Sixx King – an African American filmmaker and the founder, chairman, and CEO of Sixx Degrees Media – has teamed up with actor and film producer Sebastian Kahuna to establish new high-quality films funded by cryptocurrency.
Sixx King Thinks BTC Can Be Used for Producing Films
He believes there are many barricades in the way of black filmmakers trying to get their projects off the ground. He says it can be quite difficult to get projects funded, and thus he’s turning to digital assets to get the job done. In a recent interview, King discussed his motivation to utilize crypto for funding future movies and art-related projects:
I had a clear vision that funding films with crypto would add a layer of tangibility to them that could be understood by most. However, my chance meeting with actor Sebastian Kahuna is what made the idea come full circle and start the ball rolling on something new and innovative. It’s no secret that many black and brown stories are not told in mainstream Hollywood due to a lack of financing. Consequently, most directors and writers must find creative ways to finance their projects.
Kahuna also threw his two cents into the mix, commenting:
Initially, CEYRON Bank approached me to see if I had any projects in need of financing. However, I turned down the offer because the pandemic shuttered many of my productions. I then concentrated on finding ways for these productions to be filmed with adapted logistics, making it possible to film despite being in the COVID-19 climate.
Thus far, the pair has already funded a few different projects with crypto. King said:
‘The King of Kush’ starring Luis Guzman, Alimi Ballard, Malik Whitefield, and Isiah Pearson is my first film financed with crypto. I have four more in production.
Regarding why he thinks crypto is often not used as a film financing tool, he said:
Crypto on its own can be challenging for some because it’s new. Sadly, by the time information and education become available about various funding sources among members of the black community, we are too late and miss our opportunity.
Kahuna also offered commentary on this, saying:
It’s many crypto options. However, we went with the Ruby because their utilities aligned with what we envisioned, and it was a clear understanding of how these stories would be told by the filmmaker and not Hollywood’s playbook on stereotypes that have been their model for years.
Not Enough Education
King says that when it comes to crypto, knowledge is seriously lagging, and he feels people need to educate themselves. He said:
I think there’s a huge lack of financial literacy in the black community overall. We are drowning in information but starving for knowledge, so it’s always a wait and see aspect.
