While it’s not uncommon for celebrities to launch a website or ecommerce business, Arya Stark actress Maisie Williams is going one step further and is set to release her own social app for Android and iOS later this year. Daisie, aimed at facilitating sharing and collaboration among creatives within a social media or network environment.
The concept is for Daisy to be an ad-free, creative industry-specific social network with a particular focus on giving young talent a platform to gain exposure for their work as well as the support of more experienced peers.
The discovery of creative talent required for different projects is something else the social app aims to facilitate and users will be able to publish their availability for work. Monetisation will be achieved through a ‘Plus’ programme which will see users pay a subscription for functionalities mostly connected to looking for creative professionals to hire or offering services or content. No advertising will feature on either the Daisie app or website.
Williams, an ardent women’s rights advocate, also sees Daisie as a safe environment for female creatives to gain exposure and work. She believes this is of particular relevance given recent evidence of female talent regularly being exploited, abused and put in a compromising position by male executives responsible for hiring.
Williams is not doing Daisie all on her own though. The app is co-founded by film producer Dom Santry, who will hold the position of CEO and be responsible for the company’s day-to-day running. The development team behind the app, led by Tim Novis, are currently 4 months deep into an estimated 10-month build period.
It is hoped that after an initial period that will allow Daisie’s user base to grow, there will eventually be synergies with another of the team’s projects – Daisy Chain Productions, a Production company established with young English actor Bill Milner. Daisy Chain is also focused on developing youthful creative talent and several months after the Daisie app’s launch the production company hopes to start producing content using the cream of the talent to be found on the app.
The Daisie app and website are not expected to launch until the end of August but those interested in being among the first to begin using it can sign up on www.daisie.com for updates in the lead up to its release.