Isaac Hayes III Built A Social Media App For The Future Of TV – Microcasting. Here’s His Plan

Isaac Hayes III knows that the first thing people will notice is his name. His father was the iconic R&B producer and singer most known for writing the theme music from the 1971 flick “Shaft” and voicing the Chef character on “South Park.”

But this generation’s Isaac Hayes wants to conquer the social media world. His startup, Fanbase, is betting on the continued erosion of legacy media companies, where smaller direct-to-consumer interactions become the new – maybe even soulful – normal.

“The future of television is not going to be networks,” Hayes tells Forbes. “It’s going to be individuals.”

Hayes’ story is the second installment of Forbes’ “Journey to ForbesBLK Summit,” an editorial series leading up to the inaugural event in Atlanta from November 5-6. ForbesBLK is amplifying local entrepreneurs like Hayes who are taking distinctive approaches to business and thought leadership.

Hayes launched the software company Fanbase in 2018 in order to assist content creators, especially underpaid creators, with leveraging and monetizing their name and influence.

Hayes sees a new media landscape emerging soon. In the beginning, traditional TV (“broadcasting”) ruled. That transitioned to streaming, or “narrowcasting” with Netflix. Up next is the mass adoption of “microcasting” – having people not just follow social media personalities and channels, but subscribe to the feed and content for profit.

“We’re merging culture and infrastructure into one,” Hayes says. “Right now, there’s this predatory relationship between the bigger platforms and the creators.”

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