Ethereum developer Consensys has announced that Film.io, a startup that uses crypto power to democratize the Hollywood studio system, will be the first partner to join VillageDAO, a smart contract framework and service provider for Web3 communities, formed within ConsenSys back in 2022.

Ethereum brings together a vast ecosystem these days, and decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) have had the power to ignite that community and drive various projects and fundraising ideas of all sorts.

A clear target for some degree of decentralization, the Hollywood studio system is a highly evolved series of gatekeeping intermediaries and the result is a world where storytelling and creativity is systematically stifled, points out Bryan Hertz, co-creator of Film.io.

“Film.io is a decentralized community that filmmakers can build around their own film project and really choose their own path,” said Hertz in an interview. “They can seek funding, distribution, as well as assistance from the community in developing their project, whether it's improving the idea or even getting assets recreated, like movie posters or things like that, doing it In a decentralized way.”

From a Film.io perspective, Hertz said he sees film projects with budgets ranging from half a million dollars to $30 million-plus, which he expects to increase as more studios come on board the platform.

VillageDAO, originally incubated within Consensys back in 2022 and now planning a life of its own, can offer a brand like Film.io a better managed environment than the likes of Discord, said Consensys managing director Dror Avieli.

“Discord is a great tool to some degree, but it can quite quickly become a kind of Wild West where you encounter many different levels of behavior and quite a bit of chaos,” said Avieli in an interview. “We believe in creating an environment with better technology, better procedures and better funding, and overall better community management and support.”

As VillageDAO’s first official partner, Film.io will have a designated white-label portal on the

VillageDAO platform: The Film.io Village. To kick off the partnership, Film.io, and VillageDAO are rolling out a “Community Expert'' certification program that allows Film.io members to support the existing community and assist in onboarding new users, the companies said.