After initially struggling, the business, in which he was a minority shareholder, took off and was sold. A stint in banking during the financial crisis followed, with Turing consulting for major banks on AI systems that regulated the traders and spotted market manipulation.
“It was fascinating but also quite soul- destroying because the systems I was putting in place were actually being used to circumnavigate the regulations.”
Turned off, Turing looked to his girlfriend’s industry, film, to build a new model. Livetree started in 2017 as a crowdfunding platform but has evolved as Turing, worthy of his computer scientist namesake Alan, developed tech to protect user privacy and use AI to predict audience sizes.
He’s poured £2 million of his own cash in and won content licensing deals with the likes of the BFI, Hat Trick (Derry Girls, Father Ted) and Signature (Charlie Says, Hot Air). “Media partners see their trough with Netflix is drying up. They can’t eat out of it any more,” says Turing.
Livetree’s model, which will see members help suggest and fund films to get made, means its list of films is unlikely to feature Hollywood blockbusters.
It currently offers intriguing documentaries on science, tech and health and offbeat comedies. It also uses “rooms”, essentially film playlists curated by influencers and allowing members to chat and even host remote virtual-viewing parties. More than 100,000 users have signed up and it will soon be available on the Xbox and in smartphone packages.
It’s a complex business, which could well evolve, but this script is gripping so far.
