Today we’d like to introduce you to Melvin Diaz.
Melvin, before we jump into specific questions about your work, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I am a stand-up comedian originally from Los Angeles. I attended the Entertainment Business program at the Los Angeles Film School from 2015-2019. There, I created a company, alongside four other classmates, called xLines. xLines is an app that allows you to hire someone to wait in line for you or save a parking spot for you in the city. It has garnered much attention this past year and continues to grow at swift rate. When I am not doing stand-up in LA and across the country, I am working on building the xLines brand and app to become the next Uber or Airbnb.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has not been a smooth ride at all. With every journey that you embark on, there will always be trials and tribulations. The first obstacle that arose was whether or not the founding members were going to remain a part of the group. We had half the original group part ways within the first couple of months, all for several different reasons. This left the remaining members having to scramble and pick up the slack that was left. But this was just the beginning; in order to create an app, you need two things; money and someone to create the app for you.
With enough planning and coming together, my group and I managed to come up with the proper funds but finding an app developer was very challenging. After months of foraging the internet and the app developing industry, we found our perfect match, yet things kept getting tougher. Problems and challenges keep arising, yet we remain focused and ready to tackle anything that comes our way. You always have to be ready to find a solution, because there’s always one.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I am a comedian and also one of the founders of a lifestyle app. I have been doing comedy for five years. In that time, I have gone on tour across the country twice, performed at every comedy establishment in the city, and even started my own comedy show.
My company, xLines, is an app that allows you to hire people to wait in line for you or save a parking spot for you in the city. We believe that we have found the crack in the market. xLines will be nationwide at a size that will rival that of Uber, Lyft, and Airbnb.
I am interested in both the artistic side of creativity as well as the business side of it, and I think that is what sets me apart from others.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
To me, success is about being proud of yourself. It’s not about money or fame. It’s about being able to look back at your life and be proud of the decisions you made, the impact you left, and how well you loved those around you. The key is to keep growing, every single day. If you have a skateboard today, work until you have a bike, then work until you have a car, but just keep improving.
Contact Info:
- Website: melvinadiaz.com
- Phone: 3236300032
- Email: m.diaz2@lafilm.edu
- Instagram: childishmelvino
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melvin.diaz.73
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