From Fans to Funders: CineBlock Launches SEC-Approved Platform to Democratize Film Financing

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESS Newswire / July 16, 2025 /CineBlock, a U.S.-based technology company operating at the intersection of blockchain, entertainment, and finance, has officially launched its SEC-approved equity crowdfunding platform. Cineblock enables fans and retail investors to own a stake in film, television, and media projects from inception. The move comes as content consumption reaches unprecedented levels across platforms like YouTube and TikTok, yet access to capital for creators remains controlled mainly by legacy studios.

CineBlock 's model offers a legally compliant securities marketplace that allows both accredited and non-accredited investors to fund entertainment projects. The platform is designed to help creators raise capital at any stage without compromising control or waiting for funding from traditional financiers.

YouTube, which now reaches more than 2.7 billion monthly active users and streams over one billion hours of video content daily (Statista, 2024). This reflects the seismic shift in how audiences engage with media. Yet for creators looking to scale beyond short-form content into feature-length films or serialized programming, financing options remain limited, opaque, and often inaccessible. CineBlock addresses this disconnect by offering a regulated, transparent, and participatory model for entertainment finance.

"The average fan probably never imagined they could invest in a story before it hits the screen," said Sharif Bennett, co-founder of CineBlock. "We 're turning passion into ownership by giving everyday people a stake in the stories they love-and creators a new way to fund their visions."

The creator economy is now valued at over $127 billion, with projections to exceed $528 billion by 2030 (DemandSage, 2024). However, the majority of that growth has occurred through ad revenue, sponsorships, and direct-to-consumer models. CineBlock positions itself to capitalize on a rapidly emerging trend: fan-financed intellectual property, where audiences become shareholders rather than just consumers.

The user-friendly platform utilizes blockchain technology to provide immutable ownership records, real-time cap table management, and secure communication between investors and creators. Its SEC approval adds an additional layer of legitimacy, credibility, and compliance that most web3 or crypto-based funding platforms lack.

"The compliance layer is a game-changer," said Julian Haffner, Chief Legal Officer. "Web3 has introduced incredible tools for transparency and decentralization, but without legal infrastructure, the risk outweighs the reward. By aligning with regulated crowdfunding standards, we 're giving creators and investors a secure and scalable pathway."

CineBlock is currently finalizing its app development and has begun a pre-rollout marketing campaign. The first wave of projects encompasses independent films, documentaries, AI-generated narratives, and experimental web TV concepts. The company is also reviewing marketing agency partnerships to support its official rollout later this year.

The startup has bolstered its advisory bench with key industry figures. Jethro Rothe-Kushel, former Vice President of the Producers Guild of America, leads strategic partnerships and supports AI-related development initiatives. Geneva Wasserman, an executive at global media agency dentsu, is advising on financial strategy and campaign structure.

The strategic timing of CineBlock 's launch aligns with recent contractions in traditional content financing. Hollywood studios have scaled back on development deals, while streamers like Netflix are becoming increasingly risk-averse in greenlighting new projects. CineBlock aims to fill the gap by offering a model where audiences, not just executives, decide which projects get funded.

CEO, Prince Ace says, "Retail ownership of entertainment and media IP is the next great asset class. We believe this shift will fundamentally change how the world experiences entertainment and how creators bring their stories to life."

The company plans to operate a marketplace model, enabling multiple fundraising campaigns to run concurrently, and has ambitions to scale beyond film into interactive content, gaming, and transmedia IP. The platform 's focus is to increase community engagement, monetization, and tokenization opportunities for content creators and their fans.

CineBlock is currently onboarding creators for its first round of campaigns and anticipates releasing a slate of publicly accessible investment opportunities in Q3 2025. The platform is open to both U.S.-based and potentially international investors. It also includes tools for due diligence, campaign performance tracking, and secure capital deployment.

With a model that combines compliance, transparency, and cultural relevance, CineBlock is poised to disrupt traditional media financing models and pave the way for the next generation of independent storytelling.

About CineBlock

CineBlock is a technology company based in Irvine, CA, focused on democratizing entertainment media finance. A FINRA and SEC-licensed platform that enables compliant investment in film, television, and digital content. CineBlock empowers creators to raise capital without sacrificing control, while giving fans and investors early access to the next generation of media securities.

For more information, visit www.cineblock.com

Contact:

CineBlock
hello@cineblock.com

SOURCE:CINEBLOCK HOLDINGS, INC.

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