EXCLUSIVE: Former NBC Co-Chairman Ben Silverman, Micah Green (CEO of 30 West), Tanya Cohen (Co-CEO of Made by Us), actress Emmanuelle Chriqui (Entourage), producer Anthony Bregman (Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind) and Keshet International are among the advisory board members of new platform Shooq, which aims to connect Jewish creators with investors keen to accelerate Jewish storytelling.
The group, overseen by veteran producers Ari Pinchot and Jonathan Rubenstein, is aiming to help finance film, TV, podcasts and digital media that “strengthen Jewish identity, combat antisemitism and bring top level Jewish stories to global audiences”.
Named after the Hebrew word for marketplace and launching this week during the Toronto Film Festival and market, the group aims to connect creators with investors, media funds, studios, foundations, philanthropists, and mission-driven funding partners.
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According to its founders, the platform already features narrative features, TV series, podcasts and social media video content. Funders are being sought to finance development, production and marketing with each project curated by the Shooq platform to match it with an appropriate financier.
Unlike crowdfunding platforms, Shooq isn’t designed to raise or manage funds directly, but more as a matchmaking platform with funders creating profiles outlining their investment interests, requirements, preferred genres, funding ranges, and areas of focus. When a project aligns with those criteria, Shooq facilitates a direct introduction between the creators and the potential funder. Any investment or grant discussions take place directly between the parties. Funders can also showcase their own projects for additional funding. According to the founders, the site already features funders from the investment and philanthropic arenas.
Shooq is also offering funders access to industry consultants and “optional reporting tools and impact metrics for mission-driven funders seeking to measure their project’s cultural and social outcomes”. Participation is free and funders can participate anonymously, depending on their preference.
Founders Pinchot and Rubenstein produced the Roast of Anti-Semitism comedy show in LA and run the Jewish Writers Institute with the Maimonides Fund.
“Great stories shape culture,” said Pinchot. “Many investors and philanthropists have been eager to support meaningful [Jewish] media but lacked both a trusted way to curate projects and an efficient mechanism and/or the means to fully finance them. Shooq is the solution.”
Jonathan Rubenstein added: “We can’t afford to keep competing with one another for the same limited resources. We need to come together under one roof, pool our resources, and give our best [Jewish] storytellers the support they need to get impactful projects made to reach audiences around the world. That is what Shooq is designed to do.”
