Digital Content Pioneer Aims to Be 'Roger Corman of Third Millennium'

Mario Niccolò Messina distributes $10,000 Spaghetti Western to millions via streaming

Published on Feb. 21, 2026

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Digital content pioneer Mario Niccolò Messina set up his L.A. operation Insurgence (formerly V Channels Media) in 2021 after launching an innovative micro-budget movies business model in Italy. He now has a bigger ambition: 'I'd like to be the Roger Corman of the third millennium,' he says. Messina has financed more than 200 titles with budgets under $200,000 that he first licenses to streamers, then drops on his genre-specific YouTube channels. Examples include the Spaghetti Western 'The Dutchman,' which scored over 5 million views in under a month in 2024, and the horror/thriller 'Stranger,' which has notched up 20 million streams on YouTube as of late 2025.

Why it matters

Messina's data-driven approach to identifying and financing low-budget indie films for digital distribution represents a new model for the entertainment industry, especially as traditional studios consolidate. His focus on micro-budget genre films distributed primarily through streaming and YouTube channels offers an alternative path for emerging filmmakers to reach audiences.

The details

Messina entered the entertainment industry from the tech sector, working for telcos like Vodafone and analyzing data that gave him an understanding of how people search for and consume videos online. He realized the potential for distributing low-budget movies directly on YouTube, and has now bankrolled the debuts of more than 100 filmmakers through his Insurgence Studios. Messina's business model involves an initial TVOD release, followed by SVOD, premium AVOD, and then distribution on his own YouTube channels.

  • Messina set up his L.A. operation Insurgence in 2021.
  • Insurgence's Spaghetti Western 'The Dutchman' scored over 5 million views in under a month in 2024.
  • Insurgence's horror/thriller 'Stranger' has notched up 20 million streams on YouTube as of late 2025.

The players

Mario Niccolò Messina

A digital distribution and production pioneer who set up Insurgence (formerly V Channels Media) in Los Angeles in 2021 after launching an innovative micro-budget movies business model in Italy.

Insurgence Studios

Messina's L.A.-based company that selects projects using a data-driven approach and has now bankrolled the debuts of more than 100 filmmakers.

Emiliano Ferrara

The director of Insurgence's Spaghetti Western 'The Dutchman', which was shot for $10,000 and scored over 5 million views in under a month in 2024.

Emanuele Pica

The director of Insurgence's horror/thriller 'Stranger', which has notched up 20 million streams on YouTube as of late 2025.

Marco Ristori and Luca Boni

Genre movie veterans who Messina met two years ago and financed 10 of their movies, including the action movie 'Day Off' which was one of the most watched on Tubi for three weeks.

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What they’re saying

“I'd like to be the Roger Corman of the third millennium.”

— Mario Niccolò Messina (Variety)

What’s next

Messina is launching an online horror magazine called 'Fearce', preparing to launch an app for TiVo and premium AVOD platforms, and developing a way to reinvent theatrical releases for his films.

The takeaway

Messina's data-driven approach to identifying and financing low-budget indie films for digital distribution represents a new model for the entertainment industry, offering an alternative path for emerging filmmakers to reach audiences in an era of mega studio mergers.