Jolt's Latest Doc ‘Can't Look Away' Examines the Dark Side of Social Media and Its Impact On Adolescents
Based on extensive investigative reporting by Bloomberg News reporter Olivia Carville, the doc follows a team of lawyers at Seattle's Social Media Victims Law Center who are battling several tech companies for families who have lost children due to suicide, drug overdose, or exploitation linked to social media use. O'Neill and Peltz ('Axios,' 'Surveilled') capture the lawyers' fight against Section 230 of the Federal Communications Act. Created in 1996 before the birth of social media, Section 230, known as the Communications Decency Act, states that internet service providers cannot be held responsible for what third parties are doing.
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'The fact that this group of really incredible lawyers came together with this mission in mind to get around Section 230 through product liability, we just thought it was such a fascinating approach,' says Peltz.
'Can't Look Away' is currently streaming on Jolt, an AI-driven streaming platform that connects independent films with audiences. Recent Jolt titles include 'Hollywoodgate,' 'Zurawsksi v Texas,' and 'The Bibi Files,' a documentary from Oscar-winners Alex Gibney and Alexis Bloom that investigates corruption in Israeli politics.
O'Neill says that he and Petlz decided to put 'Can't Look Away' on Jolt, in part, because the company could 'move quickly and decisively reach an audience now, with a message that audiences are hungry for.'
'What was also appealing to us is this sense of Jolt as a technology company,' he says. 'They are using these tools to identify and draw in new audiences that might not be the quote unquote documentary audience. We are documentary filmmakers, and we want our films to speak to everyone.'
Jolt uses AI to power its Interest Delivery Networks, enabling films to connect with their target audiences. The platform's Chief Executive Officer, Tara Hein-Phillip, would not disclose Jolt viewership numbers for 'Can't Look Away,' making it difficult to determine how well the new distribution service is performing. However, Hein-Phillip did reveal that since the platform's launch in March 2024, the company's most-viewed film is the documentary 'Your Fat Friend,' which charts the rise of writer, activist, and influencer Aubrey Gordon. Hein-Phillip attributed part of the film's success on Jolt to Gordon's niche but significant online following.
'We are still learning along the way what builds audience and where to find them and how long it takes to build them,' Hein-Phillip says. 'It's slightly different for every film. We really focus on trying to find unique audiences for each individual film. In a way, that is problematic because it's not a reliable audience to say, 'Oh, we have built however many for this particular film, now we can turn them onto (this other) film and they'll all go there.' They won't.'
The company utilizes advanced data analytics and machine learning to develop performance marketing plans that target specific audiences for each film and increase awareness. All collected data is shared with each respective Jolt filmmaker, who receives 70% of their Jolt earnings and retains complete ownership of their work and all future rights.
'Initially, we thought Jolt would just be an opportunity to put a film up there,' says Hein-Phillip. 'We would put some marketing against it, and we would push the film out into the world and give it our best push, and we definitely still do that, but now we realize that to build an audience, you actually have to do a handful of things. Some films come to us and they have already done that work, and some films come to us and they haven't. If they haven't, it's in our best interest and their best interest for us to help facilitate that.'
That 'work' can include a theatrical release, an impact campaign, or a festival run.
In addition to being a 'great, impactful film,' Hein-Phillip says that Jolt partnered with O'Neill and Peltz on 'Can't Look Away' because of the doc's audience potential.
'There are so many audiences for this film – parents, teenagers, lawyers, educators, etc,' said Hein-Philip.
To attract those audiences, Jolt and 'Can't Look Away' directors have, ironically, relied on social media to help get the word out about the film.
'We aren't anti-social media,' says Petlz. 'What we are trying to say in the film is – put the responsibility where it rightly belongs.'
'Can't Look Away' will be released on Bloomberg Media Platforms in July.
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