NEW YORK CITY (CelebrityAccess) – EVA, the entertainment tech company that connects performers with corporate and private events, is launching today in New York City, its eighth and largest market to date. Since 2019, EVA has put more than six million dollars in local performers’ pockets in Nashville, Austin, Charlotte, Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago, and New Orleans, and now, more than eighty artists, speakers, comedians, and other entertainers including Christian McBride and Julia Gargano are available to book in the NYC metropolitan area.
EVA was founded by college roommates and best friends Channing Moreland and Makenzie Stokel in Nashville almost a decade ago after they kept running into the same issues while booking live music as students at Belmont University, and thought “there’s got to be a better way.”
Since its origins as a dorm room startup, EVA has raised millions in funding (including an oversubscribed two-million-dollar funding round that closed this summer and facilitated gigs between over 2,500 entertainers and clients like Amazon Web Services, Dell, Insperity, and Pinnacle Financial Partners.
Using an Airbnb-esque filter system that allows entertainers and clients alike to set parameters like rates, available dates, genres, and more, EVA is offering real revenue opportunities and simplicity amid an outdated booking system. For performers, it provides a new source of steady income in the cities where it’s live, giving them the chance to play conferences, summits, Christmas parties, and other paid corporate gigs with regularity for the first time ever. For its corporate clients, EVA is overhauling and streamlining the booking process in a meaningful way for the first time in a long time.
Samara Donald, Marketing Leader at Amazon Web Services, said of EVA and its entertainment curation: “They’re an innovative technology company making a real impact in their field. From discovering the latest entertainment to seamlessly managing the booking process, EVA is a game-changer.”
Singer-songwriter / EVA entertainer Tabitha Meeks added that with EVA, “I am able not just scrape by as a ‘starving artist’ but actually save money while investing in my original music and life goals. I aim higher in every aspect of my life since working with EVA. As someone who is professionally chasing their dreams, EVA is a huge part of what’s allowed me to reach them. “
The NYC launch comes on the heels of a year of major growth for EVA, which has seen revenue double and its entertainment roster expand to represent over a dozen entertainment types, in addition to the recent $2M funding round. That round included Justin Kalifowitz of Downtown Music, the former President and COO of SESAC, the founders of Songfinch, and others.
Instagram’s Director of Global Brand Strategy and Management also joined the EVA board in the round. Kalifowitz said “Channing and Makenzie were early in recognizing the need for a trusted platform that could bridge the gap between these [live entertainment and corporate events], and have been flawlessly executing on their mission ever since.”
