Withoutabox Founders Launch Studio

The co-founders of Withoutabox, a film festival submission system purchased by Amazon in 2008, announced today the formation of a new digital studio, Critical Mass Studios, to be based in Los Angeles.

"Critical Mass Studios is building a new ecosystem around the frictionless management of rights," said CEO David Straus, who founded Critical Mass with fellow Withoutabox founders Joe Neulight and Fred Kramer. "Content is being distributed globally on every imaginable platform. Owners must not only have visibility throughout their entire library, but also be able to track and deliver instantly on all kinds of new deals."

The company also announced that it has acquired RightslineSoftware Inc., a content rights and management platform that tracks more than 65,000 contracts.

Straus, Neulight and Kramer continued to work for Amazon following the sale of Withoutabox, most recently overseeing the Los Angeles expansion of IMDb.