How Technotainment is reinventing streaming with Blockchain — An interview with President Wesley Ellul

How we stream content is changing, driven by technological advancements and the penetration of smart devices. Diverse content is now available on the go, a deep contrast to the old days when we were all tuned to the same channels. Despite the evolution, certain persistent challenges continue to affect content creators, streaming platforms, and their audiences.

In this interview, we explore a disruptive solution, Technotainment, with Wesley Ellul, its president and head of strategy. 

Technotainment is a platform leveraging blockchain and artificial intelligence to redefine content streaming through more interactive experiences that drive greater revenue. 

So, we started by asking Wesley about his experience in the entertainment industry.

Wesley’s experience in the entertainment industry spans two decades. He started as a club DJ on the island of Malta, where he also worked as an actor. He later transitioned to directing various shows, becoming the first English-language director of Spring Awakening outside the West End and New York.

In 2005, Wesley founded his first tech company, Find It, an online business directory for Malta. 

“I’ve just loved the entertainment space, making people smile and happy was always a big part of my life. I also became heavily involved in the tech world. I’ve been building tech businesses since 2005.”

He would later open another company, Untangled Media, a search engine optimization and internet marketing firm. After Untangled Media, Wesley moved into a full-time role as president of Technotainment. 

Streaming 2.0 with Technotainment

We then asked Wesley about the market gap for a platform like Technotainment.

Regarding the market gap, Wesley highlighted the contrast between the significant funds spent on creating content and the small returns, noting that the only beneficiaries were the content platforms. He continued to explain that subscription and advertising models only worked when there was a limited number of content channels. 

Technotainment proposed a new business model that leveraged blockchain technology to introduce new revenue sources. 

“… we can actually increase revenue sevenfold by introducing new revenue points into the ecosystem. But at the same time, we’re asking viewers to pay less.”

The model charges viewers who want a deeper content experience, say a small fee of $2, to watch entire series—a win-win scenario for content creators, streaming platforms, and viewers. Technotainment would serve as the infrastructure layer, while also building a platform to showcase its potential.

Wesley went on to introduce a team member, Nile, who is skilled at identifying niche markets poised to perform. Nile is a founder of MTV, Nickelodeon, Country Music Television, pay-per-view television, and the Home Shopping Network.

“He (Nile) has identified seven major areas where we will be focusing on the first element of content in Technotainment.”

Some of these areas include smart music, movies, sports, faith and values, and self-improvement. These channels didn’t receive the attention they needed, preventing them from having deeper experiences.

We then shifted to how Technotainment is using blockchain technology.

Wesley shared that blockchain technology will enable Technotainment to integrate new revenue streams. The streams include advertisements, subscriptions, merchandise, and personalized experiences. 

“In fact, we have an entire AI-driven click-and-buy approach for even the clothes they’re (actors/ performers) wearing.”

For all these to work, they require extensive tracking, trust, significant costs, and administration, and that’s where blockchain technology comes in. The technology, by utilizing smart contracts, enables microtransactions, lower costs, and asset tracking. 

Blockchain will also be used for licensing, staking, and securing the network through its decentralized nodes. 

Another important aspect is how film, social, and commerce converge to boost engagement.

To elaborate, Wesley highlighted a curious observation they made following a study on why the film and TV industries were losing money. Interestingly, they found out that the decline began precisely when the iPhone was released. 

According to Wesley, the introduction of the iPhone shifted people’s attention from watching the same thing on TV. Attention turned to content on the iPhone, which had social platforms like Facebook and Twitter at the time. Suddenly, people were doing different things, diluting the immersive experience of entertainment.

Later, multiplayer games appeared on iPhones, bringing people together through talk/chat interfaces. 

“This was about the same time when they started bringing multiplayer games together with talk and chat features. And what did that do? That skyrocketed these games to another level, turning them into social spaces to play and engage. You’re all immersed in the same thing. The content and community were essentially reunited.”

