Soul Artists connects performing artists with entertainment seekers
How did you get the idea of Soul Artists?
The idea came to me after having worked for a couple of years in Dubai in banking, then as a real estate agent, then as an event manager. Despite having worked as hard as I can my monthly spending was always more than what I was making and I was miserable, so quit my job and thought to myself “what would you really love to do if money were no object?”
Instantly my love for performing arts was the answer, I’ve been practicing magic, flow arts, and fire dancing for over 5 years at the time so I thought I would love to do something with that, this made me create an artist resume’ to send out to all event companies, agencies, venues, etc.
My efforts however were in vain, little to no response came through from my endeavor, but I did notice one thing when I was searching, that there was no real platform in my region that allowed performing artists to showcase their work, get discovered, and get booked off the bat, so I decided to create my own along with my brother and co-founder.
Why did you decide to start with Soul Artists?
I decided to start with Soul Artists because I could instantly think of so many amazing artists and performers in my position that don’t really have a dedicated web presence for their talent and artistic side, while also thinking of so many entertainment seekers who would greatly benefit if such a platform existed, the convenience of finding talent instantly and reaching out to them directly would be a huge leap in how things are currently done in the region.
My background in IT and love for performing arts made me feel like I was meant to do this for both myself and the world.
What is the vision behind Soul Artists?
The vision is to house all artists and entertainers in the world and become the biggest provider of talent on the planet.
How difficult was the start and which challenges you had overcome?
Starting out was extremely difficult since the project started due to a lack of funds to start with, but I was fortunate enough to have my brother and co-founder invest some money to build a prototype of the platform and present it to investors, we toiled day and night to bring our vision to life, having encountered many setbacks in development due to budget constraints.
Taking a risk and working on something completely brand new with no other job to support it was also very difficult and demoralizing at times, but deep in my heart I knew I wanted to create this no matter the cost.
A huge challenge that we had to overcome and still do so today is educating the industry on a new way of doing things and how talent booking is evolving for performing artists, change is not easy for everyone as it take time and great effort to change old habits and doctrines.
Who is your target audience?
First and foremost are professional artists and entertainers, Soul Artists acts as a platform to host and empower musicians, comedians, dancers, presenters, circus artists, flow artists, specialty acts and much more.
Another just as equally important audience are entertainment seekers, these vary from event mangers, talent agencies, venues, hotels, restaurants, and literally anyone and everyone who wants to book an entertainer for their event no matter how big or small.
What is the USP of your startup?
Book talent with a tap.
Can you describe your typical workday.
My workday consists of a multitude of different tasks and disciplines, this includes starting out the day reviewing new artists who have signed up on the platform and approving them to go live by background checking them and curating their content. Then of course facilitating different booking requests through the platform, working on marketing material, technology development, and of course meeting with new potential artists, clients, and venues everyday to educate them on how the platform is used and how it benefits them, its hectic!
Where do you see yourself and your startup Soul Artists in five years?
In 5 years we wish to become the standard for talent bookings in the MENA region and the gulf, with a huge effort to digitize every single professional performer in our neighboring regions and begin expanding into Europe.
What 3 tips can you give other startup founders on the way?
Startups are fragile, but never give up, the night is darkest before the dawn, so many times have I seen breakthroughs come when the company is almost at its last breath,
Trust in your vision and see it clearly, no one knows the path better than you, be true to yourself, your product, and your customers.
Don’t cut corners, as sometimes its tempting and easy to take short cuts, however these rob you of quality, learning experience, and integrity, things that are made quickly are not so good, and things that are good are not made quickly.
I hope this helps, I thank you for taking the time to read this, I have also attached a picture of my brother and I as founders of Soul Artists.
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Thank you founders for the Interview
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