Ze Frank thinks that the future of play is a “hot thing.” That’s why he founded Star.me, his soon-to-be fully public startup. And that’s why he’s shifted his focus from stand-up entertainment to stand-up entrepreneurialism.
But why has he gone from being one of the web’s top entertainment stars to yet another star-struck startup guy? As he told me last week when he came into the TechCrunchTV studio, it’s because the future of play is a “hot thing” which is going to change both business and play. In Ze’s Star.me world, we are all going back to kindergarten, giving each other stars, learning how to be kids again.
But Ze wouldn’t be Ze without a few jokes. And the humor, of course, is self-referential, especially when (ha ha) it comes to imagining a business model for Star.me.
This is the final part of my conversation with Ze. Check out the first part, when Ze explains why we all need to go back to kindergarten.
Ze on Star.me’s business model(s)
Ze on why the future of play is a “hot thing.”
Ze Frank is an American online performance artist, composer, humorist and public speaker based in Los Angeles, California. In 2001, Frank created an online birthday invitation and sent it to seventeen of his closest friends. Forwarded wildly, the invitation soon generated millions of hits and over 100 gigabytes of daily web traffic to Frank’s personal Web site. The site grew to include interactive group projects, short films, animations, and video games, many Flash-based, including children’s educational videos featuring handy...
Star.me is a platform that facilitates rich and deep engagement for brands and celebrities, including Imogen Heap, iJustine, Michael Buckley, and many more. Star.me provides fans with opportunities for participation in the form of missions, games, custom rewards, and fun.
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