Escapex, stylized as escapex, is a mobile app developer specializing in white-label fan engagement apps for celebrities. It was founded by Sephi Shapira in 2014 (10 years ago) (2014) and has raised $18 million in funding.[1][2][3] It allows celebrities to reach fans directly, as well as receiving revenue from fans through its freemium model.

Overview

Shapira is Israeli and previously founded Interchan and MassiveImpact. He graduated from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.[3]

The company has raised $18 million in funding.[1] Its 2018 revenue was $5.5 million.[4] In 2016, the company had 57 employees split between Tel Aviv and New York City.[3]

The company's General Manager is Joe Cuello, formerly an executive at MTV, then Chief Creative Officer at TuneCore.[5][6][7] Their director of social engagement is Rafe Lopresti-Oakes.[8]

A press release from the company described the service as having a "proprietary loyalty program" which allows "monetization of social engagement through e-commerce and in-app advertising". App launches typically offered a contest for one fan to meet the celebrity.[9] The app also allows Escapex to collect and monetize user profiles for advertising.[3]

The New York Times described the concept of Escapex, musing, "If people love you, why not make money from them?".[4]

Notable apps

The company has created over 350[1] applications, including:

Bollywood stars

Escapex has a large roster of Bollywood celebrities, including:

Jeremy Renner app

Renner released a mobile app called "Jeremy Renner" (Android) and "Jeremy Renner Official" (iOS) in March 2017.[23]

FastCompany wrote extensively about Renner's app in April 2019, calling it "a surprising new kind of social media".[1] The Ringer's Kate Knibbs, explaining how self-referential the app is, summarized it stating "Jeremy Renner’s Jeremy Renner app is the Jeremy Renner of apps."[12]

The community developed to include memes, selfies, and a "Happy Rennsday" event on Wednesdays. As early as October 2017 there were claims of censorship, bullying, and "contest-rigging". In September 2019, comedian Stefan Heck wrote about discovering that any replies through the app would appear as if they were sent by Renner himself in push notifications. Heck wrote about notifications making it appear Renner was a big enthusiast of "porno"; other users made it appear Renner was a big fan of Casey Anthony. Renner had to ask Escapex to shut down the app the following day, stating "The app has jumped the shark. Literally."[16][17][24][8][4]

In September 2020, comedian/writer Caroline Goldfarb and actress Sarah Ramos launched The Renner Files podcast, a six-part series investigating the Jeremy Renner app.[25]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Katharine Schwab (8 April 2019). "Influencers are flocking to a surprising new kind of social media". Fast Company. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  2. ^ "Author: <span class="vcard">Sephi Shapira". TechCrunch. 31 May 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Abigail Klein Leichman (9 April 2016). "Enrique, Akon and 100+ artists love this new music platform - ISRAEL21c". ISRAEL21c. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e Jonah Engel Bromwich; Niraj Chokshi (9 September 2019). "Jeremy Renner and the New Walled Garden of Celebrity". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  5. ^ EscapeX (15 March 2017). "Fast Growing Influencer App Developer EscapeX Names Joe Cuello General Manager". prnewswire.com. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  6. ^ "Joe Cuello". Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz College. Retrieved 10 July 2020. Previously Joe joined escapex as General Manager in 2017. Escapex is a tech startup focused on decentralizing social media via individualized apps, serving actors/musicians/athletes/infuencers that have significant social reach. Putting monetization and control back into the heads of the creators, escapex has launched apps for Bob Marley, Marc Anthony, Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Jeremy Renner and over 100 more global stars.
  7. ^ "Social Media App Developer EscapeX Names Ex-MTV Exec Joe Cuello GM". All Access. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  8. ^ a b Kate Knibbs (17 October 2017). "Jeremy Renner's App Is Full of Drama". The Ringer. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  9. ^ escapex (22 March 2017). "Actor Jeremy Renner Launches Free Mobile App for Fans in Partnership with escapex". prnewswire.com. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  10. ^ EscapeX (1 February 2017). "Rohan Marley Launches Search for the Biggest Bob Marley Fan in the U.S. via Official Music App as Part of Week-long Celebration of His Father's Birthday". prnewswire.com. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  11. ^ "Marc Anthony Launches New Mobile App With escapex". Billboard. 31 March 2017. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  12. ^ a b Kate Knibbs (23 March 2017). "A Comprehensive Review of Jeremy Renner's App, "Jeremy Renner"". The Ringer. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  13. ^ a b c "Three Soap Faves Launch App To Connect Directly With Fans". Soap Opera Digest. 22 June 2017. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  14. ^ escapex (29 September 2017). "Niecy Nash Launches Free Mobile App to Focus on Love!". prnewswire.com. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  15. ^ escapex (26 September 2017). "Actor/Singer Tyler Posey Launches Free Mobile App via escapex". prnewswire.com. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  16. ^ a b Heck, Stefan (3 September 2019). "I Broke The Official Jeremy Renner App By Posting The Word "Porno" On It". The Concourse. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  17. ^ a b Niraj Chokshi (5 September 2019). "The Rise and Fall of the Jeremy Renner App, Which Was a Real Thing". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  18. ^ "Sunny Leone launches her own app EscapeX". The Mobile Indian. 1 December 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  19. ^ a b c Sonil Dedhia (4 January 2017). "Remo D'Souza is set to launch his own app". mid-day. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  20. ^ "Amy Jackson launches her own mobile app". Mumbai Mirror. 4 March 2017. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  21. ^ "Kajal Aggarwal launches her own app to connect with fans - Times of India". The Times of India. 19 March 2017. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  22. ^ "Nargis Fakhri launches the Nargis Fakhri Official App - Photos". Bollywood Garam. 11 April 2017. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  23. ^ Chris Gardner (22 March 2017). "Jeremy Renner Launches App to Connect Directly With Fans". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  24. ^ @IainND (September 4, 2019). "Heartbreaking development on the Jeremy Renner app" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  25. ^ Reid McCarter (16 September 2020). "Two "amateur investigative journalists" made a 6-part podcast about Jeremy Renner's shitty app". avclub.com. Retrieved 1 Oct 2020.

External links

Category