Meet the Team
Distrify started as some crazy ideas and a series of experiments that Peter and Andy cooked up while sitting through another dull "new distribution" panel in Cannes. Using some of our own films as guinea pigs, we spent a couple years dragging them through the mud of online film. After some successes and failures, lots of conversations, a few arguments and a couple of fund-raising pitches, our friends at Creative Scotland gave us a few quid to get started in the Autumn of 2010.
Within a few months, we had a working verison of Distrify and an amazing team behind it. Distrify has been built from scratch by a dedicated team that blends decades of film industry experience with decades of experience with web applications, ecommerce and social media.
Peter Gerard
the visionary
Peter is a multi-award-winning film producer and director and a pioneer in film distribution strategy. He also has 15 years' experience developing award-winning online software applications, including The D-Word online documentary community and websites for Oscar-nominated production companies. He regularly attends key markets and festivals including Cannes, Berlin, Amsterdam, Sheffield, etc., where he is invited to host or participate in panels. His films have won many awards (including a BAFTA New Talent Award), and he has distributed them via countless channels.
As Distrify's CEO, Peter oversees product development, customer support, user experience, global payments and a whole range of other things.
Andy Green
the powerhouse
Andy has more than 10 years experience as a film producer and editor, including a strong background in the advertising industry. He worked on several Cannes Media Lion winning campaigns for the world's top commercials agencies. Andy was selected for "Features Scotland" - the Scottish Government sponsored expo of up-and-coming film producers. He has worked across film finance, production, distribution and marketing, and draws on this experience to ensure clients of all sizes get what they need from Distrify.
As the COO of Distrify, Andy oversees marketing, sales and client relationships. If you don't understand all this new stuff about online distribution, spend a half-hour with Andy and you'll not only be an expert, but you'll be inspired to take on the world.
David Nicholas Wilkinson
the sage
David Nicholas Wilkinson, founder of the Guerilla companies, is unique in the UK entertainment industry. Since entering the industry in 1970 his hands-on experience and depth of knowledge in a range of different show business sectors is almost certainly unequalled by anyone else working in Britain today. This gives him an enviable overview across the media world. He has a proven track record in film/TV and theatre production winning many awards; cinema/DVD/VOD/airline/TV/online distribution; book publishing as well as event management. He was also an award winning actor and has starred in film/TV/theatre productions. He has produced and/or distributed almost 150 feature films. David has also acted as a consultant on over 300 feature film projects for institutional financiers, individual investors and numerous film and television production companies seeking funding. He has chaired numerous film industry panels and events, has been a jury member of film festivals around the world and frequently appears in the press, radio & TV covering many aspects of the entertainment business.
David is Chairman at Distrify and offers a wealth of experience, knowledge and contacts. David says:
“As a distributor I had become increasingly frustrated and angry at the terms offered by online companies. LoveFilm (owned by the mighty Amazon) made me a truly appalling offer for my library that was an insult to every one of my filmmakers. Even iTunes who offered excellent terms were problematic to work with, expensive to upload our films, offered no control over the promotion nor transparent accounting. I'm naturally sceptical of VOD, but 12 minutes into my first meeting with Distrify I not only agreed to give them all my films but I wanted to join them. So impressed am I with their business model that I am devoting most of my time to helping the company grow.”
Jen Davies
the movie marketeer
Jen's film and marketing experience reaches across the spectrum from cinemas and film festivals to distribution, publishing and much more. She headed up Communications and Marketing at the Glasgow Film Festival and Glasgow Film Theatre during a period of significant growth for the Glasgow Film brand. She now splits her time between Distrify and Park Circus Films - the leading distributors of classic films in cinemas.
Jen manages film portfolios for a number of our clients. She knows films and she certainly knows marketing, so if you need any tips, just ask.
Stephen Green
the professional
Stephen joined Distrify after four years as assistant Operations Director at one of Scotland’s largest commercial law firms. He has extensive experience of business administration, accounts, billing and finance, project management and multi-jurisdictional media and intellectual property law. Prior to acquiring his first-class honours law degree, Stephen was a university lecturer specialising in East European Cinema and Russian Language. Stephen has also assisted Andy and Peter in the finance, contracting and production of a number of films over the past 15 years.
As International Business Manager and Chief Legal Officer at Distrify, Stephen takes care of international business, finance and contracting. He's a stickler for detail and keeps the rest of us in check!
Wesley Luyten
the experience genius
Known throughout the web-video community for his superb open-source web-video tools, Wesley is one of the most talented coders and designers in the world of online video and beyond. Wesley heads up the development and design of our cutting-edge multi-platform video players. Wesley's pixel-pushing skills are only matched by his BMX-handling skills. He flies through the air on two wheels and makes sure Distrify's amazing user experience flies high above the competition.
Douglas Shearer
the architect
A few months back, Douglas broke his "space-bar thumb" on a mountain bike race. Not missing a beat, he slowly trained himself to press the space-bar with the other thumb. When Douglas isn't out on his mountain bike winning races and getting covered in Scottish mud, he's building the robust platform that keeps Distrify running day-to-day. Douglas has built social networks, online video platforms and all kinds of other web applications. He regularly contributes to the open source community and is a demon on both the bike and the keyboard. If you're ever wondering how Distrify manages to handle millions of simultaneous customers, you can ask Douglas, but I can't promise you'll understand the answer. He keeps Distrify going every day, with or without his right thumb.
Where are we?
the office
We're spread around the world, and often on the move. So if you want to meet, we can make an appointment at the next major festival or market, or we may be able to visit you. Or if you want to trek up to Scotland, you can often find us in our office above the Glasgow Film Theatre. Make an appointment before visiting.
Distrify Limited
Glasgow Film Theatre
12 Rose Street
Glasgow
G3 6RB
Scotland
UK
Who’s backing us?
the investors
Distrify received launch-funding from Creative Scotland via two successful pitches: Interactive Scotland's Digital Inspirations pitch and the Cultural Enterprise Office's Starter for 6 Fast Track programme. We then pitched to the Technology Strategy Board to receive further funding. Distrify also received development support through NESTA's TAKE12:UK programme. Creative Scotland and Scottish Enterprise continue to support Distrify's development through further funding and services. We would like to thank these organisations for their generosity and support.
