I'm a producer and filmmaker. And like most TV & Filmmakers in the indie space, I learned the business the hard way—by living it.

When I was crowdfunding my short film, TRIGGERED, I hit a wall. Not a creative wall. A systems wall.

I needed donations, so I used one platform. I needed to send updates, so I used another. I needed to track who gave what, manage my budget, post on social media, send emails—each task sent me to a different tool, a different login, a different headache.

I wasn't making a film. I was managing a dozen disconnected platforms just to raise a modest budget.

That's when I realized: indie productions don't have a funding problem. We have an infrastructure problem. The studios have entire departments for this. TV & Filmmakers have browser tabs.

So I built ATL Movie Merch. A platform that automates the money movement and marketing management so TV & Filmmakers can focus on what actually matters—the art.

I come from Atlanta. I come from a family of English professors and writers. Storytelling is in my blood. But I'm also a business-minded problem solver, and I've focused specifically on production financing because no one else is building for indie productions the way we need.

This platform puts the artist first—especially if it's your first production. Because your first project shouldn't require TV & Filmmakers to become tech experts just to get funded.

Why ATL?

ATL stands for "Above the Line" — the industry term for the creative talent behind every production: directors, producers, writers, actors, and story originators. The people whose vision drives everything. ATL Movie Merch is named for them. It also happens to be short for Atlanta, where this platform was born. That's not an accident.

— Joseph, Founder