In this founder spotlight, we interview Matt Cook, a passionate filmmaker and founder of Fablemaze – and more recently, Infinity Player. Infinity Player is a platform that creates an adaptive film-watching experience. Delve into his journey and aspirations, and learn more about the driving force behind Infinity Player’s approach to filmmaking. 

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you came to start Infinity Player?

Matt: I’m primarily a filmmaker; that’s my background and my training. As a teenager, I felt so passionate that I did whatever I could. After uni I continued in the industry, from the ground up: I was an extra, a runner, handled crowd management. Whatever I could do to learn.

At this point, I decided to leave that hierarchy because I just wanted to make films. I set up a production company, which is still going. We’ve done from online ads up to feature films.

A few years ago, I became really interested in how films could evolve from being a fixed, linear narrative to how altering different elements of the film could change the film.

So what exactly is Infinity Player?

It’s a new way of making and watching films. It expands on how we get from the start to the end of a film. Normally, when a film gets released to the market, it’s fixed. With Infinity Player, once it’s released, metrics for audience engagement make it possible to adapt elements of the film to alter the story.

How did your personal experiences shape your journey into entrepreneurship?

There are two answers to this. Firstly, I’m really driven by innovation and experimentation. I always want to try something new; something that’s hopefully better. Part of me wants to change the way I can make a film, but the only way I could do that was to become an entrepreneur and do it myself.

Secondly, filmmakers are natural entrepreneurs. Each film lives and dies like a company. First, you have to have an idea you want to build out. Then you recruit the right people and execute on the idea.

What is the current status of Infinity Player and what are your plans for the future?

We’ve got a beta in production now; we’re wrapping up filming a short film for the prototype. And we’re building the back end of the platform – to adapt the story. We’re pushing through to the demo!

In the near future, we’d like to bring in more talent and do a public test. But we want to break into the film industry, build partnerships with a distributor or streamer who’s interested in developing this technology.

Are you actively seeking to expand your team with specific roles in mind?

Yes! Absolutely! I’m looking for a technical co-founder. Someone who can come in and go on the product journey with us. Someone to take over development of the platform. I’m comfortable working with big personalities (you have to be in the film industry), but I want someone diligent and passionate.