Crowd funding is an internet phenomenon that allows artists to gather financing from interested members of the public, who effectively buy stock in the artist or album and later share in any profits. Sonic Angel is one of the pioneers of the technique and scored their biggest success when shares in Eurovision contestant Tom Dice’s single “Me and My Guitar”, bought for €10 each, brought a return of €26 in 2010.

Now Banks (pictured) and Engelen have set up a sister project, FilmAngel.tv, which aims to help new directors of film and TV works to round up financing outside of the traditional sources. The artists use every means at their disposal – with a heavy emphasis on social media – to find investors, while the platform provides professional management of the project. Shareholders are then rewarded with exclusive film-related products.

“You can feel there’s an enormous demand here,” Becks said last week. “A lot of young people came to Sonic Angel asking if we could help finance film projects.” The company has enlisted the help of cable company Telenet, which will provide financial backing and broadcasts on the company’s digital channels. “When it became clear that the idea was also arousing enthusiasm within the industry, we didn’t hesitate,” Becks said. “We’re delighted that Telenet was keen to support FilmAngel right away.”

“FilmAngel is an interesting platform, not only in the areas of new technology and social media but also in the way the public is directly involved in its projects,” said Benny Salaets, vice president of content management at Telenet. “We are happy to support innovations that allow us to provide our customers with new experiences. And in this way we can broaden our commitment to the local media sector. FilmAngel is a perfect fit for the Telenet DNA: innovative, Flemish and audacious.”