Toadsquare Social Network for Creative Pros
Creative professionals, who are fed up with run-of-the-mill social networks like Facebook, have another option now to connect with like-minded people.
A new social network ‘Toadsquare’ launched Thursday aims to unite the world’s 20 million ‘creatives’ – artists, photographers, filmmakers, scriptwriters, actors.
It will provide them with an instant, global showcase for exhibiting their talents to agents, producers and collectors.
This is not any new attempt to woo creative people to join a social networking site. Inspired by the hype around Facebook, many new entrepreneurs feel tempted to launch a social networking site and make a fast buck like Facebook.
But these impromptu social sites disappear as fast as they appear or keep hanging there in the crowd of barren sites in the vast digital universe.
For example, HollywoodIndy (or Hi, in short) was an entertainment-based Internet property specializing in social networking and resourcing for the independent film and television market. But it failed to generate sufficient interest among the film community.
And Filmbay.com announced the launch of its Internet marketplace, showcase and distribution service for independent feature, short films, videos and documentaries.
Producers, filmmakers, writers, actors, and artists were supposed to syndicate their content via an online shop to a world audience. The site just managed to exist but hardly attracts any traffic on it.
Moreover, series creators were invited to upload their proposals for comedy and children’s programming to Amazon Studios.
Now comes Toadsquare in the glut of social networks. Toadsquare is the brainchild of Australian-Czech Jane Hrouda: ‘I’ve spent my whole life working with creative people and wondering how we can afford to let so much talent, in so many countries, go to waste’ she said.
‘When Facebook and Linkedin showed the incredible power of social networking I realised this could be the answer to the mis-match between supply and demand in the creative industries.’
As it’s claimed, Hrouda and a team of ten have spent two years turning her original idea into reality. Toadsquare is free to join and gives every member their own ‘website within a website’ – where they can network and market, sell and display their work – art, photographs, films, video, scripts, designs, music: samples and examples of their creative talents.
They can also swap stories and tips with other creative professionals, advertise shows and exhibitions, invite expert criticism and seek inspiration.
Toadsquare was officially launched in Prague at a re-creation of Montparnasse, designed to evoke the dynamic artistic melting-pot of Paris in the 20th century.
In the picture above: Founder, Jane Hrouda, at the Montparnasse style launch in Prague, with Czech Thespian, Tomas Hanak.
