Ivybridge creative Mat Smith is the founder of an online video platform called Mee TV which is based in Barnet in north London.

Mat went to Manor Junior School then Ivybridge Comprehensive (now Ivybridge Community College).

He moved to London and got a job in print and design.

Mat explained what happened: “The lads I met wanted to get a band together so we did that then moved into the music industry.

“I got my first job sweeping floors and then was setting up rehearsal rooms for bands like Spandau Ballet, Aha and Chad from the Red Hot Chilli Peppers.

“From working in one, we built our own studio in Stoke Newington.

“We had a record label, our own recording studio, working with loads of bands and a really good Devon band, called ‘Large Man’ were just releasing their new album.

“Working with bands is really difficult if you're managing them and running a label and studio.

“There's a lot of egos in every band.”

The Mee TV homescreen

Mat decided leave the music industry to focus on video production and writing.

He said: “Like with the music industry I'd make pilots, send them to the BBC, send them to RDF, and then I'd hustle, see if I could get an interview.

“They all got passed on, ultimately and it was frustrating for me as a creative.

“I thought there's loads of really talented people out there that put their own money into producing music or producing a video or film, but there's nowhere for it to go.

“If it's turned down by a major, there's no outlet for it.

L to R rear. Olivia Jane - Creative producer / vlogger / influencer / Sam Braham - Talent Acquisition / comedian Barnaby Thompson - Creator Outreach and performer Karolina Smolova - Director / Producer Matthew Smith - Producer / Founder Anjula Singh - Chief Communication Officer / Journalist / Presenter Front Centre - Angelo Zarkadoulas - Co Founder / Technical director
L to R rear. Olivia Jane - Creative producer / vlogger / influencer / Sam Braham - Talent Acquisition / comedian Barnaby Thompson - Creator Outreach and performer Karolina Smolova - Director / Producer Matthew Smith - Producer / Founder Anjula Singh - Chief Communication Officer / Journalist / Presenter Front Centre - Angelo Zarkadoulas - Co Founder / Technical director (Mee TV)

In 2005 YouTube arrived and changed everything, which was brilliant, but it didn't solve the problem for emerging talent because it was a free for all.

‘Back in the day YouTube was a really good tool for getting out there, but to monetize it now, you need a huge following.

In 2018 Mat was working for another start-up which raised £12m but he wasn’t impressed with their operation explaining:

“If they raised 12 million pounds for a bad idea, surely having a good idea, you'd be able to raise some money?

“In 2021, I put some of my own money in and found some investors that were prepared to put some of their money in, then we started building a prototype.

There are a plans for a crowd share offer which means that the platform will be owned by the people that use it and

viewers and creators will also be able to buy shares in Mee TV.

Unlike the large operators they charge creatives five per cent of the profits.

As for the future Mat said: We need to expand the feature set, to release the app and to make the ways people communicate with each other better.

“We need to put the power of the media we produce into the hands of the people that consume it and the people that watch it. So that's it, basically.

“As simple as that.”

For more information visit: https://www.meetv.net/