Some of the best apps created are those that are built out of necessity, or to make the app creator’s life a little easier. The great thing about these types of apps is that a simple idea often turns into an infinitely useful tool for others. Much like the entertainment business, many star apps are born from humble beginnings.
Open Mic List, created by comedian Max Goldberg, is an app that features a simple list of open mic locations available to comedians to get a little practice, test new material or launch their careers.
Max was kind enough to take some time to answer questions about himself and the app, found below.
Tell us a little about yourself, and what prompted you to to create the Open Mic List app…
I love stand-up comedy. From an artistic standpoint, stand-up comedy is a meritocracy — anyone can start performing at an open mic, without the need of an agent, booker, or manager. The only things needed to get on stage are some jokes, and the knowledge of where the stage is located. That second part always drove me crazy. I’ve been a stand-up comedian in Los Angeles since I was in high school, and I’m 27 now. Los Angeles is a very expansive city that basically requires folks to use cars, and gas prices are some of the highest in the country here — and open mic comedians tend to be poor. The comedy open mics around town were always changing, and I needed a good way of knowing where the closest open mic was going down. There were some show directories online, but I always had to print out the list, stick it in my car, figure out what was closest, and hope the list was up to date before I got to the gig. When I finally got a smartphone years later, and this type of app STILL didn’t exist, I decided it was time I just make it myself. Open Mic List does all of this for me now auto-magically.
Your app is limited in its feature set, but its strength is in its simplicity. Was that something you intended?
Definitely. I saw a need for very specific features — finding nearby comedy open mics — and I built the app to serve that need. I added some social sharing, but I strove to keep it very straightforward and simple to use. I also kept it free for the same reason: I want people to actually use and benefit from the app.
Who were your favorite comedians growing up? Presently?
Recently I’ve been listening to Doug Stanhope, Myq Kaplan, and Bill Burr (all Northeast comedians) and mixing it up with Chris Rock’s stuff from the 90′s.
Some people don’t realize that comedy can be a tough business, what keeps you going?
It’s not entirely a business, which leaves room to stay happy. I started doing stand-up because I absolutely loved it more than anything else, not because there was a paycheck. I work hard to get that paycheck now, but what ultimately motivates me is a love of the work itself.
It looks like you’ve expanded your open mic list to Boston, anything else in the works?
Definitely! We’ll be featuring every major comedy market before the summer time. I want the world to laugh more, and better, than we do now. And I want comedians to feel empowered, not powerless.
Any words of wisdom for those who are currently creating their app with Shoutem?
Like every other indie project on the internet, the most time-consuming parts will be building a database of content, and graphic design.
Parting thoughts?
If you’re a comedian needing more stage time, or a novice looking to get your foot in the door, Open Mic List can help. You can learn more about Open Mic List here.
If you giggled at my comedy video, you can follow my comedy work here:
http://www.facebook.com/maxgoldbergcomedy
—
Download Open Mic List today!
We’d like to thank Max for sharing his thoughts, as well as choosing ShoutEm to build his app! You can download the Android/iOS versions of the app using the images below.
If you’re looking to create your own mobile app, ShoutEm is free to build and test. Sign up for your account today and you could be the next ShoutEm success story!