Today I launched Eszett, a global talent agency for human artists who chose not to use Generative AI
...but are okay with automation + AI on the back end 😉
TL;DR: Today I launched a new company called Eszett, and its main website is a also on Substack - this post pretty much covers it:
A bit of background
When Terazo was acquired in late 2024, a window of opportunity opened up for me to “start ‘something’ new.” People who took the time to have coffee and lunch with me to hear about my ideas heard me say:
“I feel like there are fifty pieces spread out in front of me, and I only need like seven of them for my new thing … I’m just not sure which seven.”
There were a few pieces that started to gel early on:
It should have something to do with art.
It should have something to do with AI, but really with extreme automation.
No-code and/or Low-code patterns and platforms should be used to the fullest extent possible to move through iterations as quickly as possible — all to seek validated feedback on product.
Some sort of financial automation/FinTech component should feature strongly in the product, platform, or service.
It should not be a fee-for-services/hourly services company like my last company
It must enable me to turn more of my attention toward my hometown of Richmond, Virginia (RVA) and the ever-growing creative scene here.
After a lot of sketching, journaling, and meditation, a few attributes of the new business started to emerge:
It should be targeted toward artists
It should support the artists by unlocking more value out of their creative work (Intellectual Property)
It should generate revenue quickly, and ideally be profitable as quickly as possible
Equitable revenue sharing should be how we get paid
This evolved into the concept for Eszett, which is set up to work like a talent agency, “signing” visual artists to “ecommerce development contracts” like an actor’s agent might sign them to a “multi-picture development deal.” This post goes into more detail:
Now the fun begins!?
I think so. I part because I chose to use Substack for the Eszett website, newsletter, and podcast. It’s just such an easy platform to get going on, and it supports the narrative storytelling that I think the Eszett brand is going to need.
On the site, it mentions that one artist, Joshua Barber, is already signed to the agency with their site launching soon. I don’t want to jinx anything, but the pipeline of artists is already bigger than I had expected at this point, and it is growing.
What’s next?
In the literal sense, my backlog is now very full – but a good portion of that is earmarked for creating meaningful and impactful content. I am excited to be able to spend more time writing articles and recording podcasts for both Eszett and here at Full Backlog. Being able to spend more of my time on “product” and talking to customers should spur a lot of great content, and I look forward to sharing it with you.
If you’d like to follow along with the Eszett journey, please subscribe to the EszettHQ Substack »