By Riley Kaminer
“The future of content creation is interactive, and the engine that drives this change is in Miami, Florida,” proclaimed Giovanni Punzo, co-founder and CEO of Miami-based video platform Streann.
Punzo’s excitement packs a punch, with his infectious enthusiasm breaking through the fourth wall of our Zoom call.
This energy is critical in an industry that has had to reinvent itself multiple times over the last decade. The rise of streaming services sent shockwaves through the media world. Legacy content companies scrambled to create their own platforms. But at the same time, the rise of Web 2.0 social media led to the rise of independent creators.
The meteoric rise and premature demise of Quibi suggests that the industry’s turbulence is here to stay. The startup, which was backed by a team of top talent in tech and media, wasn’t able to crack the code of 21st century content consumption – signaling that it won’t be the traditional heavyweights who usher in the next generation of media platforms.
Perhaps Punzo, co-founder and CTO Antonio Calderon, and their tech-forward team of 72 will be those thought leaders.
“Our customers come to us because we are three to five years ahead of everyone else,” Punzo told Refresh Miami.
Platforms like Facebook, TikTok, and Snapchat are key for creators to grow their audience. But the problem is that the creators are beholden to the whims of the platforms’ algorithms, while these platforms also take a major cut of revenue.
Streann aims to flip the script on this traditional distribution and engagement strategy by empowering creators. “Through our platform, we want to make sure that each creator always wins – that they are in charge of their own destiny and can use social media to market themselves on their own platforms powered by Streann,” explained Punzo.
“Our DNA is the content success formula: Content (Distribution x Engagement) = Monetization,” Punzo continued. “It’s the reason we wake up in the morning.”
Since opening up shop in 2016, Streann has developed a proliferation of platforms for creators to become their own Netflix or Spotify within 24 hours. The startup, which currently has upwards of 50,000 content creators plus millions of users in 141 countries, lets users distribute their content on all platforms – from web to iOS to Roku and more – while also keeping viewers engaged through participatory tools like polls and interactive chats.
Streann’s core offerings include Streann.Studio, enabling customers to create a video podcasts in a matter of minutes; Live2Social, an app for multi-camera live streaming setups (“because Zoom is boring and we need to disrupt the viewing experience and interactivity,” said Punzo); and OTT 3.0, a platform that lets content creators develop and interact a community around their content.
Recently, Streann has begun to apply Web3 technologies to the content distribution space. For instance, they have created augmented reality tools that make it easy for creators to add another level of interactivity to their content. They are also working on a tool for clients to sell NFTs to their audience. Punzo expects these Web3 tools to go live in time for the FIFA World Cup happening starting this November, when six of Streann’s customers will be streaming it live.
“With our technology, we are pushing the boundaries of social and economic democratization of content,” asserted Punzo. “And it’s all made here in South Florida.”
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