Faction Studio

BACKGROUND

I am currently the CEO of Rivet Media, a 360-degree virtual reality content capture company. Our business focuses on live music and entertainment.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Faction Studio?

Faction Studio helped us develop our own distribution platform for 360-degree content. We've created the technology for capturing full-length live musical performances. Each show is around an hour and a half. You can give that kind of content away for free on Facebook or YouTube, but since we were charging customers for premium content, we asked Faction Studio to create a delivery app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Faction Studio designed and developed a one of a kind iOS app for Rivet content. We record and livestream shows, so Faction Studio created a solution that can be used on an iPad and iPhone. Using this platform, we can set up live performances that are streamed through the app. We also have a separate section for on-demand content that people can purchase.

How did you come to work with Faction Studio?

I looked extensively at a few other companies that did this kind of work, but it came down to cost. As a startup, we didn't have the available funds to go with some of the bigger firms. Also, I actually know one of the owners of Faction Studio personally. Jason [Curry, founder and co-CEO of Faction Studio] and I came from the same neighborhood, and I was still in touch with him. Since I was impressed with Jason and with the quality of their work, I decided to go with them.

How much have you invested Faction Studio?

We have spent $10,000 to $50,000 on our project with Faction Studio.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with Faction Studio in August or September last year [2015], and the project was completed by March of this year [2016]. We are still in touch, constantly coming up with new ideas and figuring out the best ways to implement them. Faction Studio also helps us fix bugs and create future updates. We did not launch with a huge content library, and we have not started marketing the app yet, so we're gearing up for the next phase.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

Last May, we launched the app onstage with Intel at the Computex conference in Taiwan. Intel was very impressed with what we had accomplished and the work Faction Studio had done with the app. It's a unique app in the 360-degree VR [virtual reality] space, and it looks great. If you compare our app with others, it would definitely stand out. I don't have many metrics for sales generated or downloads that I can share with you. But, without any marketing, we had around 1,000 downloads in the first three weeks. All of that came from the Intel announcement. I'd say the feedback has been extremely positive, and we're very happy with the design of the app.

How did Faction Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

We did not experience any communication problems while working with Faction Studio. I worked with Jason and a lead developer, Edward. The app itself is simple, but we had to custom-build a 360-degree video player, which was very challenging. There are ways to integrate outside players into your app, and you can purchase those players for a lot of money. But, we decided to develop our own, so it was just myself, Jason, and Edward. They were able to deliver an outstanding player and bugs were fixed very quickly. We had a very good relationship with Faction Studio.

What did you find most impressive about Faction Studio?

I was impressed by Faction Studio's ability to accept my comments. I would review a finished feature and then ask for several revisions. Faction Studio made the requested changes, and I did not experience any pushback or hesitancy on their part. Other developers would sometimes say, "Well, you asked for this and we gave you this and here it is. If you want to make changes, it will cost an extra such and such amount." That never happened with Faction Studio. There was no extra cost when we needed to change things. Faction Studio gave what I had envisioned for the app.

Are there any areas Faction Studio could improve?

I don't know of anything in particular that Faction Studio could improve upon. The project took longer than expected, but that was not really their fault. I had a very good experience, and they were very open to all of my changes.