Atom Entertainment to Fund Web Video Shorts

Atom Entertainment has begun funding programming for the Web through a new division, called AtomFilm Studios. Geared toward original content, the broadband play stands in sharp contrast to the repurposed TV programming pushed online in recent months.

Atom will fund at least five video projects in the first quarter, including a reality series based on Craigslist’s Casual Encounters and a “stop-motion homage to old school videogames.”

These and future video endeavors will be published to the AtomFilms site and its online and mobile entertainment partners. AtomFilms.com is supported by advertising, and revenue from distribution partnerships comes through a combination of ads and syndication fees.

The scale of the projects is much smaller than what’s standard in television production, and so are the budgets.

“There will be things that are thousands of dollars, and things that are tens of thousands of dollars,” said Megan O’Neill, VP of content acquisitions for Atom Entertainment. It depends on the pitch, if it’s a series or just a one-off.”

Earlier broadband initiatives from Atom have included exclusive relationships with JibJab Media.

AtomFilms also named the winners of its Intel Indies Film Contest, announced back in September. The grand prize winner, Nicholas Worthey, was given a content development deal with AtomFilms Studio, plus technology and cash prizes.

That contest called on directors to create shorts that incorporated a “magic wand” theme. They were asked to use an Intel processor as part of their production process.