1. What gave you the idea to create an app like this? My partner Damon Wayans, Jr has been in the entertainment industry since he was a kid. As a comedian and actor he practices jokes during something called “an open mic.” An open mic allows anyone with talent to take the stage and perform. About three years ago Damon was doing an open mic when he was blown away by the talent of the young woman singer songwriter that went before him. After she performed he asked her if she had representation (aka a manager) and she told him that not only did she not have a manager, but she was finding it nearly impossible to get paid to perform. A lightbulb went off in Damon’s head – he figured “there must be millions of talented people that struggle to get paid to do what they love.” Later on Damon was introduced to me through a common friend. I’m a serial entrepreneur, app developer, and investor. I immediately connected with Damon’s idea and the two of us joined forces to found and build Special Guest App.

2. What’s the success rate from your app? We are growing fast. On a daily basis we are adding new talent and helping them get paid gigs. We hope that within a year or two when anyone, anywhere thinks about hiring a LIVE entertainer they simply pull out their phone and touch Special Guest.

3. How long did it take to create an app like this? We started building the app in 2016 – so we’ve been at it for nearly two years. Most people don’t understand but building an app is an iterative, ongoing process. We spend most of our time focused on qualitative (what our users tell us) and quantitive (how our users use the app) feedback to introduce (and remove) features on an ongoing basis. That process never ends. We have the benefit of leveraging my mobile app development company APPEK Mobile Apps and my digital marketing company LSEO.com to help us build and market the app. It provides us with a considerable advantage because all of our staff is under one room collaborating on the same goals. Similarly, Damon is an actor and comedian so he is constantly introducing Special Guest to fellow comics, actors, and entertainers in Hollywood and beyond.

They’ve been featured in Huffington Post, and Cheddar. I love this idea, it’s not easy to find great talent. It’s also not easy to be an artist in this day in age without getting their name out there!