Changing The Game: Special Guest Booking App
- Quest Soul
- Jan 9, 2018
- 4 min read
What do you get when you combine years of industry expertise in the television, music, & managing field with a tech and entrepreneur giant? A revolutionary Mobile app that not only changes the approach taken by most upcoming entertainers & musicians, but also aids the growing number of independent brands with a tool that will change their lives and careers for the better!
IT Genius Kris Jones and Damon Wayans Jr. teamed up to create an App that takes booking to a whole new level. Their App " Special Guest " makes what used to be the hardest thing for talent to accomplish with out a stellar management team, large fan base, and industry connections, easier and simpler than ever.
We got to sit down with Kris Jones/Damon Wayans Jr. to ask them a few questions about Special Guest.
Q: How did you come up with the idea for the project and did you foresee its benefit to local talent to begin with?
A: (DW) I travel around the US entertaining people doing stand-up, and when I’m not doing that I’m home in LA refining my material. I do a lot of open mics, and i see a lot of different people who entertain for a living there looking for a break or practicing their material. It’s not just stand-up comedians either, there are poets and musicians alike as well as other talents and what have you. One time I was at this open mic, sitting there waiting my turn. When this young lady goes up there with an acoustic guitar. She starts singing her own material and she blows me and the crowd away. Everybody in there had goose bumps and I thought to myself that it sucks that so many people who are entertainers will never get the opportunity to be paid for the thing that they love doing the most. They ultimately have to set aside their dreams and get a regular job and it’s because of the way that the entertainment industry is set up. I have representation; I have a manager; I have agents. A lot of people don’t have that. So I wanted to make a platform for entertainers to make it easier for them to get gigs.
Q: Do you think your app is a solution or a work around to the problem faced by many upcoming talent?
A: (Kris) Special Guest removes the friction for entertainers of getting discovered and generating paid gigs, while making it easy for any type of venue to book LIVE entertainment. We developed the app for LIVE entertainers, actors / actresses, artists, bands & ensembles, circus acts, comedians, cultural entertainment, dancers, DJs, impersonators, magicians, musicians, photographers & videographers, speakers and officiants, specialty acts, and kid’s entertainment to have a platform to not only grow their opportunity but to take control over their careers. On the other side of the market, we made this for traditional venues like restaurants, clubs, and bars, and non-traditional venues for anyone, anywhere, who is interested in experiencing LIVE entertainment in less formal settings like someone’s backyard, office party, or home.
Q: What are some of your most considerable accomplishments to this point with the project, and what do you hope to achieve with the progression of your App " Special Guest " ?
A: (DW) We received quite a bit of attention because of the show, Apple's Original Tv Program " Planet Of The Apps ". In addition to that we raised some investment capital from other influential entertainers; people like Kevin Hart, Marlon Wayans, and Wilmer Valderrama among others, which was vital to our progression and growth during the marketing stage. There’s no other mobile app that does this at this scale so part of what we have to do now is be patient and dedicate the time to educate the entertainers so they know that a mobile app to help them get paid to do what they love to do is now available. This app is available to help talented people get paid for what they do and what they love to do. And it is important that they know that unlike agents and managers, we do not take any part of their fee. They set the fee and they get all of what they charge. We are paid by the person booking the talent. This is the game changer: to democratize the experience of live entertainment and the way that talented people get paid. You do not have to have an agent to get booked. Our goal is to redefine the way that live entertainment is experienced by making it easy for you to pull out the app and to hire someone to perform at your office, at your home, at a wedding, at an event that you might be sponsoring as well of course making it easier for traditional venues like restaurants and bars and clubs and all the other ones that are booking live entertainment.
(KJ) We’ve achieved our goal if we get talented people in the app and get them paid. The problem is that the traditional booking industry favors managed talent and 98 percent of talent that isn’t managed. So you have this conundrum where the 98 percent have to be not just performers but entrepreneurs. We want them to be able to focus on their acts; we will help them find venues that pay.
The Special Guest Application is available for anyone who wants to take the next step in their careers, by going to your mobile app store ( Google Play Store/ iTunes App Store ), If you are struggling to securing booking for your talent and tired of working jobs to sustain your living Download this Game-Changing App and take your future into your own hands.
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