Slate Click
Casting made easy™ - Casting Calls and Crew Calls Software for Everywhere
Overview
Raised: $51,525
Total Commitments ($USD)
Republic
06/14/2021
10/31/2021
$150
SAFE
Pre-Seed
RegCF
$4,500,000
20%
Rolling Commitments ($USD)
10/31/2021
$371
130
2020
Media, Entertainment & Publishing
MediaTech
B2B/B2C
High
Low
Summary Profit and Loss Statement
| Most Recent Year | Prior Year | |
|---|---|---|
|
Revenue |
$436,100 |
$412,271 |
|
COGS |
$79,148 |
$113,689 |
|
Tax |
$0 |
$0 |
| ||
| ||
|
Net Income |
$69,637 |
$67,996 |
Summary Balance Sheet
| Most Recent Year | Prior Year | |
|---|---|---|
|
Cash |
$1,019 |
$0 |
|
Accounts Receivable |
$0 |
$0 |
|
Total Assets |
$2,264 |
$1,013 |
|
Short-Term Debt |
$7,601 |
$21,930 |
|
Long-Term Debt |
$0 |
$0 |
|
Total Liabilities |
$7,601 |
$21,930 |
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Analyst Report
Synopsis
Movies, theatrical performances, commercials, and other forms of entertainment all require performers. Those looking to get into show business often flock to big cities like Hollywood and New York. But for many performers, that journey just isn’t feasible.
That’s where Slate Click comes in. Slate Click wants to help talented people find work in the entertainment industry no matter where they live. Instead of making actors travel across the country to find performance opportunities, the company wants to bring the opportunities to them. To that end, it has created a network of more than 30 regionally-focused casting call platforms dedicated to helping actors find local casting opportunities. Actors can visit one of Slate Click’s sites, film their audition, then upload it to the site. Casting professionals then review the content and choose the actors best suited for their project.
Slate Click — originally called Casting Calls America — is launching its Crew Calls America brand to focus on procuring talent for behind-the-scenes workers. This year, the company hopes to expand its casting call operations into the UK.
Slate Click’s current Republic raise has been rated a Neutral Deal by the KingsCrowd investment team.
Price
Slate Click is currently raising at a $4.5 million pre-money valuation cap with a 20% discount, giving investors SAFE equities in exchange. Our system considers this valuation to be incredibly attractive. As such, it has rated the pricing of the business near the high end of the scale.
Market
Between 2016 and 2021, the US casting agency market grew at an annualized rate of just 1%. The industry is also quite small. In 2021, it expanded 1.7% to $1 billion. If this kind of growth continues, it will rise to less than $1.2 billion in 10 years. Due to this small market and slow growth, our system has rated Slate Click’s market opportunity at the low end of our scale.
Team
Slate Click co-founder and CEO Kirk Uhler also serves as an executive director at Placer Business Alliance, a business promotion group for Placer County, California. Previously, he was a partner at HJU Group, a software and business development company. Prior to that, he was an owner of Rensa Group, a communications strategy business. Before that, Uhler was the CEO of SARTA, a nonprofit that promoted the growth of technology companies in Sacramento. He served as the co-founder of VidGage, a social media platform focused on video content. He also served as a vice president of government relations at Solar Power Inc. and CEO of the Electric & Gas Industries Association.
Brian Jagger is Slate Click’s co-founder and chief product officer. He too previously served as a partner at HJU Group. He also worked as a casting director and assistant director at The Kaba Group, where he handled casting for on-set talent management professionals. He also worked as a professional actor and has a number of roles under his belt. He has served as a casting director for DEFY Media, where he worked on projects such as Smosh. Before that, he was a film director for Sacramento City College and a project manager at Rensa Group.
Slate Click CTO Bryan Heath was previously a partner at HJU Group and a CTO at Casting Calls America (which later turned into Slate Click).
One of the founders does have experience in the casting call agency market, but neither he nor the other co-founder are fully dedicated to Slate Click and have other professional commitments. In addition, the team lacks important roles, such as someone to help onboard additional users for their platform. Thus, our system has rated the company’s team near the low end of our scale.
Differentiators
Overall, Slate Click isn’t very different from traditional casting agencies. Its main differentiation appears to be its regional emphasis, but competition could easily replicate this approach. Slate Click does have several different revenue streams, but it’s not enough to bolster its score. Therefore, our system has rated Slate Click’s differentiation below average on our scale.
Performance
According to management, Slate Click has more than 230,000 unique user contacts and has attracted more than 20,000 paid subscribers since launching. The Crew Calls America platform already has around 1,000 early adopters, and the business has seen some of its talent go on to work for companies like Disney, HBO, Netflix, and more. The company also has partnered up with Amazon’s IMDbPro so that listings from Casting Calls America and Crew Calls America are part of the IMDbPro jobs database. Slate Click also has a partnership with Synthesia.io so that its customers can use Synthesia.io’s AI video avatar program to create content. Slate Click has already helped more than 20 actors land roles who continue to receive ongoing royalties as a result of this partnership.
On the financial side, Slate Click’s revenue has grown over time. In 2019, the company generated sales of $412,271. Revenue increased to $436,100 in 2020. The company also generated net profits for both years, growing its bottom line from $67,996 in 2019 to $69,637 in 2020. In all, this has led our system to rate the performance of the company well above average on our scale.
Risks
All things considered, Slate Click’s risk profile is quite low. No particular category saw elevated risk. Despite the company’s shortcomings, it is profitable at its current scale and has encouraging revenue growth.
Bearish Outlook
Although Slate Click’s risk is low, investors should still be wary of a few problems. For one, the company’s market opportunity looks limited at best. It is also growing at a sluggish pace. The team also seems to have potential problems regarding commitment and skill gaps. The product, while somewhat differentiated, does not appear to be significantly different from the competition.
Another minor concern is Slate Click’s pricing methodology. It would make more sense if Slate Click charged the organizations that recruit the talent on its platform instead of the actors who submit their content.
Bullish Outlook
On the positive side, Slate Click’s valuation appears to be reasonable. In fact, given its traction, it is surprising that management is not asking for a higher valuation. The firm has also had a stellar performance. Its traction is great, even though revenue growth is slow. And finally, Slate Click’s overall risk profile is low.
Executive Summary
Slate Click is looking to reinvent the casting call industry by connecting actors with local casting agents all across the country. The company has ideas to further grow and diversify operations, and its valuation is fairly reasonable. Plus, the company offers a low risk profile and an impressive performance. If current trends persist, Slate Click could end up doing well for shareholders. On the other hand, investors may want to consider factors such as the market’s slow growth, a lack of significant differentiation, and the team’s potential lack of dedication. In the end, the positives and negatives roughly balance out. Therefore, KingsCrowd has rated the company a Neutral prospect.
For questions regarding the KingsCrowd staff pick or ratings for this company, please reach out to support@kingscrowd.com.
Analysis written by Daniel Jones.
Founder Profile
Slate Click Is Making Casting Calls Nationally Accessible
When Americans think of the film industry, big cities are often what come to mind. For example, Hollywood is nearly synonymous with blockbusters and A-list celebrities, and New York City is a cultural capital. However, talented newcomers exist across the US, and it can be hard for them to gain notice.Slate Click -- the flagship product of Casting Calls America -- offers a solution for rising talents by providing a platform for national and regional call listings. Cast listings can be posted on the site, and actors and actresses can submit auditions online. We reached out to co-founder and Chief Product Officer Brian Jagger to learn about Slate Click’s origins and gain further insight into the market.
Note: This interview was conducted over phone and email. It has been lightly edited for clarity and length.