Captain Jack has officially partnered with blockchain-based entertainment platform, TaTaTu. Its founder, Andrea Iervolino, an Italian Hollywood film producer, who co-runs AMBI Media Group, are joining forces and putting their artistic and creative minds to work.

The deal between TaTaTu and Depp allows for both parties to develop and produce films and digital content together. Depp, under his Infinitum Nihil production banner, and Iervolino, running AMBI Media Group with Monica Bacardi, will work together in his newly launched venture.

Both Iervolino and Depp began working together in the J.M. Coetzee award-winning novel adaptation, Waiting for the Barbarians, that has already begun shooting this month. AMBI is producing the drama, starring Depp, Mark Rylance, and Robert Pattinson, with TaTaTu now coming on board.

What Is ‘TaTaTu’

Having raised and sold almost $600 million worth of its currency through its ICO, making it the third-largest coin offering, behind Telegram and EOS, TaTaTu is a decentralized platform that rewards users for viewing content and referring friends and family to its platform. Users are able to earn TTU tokens by streaming films and related projects at no cost, voting on which future content should be hosted. 

Most importantly, all projects are monetized based on the number of views received, providing for real-time accounting on the Blockchain, minimizing the risk of alteration or threats of piracy.

The entertainment industry has changed, encouraging content creators, including producers, actors, and actresses, to be rewarded for their work. As Iervolino emphasized to me, the connection between producers and the audience needs to be much closer.

“With TaTaTu, we encourage this,” said Iervolino. “You produce it, you upload it. And you’re directly connected with your audience, receiving feedback off your production, content, and product.”

Two years ago, when we first learned about the Equifax data breach and most recently, Facebook’s latest reveal, Iervolino along with many others in the industry, have recognized that content is no longer free. 

“People need to understand that after these breaches—Facebook isn’t free, YouTube isn’t free, Google isn’t free, Instagram isn’t free; why? Because we pay to be seen with our privacy, information, friends, and network.”

Iervolino told me that working with Depp provides the platform with a unique opportunity to create original content. “In our innovative production and distribution system, TaTaTu now is providing proof that it can and will revolutionize the media landscape.”

Excitingly enough, I received a call from Iervolino breaking this news, and was able to speak with him exclusively about what this partnership means for TaTaTu moving forward.

Andrew Rossow: What about Depp makes this partnership with TaTaTu unique as compared to anyone else?

Andrea Iervolino: I think this is unique because we can produce a lot of content with much more creative freedom and production flexibility. It is a very important industry to be part of. With TaTaTu, we can produce a movie and be in direct contact with the audience, ultimately benefiting by enjoying the content and being rewarded for viewing that content.

AR: What plans do you have for the initial stages of this partnership?

AI: Right now, Depp and I are producing “Waiting for the Barbarian,” an adaptation from J.M. Coetzee’s award-winning book, also starring Robert Pattinson and Mark Rylance. Adding Ciro Guerra, a great director into the mix, allows his works, which have been watched and loved by many around the world, only adds to the value this endeavor will create.

AR: What do you want the industry and users of TaTaTu to know about it since its launch 6 months ago?

AI: TaTaTu is doing very well. For me, it’s a dream come true. We are entering into many partnerships, as you can see, and I am very happy about user-experience from the mobile application. 

We are able to collect a lot of good user-feedback and are working to produce continuous rounds of original content for our users. Our goal is to implement our TTU token in real-life engagements. 

Most recently, we have signed an agreement thanks to a partnership with Unicoenergia, our users can now earn tokens which can then be applied towards electricity bills at home.