We recently connected with Rachael Galperin and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Rachael, thanks for joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

There are always two types of kids who grow up loving film: one who carries around a camera trying to film everything, and the other who sits in front of the TV trying to consume as much as they can. I was the one sitting in front of the TV, trying to consume as much as I could. What I was doing was obviously trying to be entertained, but I was also self-inducing a form of cinema therapy. This means I was trying to find a sense of belonging and a community. However, when I couldn’t find what I was looking for, I started to write, and that’s where my love of film really elevated. I aspired to become a screenwriter and would write story after story.

At age eleven, I realized what I was looking for and what all my stories were about. They were about same-sex couples having a happy ending. That was something I needed to see and something I needed to know was possible. So, I came up with the idea that I wanted to create a safe space where all communities could feel a sense of belonging through the power of art. So, I did what any eleven-year-old does, and I wrote a business plan.

Fast forward: I worked in production, and while on set, I realized the lack of diversity throughout the entire creative process. When you don’t have diversity, you don’t allow for new perspectives of different communities and cultures to be shared. So, I took this idea and paired it with something tangible. I am starting with distribution, but the mission is to provide a safe space for original voices and marginalized voices and share their films with a wider audience.

Film is, of course, a form of entertainment, but it’s also a learning opportunity. When we watch films, we are able to learn new things. So, if we keep telling the same storylines over and over again about the same communities and cultures, we hinder the ability for consumers to learn.

By watching films from diverse perspectives, we are providing communities with a sense of belonging, entertainment, and the ability to learn. This results in a much more open and accepting society.

Our platform is built for filmmakers by filmmakers, showcasing the heart of independent cinema. We truly listened to some of the biggest pain points in the industry to help with our go-to-market strategy. We ensure filmmakers retain ownership of their creations while also receiving marketing assistance. In return, consumers will be able to come to the platform and easily find films to consume. We are eliminate the endless scrolling by choosing which communities they want to learn about, support, and align with, and we will filter the catalog for them. All our community tags align with cast and crew as well as topics and content. Examples of communities: Motherhood, Anxiety, Grief, Sapphic, Psychedelic, Political Comedy, Satire etc.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I always knew I wanted to be in the film industry. I loved the idea of being on set and seeing the evolution of creations come to fruition. In high school, I took screenwriting courses at the School of Visual Arts in NYC on Saturdays and became infatuated with the creative landscape. It wasn’t until college that I paired my love of film with business and studied film and entrepreneurship.

Coming up with this idea at eleven years old, after not feeling represented then, and still knowing in 2024 that 75% of consumers don’t feel represented in mainstream media, is why I am excited about sharing our platform and services with all individuals.

NextFoundArtist is a streaming platform designed for independent filmmakers, enabling consumers to support the films and artists that matter to them. Curated by filmmakers for filmmakers, our distribution offering showcases the heart of independent cinema. Our mission is to provide a stage for artists, from in-person screenings to distribution, who are often overlooked and undervalued, allowing them to share their original voices with a wider audience. We ensure filmmakers retain ownership of their creations while also receiving marketing assistance.

I saw a shirt that said “Creatives are the new athletes,” and I couldn’t agree more. That’s why our marketing efforts aren’t just to promote the films, but our priority is to introduce the filmmakers. Every Thursday, we release new films onto our platform, and for the week leading up to it, we focus on showcasing who the filmmaker is and what their inspirations are. Right now we are only available on our website, but are working on releasing an app version.

Most independent films stem from personal experiences, and that’s what we try to navigate in our interviews to audiences. Being able to appreciate who the filmmakers are and why they created their pieces of art can help establish longer-term support from audiences—for this film and any future pieces of art they create. As artists, they want to continue doing what they love and sharing their art. As consumers, if we are emotionally connected to a story or a person, then when we see the art, we are much more immersed and entertained.

Most of our films have gone through the festival route and we are giving them another opportunity to connect with audiences. We truly give consumers the power to support films that matter to them by focusing on original voices and by providing a community where everyone can feel a sense of belonging—and be entertained!

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

I was working as the head of strategy and customer analytics at another company. However, I always wanted to start my own company. After my first side hustle unfortunately didn’t succeed due to COVID and timing, I took some time to reflect on what I truly wanted to do next. Throughout my career, and especially in the last two years, I kept returning to the idea of NextFoundArtist, constantly thinking about it and wanting to actively pursue it.

Last spring, I saw a post that said, “If you don’t build your dreams, someone else will hire you to build theirs,” and that was the sign I needed. I immediately started working part-time on NextFoundArtist. Six months later, I went full-time after signing up 50 films from different filmmakers for the catalog and creating over 12 partnerships with various film festivals to help provide a distribution option for filmmakers after the festivals. These sign-ups were all created pre-launch.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

The biggest lesson I had to unlearn was the belief that I needed a cofounder to build my dreams. I hesitated for many years because I didn’t have a cofounder. After seeing that post, I realized I needed to unlearn that mindset and start building my dream. I know I have what it takes and am more than capable of building this company; it just took a little unlearning to come to that realization. The right cofounder can be beneficial, absolutely, but if you believe in your idea and not having a cofounder is what’s holding you back from pursuing your dreams, know that you are more than enough to achieve what you desire. Everyone should know, no matter who they are, that their dreams matter and are achievable.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nextfoundartist.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nextfoundartist/
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@next.found.artist
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