Check Out Arturo Herrera Leon’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Arturo Herrera Leon.

Hi Arturo, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
In late 2019, I launched a booking business for musicians for private events, so when the pandemic hit in early 2020, like others in the entertainment industry, I had to shut down all activities and take to the internet. Little by little, a dream I have had for a long time began taking shape in my mind: Finding a way to make live entertainment a truly worthwhile experience online. At around the same time, quite by luck, I met my now co-founder, Bre Podgorski, who shared in this same vision. So, we decided to join forces and dive into the world of virtual entertainment. First, we decided to produce our own show: a virtual piano bar show that combines music and games to provide corporate clients with a uniquely fun social experience. What we learned from producing our own show was that no platform was adequately built for live entertainment that relies on heavy social interaction.

On one hand, we could not simply livestream our show because live chat provides little opportunity to interact with audiences, and on the other hand, video conference platforms were designed for, well… conferences – and other business functions. We ended up having to mix both in order to enjoy a good quality video stream for our show while being able to connect with audience members through the video conference platform goes without saying… this was clunky. So, we decided to build our own platform! End of 2020, we began development of ShoCast (@ShoCastLive), the first virtual entertainment platform where entertainers can have an intimate level of interaction with their audiences. After months of development and hitting some walls along the way, we are on track for a beta launch very soon.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Definitely! It has been a tough – but rewarding – journey to really dive deep into what entertainers need in order to create valuable live shows and develop the technology to deliver this. We encountered many hurdles, but we have an incredibly smart developer leading the charge. Additionally, we have enjoyed incredible mentorship from influential leaders in the startup ecosystem in Los Angeles like Professor Paul Orlando from the USC Incubator.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
After a few years of working as an engineer, I decided to make a pivot into business and learning how to turn ideas into opportunities to develop business solutions. So, in 2016 I went on to earn a Master of Science degree in Entrepreneurship and Innovation from USC, and up to this day, I have been able to apply and hone my entrepreneurial skills to develop family business projects and small personal projects with success. With ShoCast, I am embarking on a higher-stakes entrepreneurial career and I could not be more excited – and terrified – but mostly excited!

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I define success simply as making sure that after all is said and done, you have no regrets – moving forward, constantly learning, and taking ownership of the mistakes you make along the way.

Contact Info:

• Email: art@shocast.live
• Website: https://shocast.live
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artherreraleon/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artherreraleon/