Blowtorch

About Blowtorch

Blowtorch Entertainment was a new media venture established in 2007 by co-founders Kelly Rodriques and film producer Paul Schiff. The company's strategic focus was on the 18-to-24-year-old demographic, aiming to integrate film production with interactive social media engagement. Rodriques, serving as CEO, focused on building online social networks around the films to foster audience participation throughout the production and distribution lifecycle. Schiff was tasked with producing and acquiring a portfolio of low-budget feature films, each with a production cost under $5 million.

The company's business model was predicated on creating a synergistic relationship between content and community. By allowing audiences to influence movies via the web, Blowtorch sought to build a dedicated following before a film's release. This strategy attracted considerable investor interest, culminating in a significant funding round of $50 million in late 2007, which was primarily structured as debt from several hedge funds. The firm's portfolio included films such as "Tenure," starring Luke Wilson, and it handled the U.S. theatrical release for "Young People F***ing."

Despite its initial traction and media features in publications like *Fortune* and *The Economist*, Blowtorch Entertainment's operations were severely impacted by the 2008 financial crisis. The company's primary hedge fund backers went out of business, leading to a recall of approximately 90% of the invested capital. Consequently, the company ceased its primary operations and the board of directors was disbanded around July 2009. The domain blowtorch.com is currently listed for sale, and the company is defunct, though revival efforts have been noted.