Nathan Sims (SCA ’99) is a man on a mission—a space mission, to be exact.
The director, producer, writer, and founder of FusionFlix Entertainment has produced hundreds of film and television projects over the years, including an award-winning indie feature, 10 television series, and numerous documentary projects which have reached millions of fans globally. But the latest project for Nathan, a graduate of Regent University’s film-television program, has him over the moon.
Nathan saw the need to develop a better distribution channel for independent filmmakers and artists. So, he founded Twinkle—a video-on-demand streaming platform to empower independent film and television artists to take back control of their project ownership and provide direct access to their audiences. Twinkle launched on July 20, 2020—National Space Exploration Day—with a popular, worldwide series called “Space Mistakes.” The show provides a behind-the-scenes look at NASA’s learning curve and how their failures further exploration.
“The ever-changing film-television landscape has created unprecedented global audience potential,” says Nathan. But reaching that global audience can be challenging, according to Nathan. He sees a trend in larger subscription streaming “hoarding ownership” of funded content, which can marginalize the work of independent producers and remove them from sharing in the financial benefits of their work.
“It makes it more and more difficult for producers to fund their fresh ideas, resulting in a homogenization of content,” Nathan adds. “Twinkle opens a pathway for indie producers to keep control of their content with higher profitability.”
Nathan produced “Space Mistakes” through his independent Texas-based production company, FusionFlix Entertainment. The show was picked up by broadcasters around the world, including Discovery Channel International (Australia, New Zealand, Italy, France), PBS America (U.K.), AMC (Spain), Red Apollo (China), and several other countries as well as U.S.-based streaming services, including Amazon Prime.
Now, Twinkle will become the exclusive home for this fascinating show. Sims says he is already in discussions with producers for more indie content.
Nathan has received more than 50 domestic and international film awards, including multiple Silver Telly Awards and the CINE Golden Eagle. He is the former president of the Dallas Producers Association, and founder and charter board member of the Texas Motion Picture Alliance.
