In this episode, we interview Stacy Spikes, the founder of MoviePass, about his background in the entertainment industry and the journey of building a successful tech company. Spikes shares his experience in the music and film sectors, his motivation for creating MoviePass, and the challenges he faced in the movie industry. He explains how MoviePass works as a subscription-based service that allows moviegoers to save money on tickets and provides insights into the technology behind the platform. Spikes also discusses his passion for supporting underrepresented filmmakers and the impact of MoviePass on the movie industry.   Unlike streaming services that dominate the entertainment industry, MoviePass focuses solely on the physical movie theater experience. By offering a subscription service, MoviePass aims to eliminate the need for studios to constantly reacquire customers through advertising, ultimately doubling the size of the movie industry. The platform provides customers with a virtual card in the app, which they can use to purchase tickets either online or in person. This flexibility allows moviegoers to choose from a wide range of theaters and enjoy significant savings on their movie tickets.   If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.    Founder Bio:    Stacy Spikes is an award-winning entrepreneur and inventor who USA Today named one of the 21 most influential Blacks in technology. He holds several technology patents and is the co-founder and CEO of the nation’s first theatrical subscription service, MoviePass.  In addition, Spikes is the founder of Urbanworld, the largest international festival dedicated to nurturing Women and BIPOC filmmakers. Spikes is the author of a business memoir titled Black Founder, The Hidden Power of Being an Outsider on Kensington Press.   Time Stamps:    03:00 Introduction and background of Stacy Spikes 04:50 Solving the pain point of movie exposure 06:45 Revolutionizing moviegoing experience with subscription services 09:17 Flexible movie ticket credits with MoviePass 12:15 Building a technology platform: from concept to execution 15:17 Finding the right tech hubs 19:55 The evolution of Dev shops 24:06 Getting the word out and acquiring new customers 26:29 Overcoming barriers to entry in the movie theater industry 28:20 Creating an innovative OTT platform 31:54 Stages of fundraising and how to find demand for your product  34:38 Stacy's new Book: The Hidden Power of Being an Outsider 36:37 What coming new and how to get in contact with the MoviePass team   Resources   Company website: https://www.moviepass.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/moviepass LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/moviepass-inc Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moviepass