln has found its recent image overhaul to be good for business.
The service, owned by Hallmark Cards Inc. of Kansas City, Mo., changed its name last month from SpiritClips in an effort to clear up confusion that it was a faith-based network, or that it only offered short videos rather than full movies.
Feeln’s streaming service offers family-friendly movies to subscribers for a monthly charge. It works like Netflix, except you won’t find horror films or other material to make you squirm. Content is both produced in-house and acquired from major studios.
Chief Executive Rob Fried said that in the month after the change the service signed up 50 percent more subscribers than it had in its final month as SpiritClips. The service has hundreds of thousands of subscribers, he said, but he would not give an exact number.
“We thought repositioning would open us up to a larger audience,” Fried said. “We still see ourselves as a niche service, but the niche is larger.”
Feeln is available on set-top boxes such as Roku and Xbox consoles as well as on its website, which was also restyled last month.
Another part of the rebranding was adding a number of studio hits to the service, such as “Sleepless in Seattle, “Liar Liar” and “Dances With Wolves.” The company licenses content from most of the major studios and offers made-for-TV movies from the Hallmark Hall of Fame collection.
The service has a staff of 80, many of whom are writers, directors and other creative staff who produce short films with an inspirational twist. The company’s filmmaking employees also have a hand in selecting the movies that will be licensed for the platform, Fried said.
Fried, who was a producer on films such as “Rudy” and “Boondock Saints,” founded the service in 2007. He sold it to Hallmark in 2012, and now uses that relationship to build its subscriber base.
For example, people who pay for a Hallmark e-card subscription can get a discount for Feeln, which normally charges $3.99 a month for an annual membership.
Feeln isn’t profitable, but Fried said the service is moving in the right direction as revenue grows after the rebranding.
Superhero Show
Organizers of Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo are expecting their biggest turnout to date when the comic convention kicks off on Halloween.
Like other such events, Comikaze celebrates all things pop culture and geeky, with a focus on comic books, superheroes and cult classics. It’s to be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Oct. 31 through Nov. 2.
The show is a joint venture between L.A.’s Comikaze Entertainment Inc. and Santa Monica trade show organizer Advanstar Communications, which was purchased Oct. 1 for $972 million by London media firm UBM. Lee is a partner in the show.
Keith Tralins, chief executive at Comikaze, said this year’s show is expected to get about 62,000 attendees, up from about 52,000 last year.
“We’ve been having steady 20 percent growth every year,” he said.
The show will include panel discussions, interviews and other appearances from TV personalities and other recognizable faces from pop culture. For example, cast members of “Game of Thrones” is scheduled to appear, as are Howie Mandel and comedian Paul Scheer. The event also features an exhibitor floor offering comic-book memorabilia and other wares. A trick-or-treat event for kids is planned for Halloween night, as is an attempt the next day to set the world record for the largest human game of Tetris.
The organizers have found demand to be high enough to merit raising ticket prices this year to $30 for a day, up from $25 last year, and $70 for three days, up from $60 last year.
Comikaze has five full-time employees, but the show hires hundreds of temporary workers to handle ticket-taker and security duties, among others, during the event.
This is the fourth year for the show. After turning a profit in its first year, it was in the red as it grew in its second year and was profitable last year, Tralins said.
Comings and Goings
Santa Monica studio Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. has promoted Jim Packer and Ron Schwartz to co-heads of the company’s global home entertainment business. … TV distribution and production firm Dynamic Television has hired Gilda Demirtas as vice president of sales in Munich; Jan Bennemann as vice president of co-productions and acquisitions in Berlin; and Noel Manzano as director of operations and acquisitions in Los Angeles. … Time Warner Cable SportsNet of El Segundo has hired Antawn Jamison as a member of the network’s on-air team.
Staff reporter Jonathan Polakoff can be reached at [email protected] or (323) 549-5225, ext. 226.
