Have you tried Periscope yet? I’m sure you have, probably to give people 24-hour access to your boring ass life. “Here I am guys, at the 7-11 again. What flavor Mountain Dew will I chose this time?!?!”
Jon Jacques worked for a video marketing company in New York City. Jacques started screwing around with Periscope in the spring by performing street magic and streaming the performances. His audience grew immediately but Jacques wasn’t content on just doing card tricks. He wanted to pull off an even better trick — getting strangers to give money to other strangers in need.
At the recommendation of the Periscope community, Jacques set up a GoFundMe page and raised almost $700 within 24 hours. He let contributors decide where the money should be donated; they voted to divide the funds among various causes, including Wounded Warriors, the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. They told Jacques to use the rest on random acts of kindness.
Jacques brings his contributors along on his journeys with Periscope; those who donate can watch the direct impact they helped make. In some cases, followers have made private, direct donations to individuals in need after his Periscope broadcasts. In the time since reaching his first GoFundMe goal, Jacques has set up another page to raise even more, with a goal of $5,000.
So how does Jacques survive since all of the money is going to charity and you can’t pay the rent with coin behind the ear tricks? Well, get another eyeballs on you and you’ll start to get the attention of advertisers.
He says he hasn’t kept a dime of the donation money for himself, but he’s starting to see an influx of brands and ad agencies contacting him. It’s not hard to see why—over the past month, he’s racked up more than 22 million hearts (the Periscope equivalent of Facebook Likes) and is now ranked No. 16 on Periscope’s “Most Loved” list worldwide.
Nice move, Jacques. Quitting your job will pay off. Can’t say the same for the rest of you. But I can’t wait to see what flavor you choose today!
[via Mashable]