Legion M Entertainment

Legion M is the first entertainment company owned by the fans, not corporate investors.

By uniting fans and giving them a voice in the production process, this startup is “opening the gates of Hollywood” and building a company with a long-term competitive advantage.

Film & TV in the U.S. is a market valued at close to $300 billion. But this market is changing.

Hollywood has spent years trying to “crack the code” for making hits. But the hit rate is low, even for big studios with access to the best talent. Viewing habits among fans are shifting, too. Attendance at movie theaters is falling. And many consumers are overwhelmed by the sheer volume of content that’s available.

Legion M believes it’s figured out how to create a successful entertainment company: by giving fans a larger say in what is created.

To do this, Legion M has built tools like FILM SCOUT and M-Pulse that gamify the movie-production experience. Fans can compete for fun and prizes while providing data and insight that enables the company to make better decisions.

These tools enable the company to identify savvy movie fans and invite them to participate in its ELITE SCOUT program and weigh in on films and decisions that aren’t shared with the larger community.

Think of it as wisdom-of-the-crowds but for the film industry.

Legion M is led by co-founders Paul Scanlan and Jeff Annison, Emmy-winning entrepreneurs and digital pioneers. In 1999, the duo (along with one other co-founder) started MobiTV, the first company in the U.S. to launch live streaming television on mobile phones.

From 2003 to 2009, they grew the company into a worldwide leader in streaming media with 300+ employees, over $100 million in venture capital investment, and an Emmy Award for Innovation in Television.

Legion M has already produced multiple hits, including “My Dead Friend Zoe,” which was one of the highest-rated films on Rotten Tomatoes this year. An upcoming release of a film called “Fackham Hall” broke its distribution partner’s record with more than seven million trailer views in the first day.

In the first half of this year, the company generated $1.6 million in revenue, up sixty percent from full-year 2024 revenue.

Team Background

Paul Scanlan - Co-Founder & CEO

Paul began his career in telecommunications and digital media, working in sales at Lucent Technologies, and later co-founding a boutique ad agency and serving as a managing partner at what became Brand Union.

He co-founded MobiTV, a media company offering live and on-demand content. MobiTV was the first company in the U.S. to launch live streaming television on mobile phones.

He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Communications from the University of Wisconsin.

Jeff Annison - Co-Founder & President

Jeff co-founded MobiTV alongside Paul and received an Emmy Award for technical achievement as part of the MobiTV team.

Before starting Legion M, he designed special-effects for theme-park rides at Universal Studios and designed toys for toy-maker Hasbro.

Jeff earned a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from UCLA.

Co-Investors