According to him, as a result of this union, the gaming industry is now worth more than the film, television, and movie market combined. Well, because community and content reside in the same place.

Technotainment creates a social feed, tied to specific channels, that enables creators to produce their own videos, live streams, podcasts, and memes, among other types of content. The social feed builds community champions, and as more people engage, the community will become stronger, benefiting everyone.

Wesley also highlighted two types of commerce that they plan to integrate into the channels:

1. Artificial intelligence that can screen-read every shot, allowing the audience to select items, say a table, dress, or makeup, know what it is, and buy it there and then.
2. Merchandise sales, including digital drops and live experiences, on the same platform. Creators can integrate hotel bookings, flights, and live experiences on their content.

 “When we run the numbers, we see that it’s about a seven times additional return….And it’s all because you have a place where a group of people who care about the same thing come together in the same space, talking and engaging with each other.“

What’s in it for the audience?

For audiences, according to Wesley, there will be better engagement and response rates. 

“Me sending out a Stranger Things meme on Twitter when I have no audience that watches Stranger Things, it just means the content’s going to die. Whereas, when I create a Stranger Things meme on the Stranger Things page next to the Stranger Things content with a community of people who love Stranger Things, means I’m getting a lot more feedback.”

Beyond that, the audience will create content valued by others and, therefore, be rewarded; that’s where the ecosystem’s native token, Cast, comes in. The audience can earn Cast tokens for marketing the content.

Wesley continued to explain that there will also be benefits for producers through “microcasting sites.”
The sites enable producers to control their audience and content. Big streaming players will then be like community billboards for what content is available and will also be rewarded.

Monetization and the Cast token

Monetization is an essential aspect of every streaming platform. We asked Wesley how this works at Technotainment.

In his opinion, the first episode would be free, and then a small fee for additional experiences, adopting a subscription model. Additionally, there would be the commercial angle, which he mentioned earlier, as well as affiliate revenue from other experiences. 

There would also be a gamification feature that lets people play games related to the content, use their skills, and win prizes. 

How does the Cast token fit in to create value and boost engagement?

The Cast token acts as the legal tender within the Technotainment ecosystem. It will enable low-cost transactions and fast peer-to-peer settlements. The token will be tradable for real funds on crypto exchanges.

The team and why relationships matter in the entertainment industry

We began by asking about Technotainment’s competitors in the space

Wesley identified multiple IP-related entertainment projects in the space; however, he lauded Technotainment’s team and relationships as standout features.

“This is the first time you’ll see a team of people from the Hollywood era of the entertainment industry, where they’re all focused on Hollywood and entertainment, and there’s only one Web3 representative…It’s not Web3 going into Hollywood. We’re Hollywood, bringing Web3 in.”

We went on to inquire about the importance of a team’s background in a highly competitive industry.

Wesley began by emphasizing the significance of relationships in the entertainment industry. 

“You cannot walk in there and say, ‘I’m going to change things.’ We can’t walk in there and say, ‘We’re going to change things.’”

He then mentioned that Technotainment is working with several strategic partners, with others in the process of onboarding, including World Mobile and Singularity.net. 

The Technotainment team comprised individuals who have worked with prominent names in the space, making it easy to initiate these conversations and open doors. Wesley also had a piece of advice for tech founders:

“Everything is about relationships. No matter how good your tech is, no matter how amazing things are, if you cannot build relationships, you’re dead in the water. “

What’s next for Technotainment?

Wesley shared that Technotainment is fundraising, an effort he expects to conclude by January 2026.

The Cast token generation event is expected to take place sometime around March 2026, contingent upon achieving set milestones, such as the target number of community members or partnerships.

If all goes to plan, the platform will launch in the first week of September 2026. 

“In the meantime, we’ll be launching activations and events, and giving people an idea of why Technotainment is the most special project to hit the web3 space in a while.”

So, how can you be part of the Technotainment ecosystem?

1. Visit the website https://www.technotainment.com/ and join the waiting list.
2. Follow Technotainment on social media channels: X, Telegram, or Discord.