Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle McCormack.
Michelle is the founder and CEO at Casting Coin, a technology platform that is utterly disrupting the fashion and entertainment industries. In one short year, the company has helped create content for some of the biggest brands in the world including Estee Lauder, Bobbi Brown, Maybelline, Masterclass, Sephora, and more. The Casting Coin team is made up of fashion, media, and entertainment stars including executives from Ralph Lauren, The Grammys, Rihanna, JetBlue, and more! Casting Coin has offices in Miami, NYC, and Los Angeles. They are planning a 2021 London opening. Casting Coin was recently featured in WWD (Women’s Wear Daily).
Michelle started her career printing black & white for Annie Leibovitz. She went on to work for the top fashion magazines and brands in the world, including Vogue, Vanity Fair, and Clinique. Later, Michelle learned to code and then to produce digital campaigns for global brands like Rockport, CVS, and Bank of America while working at Hill Holliday. Eventually, she went out on her own and produced digital campaigns for major brands like Rag & Bone, Sam Adams, Red Bull, and more.
During a stint living in Boston, she built the most influential community there called Secret Boston. It was the first place Uber advertised when they launched in Boston in 2012. Also, while in Boston, Michelle officially produced FNO for Vogue Magazine. It is considered the most successful fashion event in Boston’s history.
In 2017, Michelle became a leading voice in blockchain and wrote a cryptocurrency column for NY Observer. Michelle has lived in 4 countries and 5 cities. She is an American and European citizen.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The past 18-months since starting Casting Coin have been a rollercoaster. In a great way. I’ve become a better businesswoman and a better person. There is no better place to evolve in every way than having your own company. For example, when I started Casting Coin I thought my main strength was creative thinking.
But now, after a year of fundraising and setting business goals, I understand markets, revenue streams, EBITA, churn, and other financial concepts I never before considered. Building my team has also taught me so much about people. It’s not just about the idea and revenue model, it’s about inspiring people and making them feel respected and listened to. Startup life is scary – I have a tremendous amount of tolerance for risk – but there is no better place to evolve and develop faith in oneself.
Casting Coin – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Casting Coin, a technology platform that is utterly disrupting the fashion and entertainment industries. In one short year, the company has helped create content for some of the biggest brands in the world including Estee Lauder, Bobbi Brown, Maybelline, Masterclass, Sephora, and more. The Casting Coin team is made up of fashion, media, and entertainment stars including executives from Ralph Lauren, The Grammys, Rihanna, JetBlue, and more! Casting Coin has offices in Miami, NYC, and Los Angeles. They are planning a 2021 London opening.
Casting Coin currently has over 6,000 artist applications of which 200 have been accepted to the platform. What sets us apart is our technology, team and vision. Our platform runs on algorithms and AI so the more a brand uses it the smarter it gets. This means brands can produce content faster for less money and that artists can get more jobs thus earn more money.
No one in the world has a stronger team than Casting Coin. See here: https://castingcoin.com/our-team
Finally, we are mission-driven: group health benefits and automatic tax withholdings are just two of the areas we are making people’s lives better. Anonymous star ratings will help protect at-risk artists and issues surfaced during “me too” movement.
What were you like growing up?
I have always been an adventurer with a high tolerance for risk – a very independent thinker. I’ve lived in 4 countries and 5 cities and I have never let money stand in the way of anything I did. I have always been good at fashion – I just get it – and fashion photography is how I originally penetrated the fashion world. I was also a club-kid in NYC in my youth, a graphic designer, a digital marketer, and a coder. Today, I am able to tie it all together in the huge idea that is making my industries (fashion/media/entertainment) and the world, a better place.
Contact Info:
- Website: castingcoin.com
- Phone: 917-873-2215
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: instagram.com/castingcoin
- Facebook: facebook.com/castingcoin
Image Credit:
Michelle McCormack
Suggest a story: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
