FilmPod & DBO & Game Jams!

IPG Leads The Way Into The Future Of Film Distribution!

The IPG- developed FilmPod & Digital Box Office launch will begin in October, 2025, date TBA and in November with the Dark Veil Game Jam on November 6, 2025!

Over the next weeks and months, you will see continual revisions and sometimes complete changes to the structure of the FilmPod.app website, which is the hub of the nascent FilmPod universe. In October, the FilmPod and Digital Box Office structure will be begin a year’s long rolling launch with the release of the SSI/PUNC produced series Uncharted Freedom. New titles and filmmakers will join FilmPod over the months, leading to the official launch in July, 2026 with the exclusive premiere of the feature film Dark Veil.

Dark Veil will establish the IPG-developed Digital Box Office paradigm, and will begin as the first ever film to be marketed in this way. The Dark Veil film kicks off the marketing by hosting Dark Veil Game Jam - a 72 hour live-stream in November 2025 (registration for competing teams opens September 19, 2025).

Traditionally, the only time film and gaming comes together is in adaptation (ie. a film about or adapted from a game or a game adapted from a film). Dark Veil is the first feature film to associate with a game jam and with the gaming community directly. The gaming audience dwarfs the film audience in size and in active engagement. So we created Dark Veil, a film which in genre and theme is welcomed by that community, and the Dark Veil Game Jam, which highlights the film but also encourages the creative aspirations of game developers and players. This has not been done before. This is unique and groundbreaking, and that is what we are interested in doing. Not only are we promoting a film, we are helping develop other creatives along the way.

Want to know more? Know someone who might want to participate in the game jam? Want to be involved in FilmPod/DBO or the game jam? Contact [email protected].

Thanks & Funding Update!

FIRST, on behalf of SSI and IPG, I give our heartfelt thanks to those who helped this week following our call for donations on Monday. You have all expressed your belief in the efforts and vision we have, and you have shown that with your own contribution. In doing so, you have joined us in this work and we thank you.

We are still short of our goal, but by less than $1000. This may seem a very small amount but this is not a situation where close counts, or where there is grace in time. We must meet certain overhead expenses and we have no other resources at this time to keep the PUNC participants working and the program moving forward. There are no grants or other funding sources left to us at this moment in time.

So once again, if you can assist in any way - regardless of the amount your contribution helps please go direct to the secure donations page at stagescreen.org where you will find a way that works for your payment preference (debit/credit, zelle, cashapp or ACH). All donations are tax-deductible and receive tax receipts for your returns. If required, SSI’s 501(c)(3) registration status is on the site.

SSI/IPG Influence Expands Through Cininfo

As alluded to earlier this week, courses created by SSI/IPG are expanding!

Based in India, Cininfo.in is rapidly expanding membership throughout the EU and North America, and is becoming known as the Linkedin of independent film. Cininfo invited the IPG and SSI to create one-on-one mentoring and consulting sessions for writers and producers on Cininfo. We are further invited to adapt certain of the PUNC program courses to the general membership there.

We are pleased to be associated with Cininfo at this time. The founders and organizers of Cininfo have a mission to empower independent filmmakers and help them manifest their vision. This is one of the missions of the IPG and SSI, so joining forces is natural.

The association with Cininfo will help expand awareness of the IPG globally, and will lead to much greater influence on the filmmaking industry than currently possible on other social media sites, even those who associate with film. It is one of the steps we are taking to achieve our mandate of changing the industry to the advantage of the independent producer.

That’s all for this week!