Chief among the cast of extreme personalities is Nicole ‘Snooki’ Polizzi: A pocket rocket with a gravity-defying bouffant and penchant for pickles and vodka concoctions.
Snooki is fast becoming a global phenomenon; she’s about to hit five million followers on twitter and commands thousands of dollars for public appearances. Her specialties include tan application, fist pumping and falling over in public. She is loud, ‘gaudy’, unapologetic and universally adored.
What you may not already know is that Snooki has turned her attention to iOS, having launched her first app called Snookify Me! ($1.99) last year. With plans to release more apps in the future, MacTalk chats to Adam Kotkin, CEO of Apps Genius - the development company who have jumped on board to help take Jersey global.
What is it about Snooki that is so appealing to her fan base?
Snooki is funny, full of energy and has a personality that appeals to millions of people, even her twitter followers are quickly approaching the 5 million mark – a number that would put her in the top 25 most followed people on twitter in the world.
Fans never know what is going to come out of Snooki’s mouth, but they expect that it is going to be genuine, unfiltered and from her heart. Fans of all ages are able to relate to Snooki as she publicizes her life’s events throughout the world – many of which are not so different from their own.
Snooki has created and endorsed many products; among them her first App, Snookify Me!. When we first met, she told me that “there is an app for me”, we just need to build it.
What was Snooki's role in helping get the app off the ground?
Snooki’s fans can rest assured that she takes a hands-on approach in design and development from beginning to end. She demands the best on anything that she puts her name on. I believe that Apps Genius’s Celebrity Division’s hands-on approach to working with celebrities is the reason that she choose to work with us in the design of her games and apps. Of coarse, it didn’t hurt that we are located conveniently close to the Jersey Shore – where her fame and fan following all began.
Can you tell us a bit about Snooki’s first app – Snookify Me!?
Snookify Me! was released worldwide in late 2011. Several modifications have been made and will continue to be made as Snooki’s clothing styles change. Once thing I can guarantee is that the ‘Pouf’ is here to stay. The app is available for $1.99 US
You work for Apps Genius – what is the company all about? What projects are you currently working on and for which platform?
Apps Genius Corp (APGS.ob) (www.appsgenius.com) develops, markets, publishes and distributes social games and software applications that consumers can use on a variety of platforms. The platforms include social networks, wireless devices such as cellular phones and smartphones including the Apple iPhone and standalone websites.
The Company’s Celebrity Entertainment Division focuses on leveraging the fan base of noted celebrities to build apps and games around their personas. The first title in this division, ‘Snookify Me! was created for Nicole ‘Snooki’ Polizzi of the reality TV show Jersey Shore. Additionally, the Company has released several applications including ‘Bed Bug Alert,’ an informational tool for the Apple iPhone, My Mad Millions, a game application for Facebook Slap a Friend, a game for the Apple iPhone, Bruisers, a game application for Facebook and Crazy Dream, also an application for Faceboo.
Apps Genius Corp’s goal is to develop and publish new titles on a recurring basis that are based on the same property and gaming platform. Examples of this franchise approach are My Mad Millions and Rock The House, currently under development, which both utilise the same underlying platform.
A core focus of the Company’s Social Gaming and Mobile Application development is to allow users and players to reach across different networks into a virtual application or gaming environment such as Facebook, MySpace, iPhone and Android and be able to play games and use applications from all users no matter what environment they are using the application in.
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