Breaking into the film industry isn’t just difficult, it’s expensive, slow and often stacked against the creator.
When Ted Lucas, a Miami-native music executive and philanthropist, finished his 2025 documentary Miami Kingpins, he expected distribution to be the easy part. Instead, it took nearly a year to secure a deal.
“I paid for the documentary myself out of pocket,” Lucas said. “Sitting down with different distributors was difficult. It wasn’t as simple as I thought it would be.”
Even after securing distribution, the process revealed just how complex and layered the system can be, with multiple parties involved before a project ever reaches an audience. For years, filmmakers have had to navigate a system split between two extremes. Either traditional platforms that move slowly and rely on relationships, or social platforms that reward speed and algorithms over storytelling. Somewhere in between, many projects struggle to be recognized or achieve meaningful revenue.
That experience led Lucas, along with Mark Samuels, Hilmon Sorey, Eric Tomosunas and Tarik Brooks, to build VURT. The platform is a home for vertical filmmakers and creators. It focuses on mobile-first, storytelling and offers a faster path to distribution and monetization. “From the time we receive a series, within 48 hours it can be on the platform,” Samuels said. “On other platforms, it can take months.”
Samuels, a Miami Gardens native and filmmaker with more than a decade of experience, has produced multiple films that have landed on platforms like Tubi and Peacock, giving him firsthand insight into the challenges creators face once a project is complete. “Usually you’re waiting anywhere from nine to 12 months before you even know how much you’re going to make,” he explained. This waiting period can prevent filmmakers from moving on to their next project,
VURT operates on an ad-supported model, offering creators a 50-50 revenue split and instant visibility into their film’s performance. The platform is also tapping into a shift in how audiences consume content. As more viewers watch videos on their phones, often in vertical format, the founders see an opportunity to build around behavior that already exists.
“About 85% of video consumption is now happening on phones held vertically,” Sorey said. “People want storytelling in a format that fits how they already live and consume content.”
Within its first week, the platform has reached more than 30,000 users and continues to attract creators from around the world, including filmmakers from Asia and Africa, bringing entire series to the platform.
For the founders, the platform is about giving access. Backed by The Source Groups, a Miami-based organization that helps build Black wealth through programs in tech, business, media, and real estate, VURT reflects a broader push to give creators more control, faster access and a clearer path to turning their work into a sustainable business. “Now you can create your own wealth based on the success that you put in,” Lucas said.
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I am a University of Florida graduate and Miami native who is passionate about writing stories that highlight Miami’s thriving tech ecosystem. I especially enjoy writing stories about technologies creating a social impact, digital assets, and EdTech. Have a story to share? Contact me via Twitter @anathemarketer or
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