Finding the balance between getting the message out and running a business has required careful planning. WaterBear ’s free-to-view model took some brainstorming before it was eventually settled on. “We finally felt in our heart of hearts that WaterBear should be something that’s free,” explains Eckard. “We don’t want it to be accessed by just a small group of people. We thought if we made it open for everyone to have access and become informed, we’d be more true to our vision. But that complicates the business model a lot. It wasn’t easy an easy choice to make.” One of the advantages that a free service does provide is the opportunity to open up in more territories. All the content rights WaterBear acquires are non-exclusive, so from a content rights perspective, the platform has a lot of barriers removed in terms of cost and the ability to rollout on a large scale. “That whole journey took us some time,” continues Eckard. “You start off thinking, SVOD is the way to go, but so many of those services struggle to prevent churn and spend so much time trying to convince people to keep paying. For niche services, that’s a very difficult thing to maintain.” Another part of the WaterBear content business will be built around pay-per-view live events, which will start this spring as the company begins to introduce TVOD content. The network will also earn revenue through supporting sustainable brands
through referrals, including travel packages for “purpose-driven travel”. “It’s about creating and sharing stories of hope and inspiration and allowing people, when they’re inspired, to make a difference,” says Eckard. TAKING ACTION The WaterBear Network, which officially launched last autumn, was joined by a surprise guest at the launch event: Harry Windsor, the Duke of Sussex, who heads the African Parks charity, a WaterBear partner. “We have to be careful to find a way to uplift and inspire in that education awareness,” he told Windemuth, in a video conversation, referring to WaterBear ’s mission. “But you can’t educate, uplift and inspire unless there is a form of action that follows. And that, I think, is the key – which is why WaterBear is so important.” Building and fostering relationships with partner NGOs is the responsibility of WaterBear ’s head of impact, Lisa Rose. Just as a network would curate content from different distributors to match its brand and business plans, Rose curates NGOs and the work that they do, aiming to find opportunities for those doing good work to showcase in a way they can’t anywhere else. And, ultimately, for WaterBear viewers to take action to support that work. The NGOs go through a vetting process, which includes querying the goals and operation of the NGOs,
as well as the content that they are creating and putting forward. Each partner gets its own page on the website, through which WaterBear subscribers can engage with them. One of the goals for these NGOs is to break out of the environmentalist echo chamber and reach out to a wider younger audience, who care deeply about the issues that are being raised, but who are not connecting directly with the NGO missions. DOSE OF INSPIRATION Content on the platform comes in a wide variety of formats from documentary series, to feature films to short-form content at three, five or ten minutes. The bulk of this is provided by the NGO partners at present, but WaterBear is also producing its own original content. One of its first series forays is The Bear Hug, an interview series hosted by WaterBear head of strategy, Sam Sutaria. Guests have included climate activist and filmmaker Jack Harries and Game of Thrones actress, activist and filmmaker Maisie Willaims. The podcast-style interviews give WaterBear subscribers a dose of inspiration, with top tips on sustainability, as well as guest recommendations of content to watch out for on WaterBear. Another WaterBear original is Not A Pet , which focuses on the illegal wildlife pet trade, and the role social media plays in the exploitation and
CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE WaterBear shows include Not A Pet , on the ravages of the exotic pet trade (above), and The Hunt for Medals, Not Lions , about the first Maasai (left) ‘Olympics’
WE FINALLY FELT IN OUR HEART OF HEARTS THAT WATERBEAR SHOULD BE SOMETHING THAT’S FREE
@feedzinesocial
Powered by FlippingBook