Hi There!

I hope you had a great weekend. Welcome back to another daily blog post. Today we will be debuting a brand-new series on Context Is King. Instead of Asking Ash questions today, we will be asking a leading industry professional about how they got to where they are, whether they have founded their own business, or are in a senior-level role at their company. 

Today’s expert is Anjan Luthra. Anjan is the Founder & CEO of Thrillz, a platform that connects professional athletes, and celebrities with fans through live chat, and video messaging. Thrillz is currently located in the UK.

I wanted to learn more about how Anjan founded his business, how he differentiates Thrillz from a company like Cameo, his thoughts on expanding his business, and his opinions on the “creator economy”.

1) How did you come up with your idea for your business?

“Being a former international sportsman myself, I have always been obsessed with sporting stars. I played Tennis and Cricket for Scotland and looked up to many great sportsmen. I wanted a deeper way of connecting with them so I built Thrillz!”

2) What are some ways that you differentiate yourself from a company like Cameo?

“We differentiate in the following ways: (1) We are focused on building out our platform so that the stars can connect with their fans in multiple ways including one-to-one live video chats, and one-to-many experiences (2) We are talent and agent-friendly. We have great relationships with agents and they earn a commission from our commission – thereby protecting the talent’s earnings. We also have a dedicated portal for agents to track everything (3) We have the best-in-class customer support with thousands of five-star reviews. We go above and beyond in everything we do.”

3)  Where do you see your business going within the next several years?

“Thrillz will be a global platform for individuals across the world who will use this every day! We believe that celebrities and creators across the globe will be able to make a full-time income on Thrillz through the various feature build-outs. Fans and supporters from across the globe will be able to interact with them in the most authentic way.”

4) We talk about the “creator economy” which usually connotes influencers, YouTubers, Tiktokers… what are your thoughts on established celebs who want to reach fans directly?

“Celebrities have realized that going digital is smart and they can supplement their traditional income in a convenient way. The bigger stars tend to earn for charity but there is also a long tail of celebrities that still require an income and highly value a service like Thrillz. There’s a misconception that every single celebrity has made millions of dollars and doesn’t need the money. There are plenty of people who are famous and loved but did not monetize their fame enough.”

For Quick Disclosure: Thrillz is a company that Granicus Group Has Invested In.