GigMaven

Hello all –

The GigMaven team has a new member — me! My name is Peter Enestrom and I’ve joined the company in a strategy/consulting role that will allow me to impact the mission and direction of GigMaven. I’ve been following GigMaven since its creation, both as an artist (I’m a producer/DJ) and a friend (I know CEO Howard Han from my days at Yale). I’ve always been extremely intrigued by GigMaven’s mission to eliminate the inefficiencies of finding/booking gigs in the music world. Thus, I’m ecstatic to be on-board.

To provide a little information about myself, I grew up in Australia and have been playing in bands and DJing in clubs since my teenage years. I spent my university years in the United States at Yale, where I pursued my love for music in an academic capacity while also driving my creative passions by producing music for several independent films and various hip-hop groups. 

I have spent my entire career (all two-and-a-half years) at Microsoft, where I’ve been managing the search and display advertising accounts of various Fortune 500 companies, such as Apple and Visa. My interests in online technology and music have led me to GigMaven, where I will continue to work at in a part-time capacity when I join Columbia’s MBA Class of 2011 in the fall of this year (see below for a shot of me enjoying some fine NYC pizza). Outside of work, I’m currently finishing my band’s first album and am attempting to improve my surfing skills.

I believe GigMaven has enormous potential and I will be working with various bands, DJs, promoters, venues, and music publishers over the coming months to garner a better understanding of what these groups are looking for and how GigMaven can best connect the dots. 

One project we are looking out is a DJ booking interface. My own experiences as a DJ have illuminated the inefficiencies in booking. For example, venues and promoters want ready access to mixes, availability, and the DJ’s ability to bring a crowd through the door. 

Conversely, DJ’s will be able to find gigs outside their human network and maximize their playing time, which will prove particularly helpful in that they are able to play multiple gigs in a night (unlike most bands). Some other things we’re looking at are integrating promoters into the GigMaven model, where they would be able to solicit DJs and book for events, and partnering with various online music sites. There is certainly plenty to do!

As a shameless plug, be sure to check out my band, The Vanish. You can also check out some videos I’ve helped produce with friends, such as the ‘Mac or PC’ rap music video that has been featured on the homepages of YouTube and Yahoo (see below).

Until later…

Pete