Richie Frieman is a children’s author, artist, and is currently working on his newest project PensEyeView.com.  PEV is an online magazine featuring a new artist, innovator, or visionary every 48 hours.  Richie approached TheStartupist for an interview, and I couldn’t say no.  He is full of excellent information for those of you who are looking to turn your artistic creativity into a business venture, or just those who are looking to start an online publication.

You yourself are an artist.  Describe how you decided to translate your passion for the arts into a website/business.

RF: As an artist, I’ve seen – and am part of – the process of getting your work out there. It’s so hard to get people to listen or view your work, since everyone is trying for the same thing. But artists are used to that kind of lifestyle and it’s just a part of the business. When I first started PensEyeView.com I was thinking of how can I offer so many talented artists a chance to have their work seen and support one another. That’s how it happened – bringing the music, art, and visionary communities together. The results have been great. I get so many features on PensEyeView.com from other artists saying, “Check out…” and it keeps on going from there.

RF: This is very true and when I started PensEyeView.com I had to figure out a way to stand out and be unique. With that, we offer a new feature every 48 hours. On PensEyeView.com you’ll never get the same feature twice and it’s always new, always changing and always offering someone who is doing tremendous work in the world of music, art and social projects (visionaries). Since April 1, 2007 (when we launched) we’ve featured over 450 features consecutively – never missing a day – from five continents, dozens of countries and countless cities across the world. No other e-magazine – or print magazine – can boast these kinds of stats, in such a short time. Plus we are involved with our artists even after they are featured. We always get emails and announcements from them saying what they are working on or when they’re coming to town, etc. This has been great because it’s a blast watching some emerging artist that noone really heard of hit it big like two months after we had them on. It’s great to be able to say, “First!”

In PEV’s relatively short existence, it has managed to receive a few prestigious awards and honors.  To what do you attribute this success?

RF: Yes, we’ve been incredibly fortunate to get the attention we have received so far, so young. It comes down to the results we show and our success that is driven by our relentless work ethic. PensEyeView.com has a very loyal team of close friends that all have the same focus and passion to make the site work. When you have a good team – with no egos – the company will always run better than others.

We’ve also had a lot of people go to bat for us. People in the industry really support us and refer us to others and others and the word spreads. We have close relationships with the top record labels in the world as well as agents and PR reps, calling me and saying they have someone new for us. This shows our success and that people have confidence in us – that’s the real reward. That and we are always networking and getting involved. I love to meet people and bounce ideas off each other.

RF: It’s all about having a quality niche and knowing your market. If you look at the top magazines, Time, Sports Illustrated, GQ, etc. they appeal to a certain group. As well, always branch out to other areas your market likes. We started featuring a Style, Tech, Review and Food sections a year ago and it has been a great addition. Plus, give people what they want to read. Don’t be the same old same old. We try to ask interesting questions that make the artists think and have fun with their interviews. There is nothing better than talking with a Grammy winner who has been interviewed by everyone and them saying “Wow, that’s a really good question!”

RF: The awards are our way of showing that we are a serious business with drive. The awards are recognition that show people how far we’ve come and what we can do. After all, not everyone really “got us” when we first launched since no one else was doing a site the way we were – which is good! Recognition and awards may open a lot of doors but it’s up to us to keep them open. Every opportunity that has come our way is because we work like crazy and always use that opportunity for another.

RF: We are really focused with putting ourselves out there even more. For example, I am really involved in the alumni association for my college – The Univ. Of Maryland College Park – and am helping them with a concert they are doing on campus. It’s a contest to get UMD musicians to play at the Football games in front of tens of thousands of people. Who wouldn’t want to do that! We are always looking to reach out to the universities and get in touch with the students. They always know what is good before anyone else. Also, I meet with anyone and everyone possible, you never know what can happen – and not just in the music industry, other areas that may help us out.  And of course we are always evolving the site to give the readers something new and interesting to look at. The readers are our first priority.

RF: We are open for anything. My email and my team member’s emails are right in the “About Us” section and we are always looking for people to feature and work with. If you have a great idea, we want to hear it. If you are an artist and want your voice heard, drop us a line. We believe that everyone has something to offer and never look down at any ideas so if you want to connect with us, by all means just contact me. RFrieman@PensEyeView.com