Why fintech firm Bilt is funding its own original series ‘Roomies’

by

Earlier this month, over a hundred people—115 to be exact—filled the Angelika Film Center in New York City. However, they weren’t there for a typical movie. They were celebrating a new series created by Bilt, a New York City financial technology company that rewards people for paying their rent.

The first season of “Roomies” isn’t a typical advertisement for Bilt. It’s a story about a woman who relocates from Ohio to New York and navigates finding a home and building a new life. The season totals about 50 minutes of content, broken down into short, 90-second to three-minute episodes for social media.

Cyrus Ferguson, Bilt’s head of content and co-creator of the series “Roomies,” explained that the show was designed to increase awareness of the Bilt brand. He believes that telling a story, created by Bilt’s own team, will help audiences connect with the brand and feel more positive towards it. While Bilt isn‘t the main focus of the show or directly advertised, the series subtly features the brand through characters patronizing partner restaurants and using the Bilt app to pay bills.

Hollywood Inc.

Harbinder Singh wasn’t sure about the idea of arranged marriages, but he was immediately impressed when he saw a picture of the woman he was being set up with.

We really focused on getting the word out and attracting a big audience,” Ferguson explained. “That’s why we looked to popular shows from the past as inspiration, aiming to create characters that would appeal to many different people.

“There are so many different types of people who are or could be Bilt members.”

More and more companies are using TV shows and movies to share their message, as people increasingly skip traditional advertisements. Google, for instance, has funded short films to make artificial intelligence seem more approachable. HP, Nike, and Church’s Chicken are also investing in documentaries as a way to reach audiences.

According to Ferguson, the company is happy with the performance of “Roomies,” which is currently averaging around 500,000 views per episode. While he didn’t disclose the production costs, a second season is already in development. Beyond the series itself, Bilt also uses traditional advertising to promote its products.

Hollywood Inc.

Google is investing in short films that explore the positive side of artificial intelligence, rather than focusing on fears about its potential dangers.

Ferguson explained the show was greenlit around late spring. He and Brooke Brazer, who also co-created the series, aimed to create characters that viewers could easily connect with, similar to popular characters like Monica from “Friends” and Jess from “New Girl.”

According to Brazer, who also plays Rain on “Roomies,” the show received an overwhelming response to its casting call, with 300 to 700 people applying for each of the main roles.

Bilt Rewards lets renters earn discounts, like those at restaurants, simply by paying their rent with a registered credit card through the Bilt platform. Bilt earns revenue by charging fees for processing these payments.

Having a production in-house gives Bilt more control in explaining its brand to audiences.

Bilt is a complicated product, and we have a deep understanding of it, said Ferguson. Because of this, we can seamlessly integrate the brand in nuanced ways that would be difficult to achieve if we relied on outside help. We want to maintain a certain level of finesse, and we believe we’re best positioned to do that in-house.

I recently had the chance to attend a special screening of the entire first season of a show, hosted by Bilt. It was a treat for their “Close Friends” group – basically, the most engaged Bilt users who get perks like behind-the-scenes access and exclusive events. They rented out a theater in New York City, and it was a fun way to celebrate the season finale with a dedicated group of fans.

Pace University marketing professor Randi Priluck was skeptical whether “Roomies” is effective at bringing more customers to Bilt. She asked her social media and mobile marketing class about Bilt and “Roomies,” and while some students were familiar with one of them, they were not familiar with the other.

According to Priluck, you shouldn’t make your customers do all the effort. The series lacks strong branding, and because many other things are called ‘Roomies’ online, it’s not obvious that this one is connected to Bilt.

Business

Earlier this year, the tech company partnered with Range Media Partners to create short films exploring artificial intelligence, with a focus on positive and realistic portrayals rather than catastrophic scenarios.

Ferguson points out that there’s no single perfect strategy for marketing or social media. He uses the example of a brand using a content creator as its public face – what happens if that creator leaves the company?

Ferguson explained that having a planned storyline allowed them to build a believable world where any event felt natural and possible, and that was a key breakthrough for their project.

Read More

2025-12-18 14:31