I recently had the pleasure of speaking to its founder, Mr. Rishi Kapoor, about the idea behind his ambitious streaming service, the competitive nature of the streaming service industry, and a lot more in this interview.
Vidal Dcosta for The Movie Buff: What sets paus apart from other streaming services out there?
Paus is designed with filmmakers in mind. Our platform is a space where independent films can be uploaded and enjoyed, with no monthly costs or unfair algorithms which hide certain films in favour of big budgets and stars. On paus, filmmakers can host their own exclusive viewing events, screen their films for a limited time, and receive tips from friends, family and fans with the click of a button.
With what goals in mind did you set out to create paus and how did the idea for this streaming service sprout?
Since the invention of the Internet, creators have been led to believe that their innovative, hard work should be given out for free, that their art should be rewarded with pennies whilst big brands and blockbusters rake in billions. My vision is to help forge a fairer world for creatives, and paus aims to give filmmakers the ability to receive tips directly from people who enjoyed their content. The goal is to allow visionary storytellers to have a space to share their work, whatever their background or following.
Has it been an easy task running this streaming service, especially with the rise of many other streaming platforms? What are some hurdles that you’ve had to overcome?
Because we offer something quite unique in that filmmakers are able to build relationships with their audiences, we don’t feel great pressure to compete, so to speak, with the more traditional streaming platforms.
Of course, as we are still growing, we found there were ebbs and flows in traffic. This is where our idea of hosting films for limited times was born, allowing filmmakers to create their own 24 or 48-hour events, send invitations to their friends, family and following, and receive more tips thanks to the time sensitivity and exclusive nature of their place on our site.
Although we don’t have ‘subscribers’ in a traditional sense, as there is no monthly cost, we have seen a lot of people making accounts on paus.”rishi kapoor, paus founder.
The ‘tipping’ function on the platform is especially intriguing. What was the motivation behind this particular function and how will it help filmmakers?
Most of the filmmakers who post their film on our site say their tips will go towards their next project, which is great! It’s so special to think that your tip may play a part in someone’s art, particularly in an industry that is so tough on new blood.
Has the pandemic affected the subscriber count for paus in any way or played havoc with the way you run the service or has it been smooth sailing so far?
Although we don’t have ‘subscribers’ in a traditional sense, as there is no monthly cost, we have seen a lot of people making accounts on paus. I think that, during the pandemic, people have really realised both how important the arts are, as well as how much is at stake if we lose independent work due to a lack of funding. The film industry would be on its knees if it weren’t for the dedicated supporters and creatives and I think the steady increase in the number of people who are watching our film screenings and Q&As are testament to that.
Finally, I would love to know what more is in store for paus viewers? Are there any major tweaks or developments in the works that you could share?
We’ve got some incredibly exciting things happening over the rest of the year, including festival partnerships and TV deals. We’re also hoping to host lots more theatre events in the future, to add to the fantastic body of theatre work live on our site right now. Theatre is something we have to fight for at the moment, and paus is a good place to join the fight.
If you’re not onboard the paus train yet, I highly recommend hopping on by downloading the app either from the Google Play Store (for Android users) or from the iOS app store (for Apple users). You can learn more by visiting www.paus.tv.
