First off, I simply wished to ask how pandemic life is treating you. How have you ever been?
Man, you realize what? Apart from every thing that I feel we have seen globally occur, and all the completely different individuals which were affected that manner, staying busy by way of the pandemic was clutch for me. And I feel was clutch for our group. We principally cast the app [Color Collab] that we’re speaking about in the present day by way of the pandemic, by way of all of us having trials and tribulations, relations [getting] sick, all types of issues taking place. However having work was positively one of many strongest upticks by way of the pandemic for me.
How did this app begin? Simply by way of conversations throughout quarantine?
No, so [Color Collab] was a friendship in progress, principally, over rattling, most likely 4 years, somewhat greater than 4 years. [Co-founder Tobias Sherman] and I met at my tattoo store. He got here in to get a tattoo. He had really already been tattooed by Ami [James] from “Miami Ink,” had a koi with water, after all, on the within of his arm, after which got here to me and actually wished to get one thing. And I ended up doing an enormous tiger on him. And it led us by way of about three classes. He ended up getting an enormous dragon on the highest of his shoulder from [Chris] Garver. So he had the trio, the boys’ trio sleeve.
And we turned actually good mates, and we began like that. Then we went and caught lunch collectively. And subsequent factor you realize, we had been at one another’s households’ holidays, snowboarding journeys collectively, and doubtless a few yr and a half in the past, he had launched me to [co-founder] Simon [Abitbol] as effectively in that point.
He and Simon had been massive proponents of ELEAGUE and that was actually their work … Simon was a tremendous developer and Toby was closely invested in tech. And we had been at all times speaking about completely different ways in which we may do issues the place I may work artwork into gaming. So over the course of time, we form of went down a highway of turning into mates … and eventually arising on one thing primarily based out of the truth that I used to be a decide on a contest present.
Proper.
So, as a result of I used to be a decide on a contest present, why not? Since now we have friends artists that we had at all times spawned and introduced on as form of different authorities all through the present all through seasons, why not do one thing with all of my shut mates, bringing them on to this platform the place we may create income for our artists or [they] could possibly be showcased — featured, large publicity for them. They’d be capable to promote and do every thing that they wished from the again of our home, for his or her artwork, for his or her initiatives, which we by no means would take a dime. We constructed one thing as a result of I used to be an artist and I acquired so many unhealthy offers. We collaboratively constructed one thing that we may give again to our artists that will be superb. After which we determined to gamify it by creating this aggressive part.