How One Entrepreneur Is Connecting Celebrities With Their Fans
After graduating from the famed Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, Steve Ellis spent the next decade trying to make it in the music business, while tending bar on the side. According to Ellis, he was one of the lowest earning Wharton grads in the school’s history. He persevered, though, and founded Pump Audio, as a means of distributing his own music online. The site eventually became the de facto online destination for independent artists looking to license their music, and in 2007, Ellis sold Pump Audio to Getty Images for a reported $42 million.
Back as a second-time entrepreneur, Ellis’ latest venture is creating a marketplace for celebrity content where none previously existed. At WhoSay, Ellis is building a platform that simplifies the direct-to-fan relationship, creating greater engagement for the celebrities and influencers who use it.
You can watch the video on Venture Studio.


Recent Comments
Hi David, thanks for writing this insightful article. I'm a entrepreneur at Yale and it's been quite a journey getting our startup up to speed so far. Everyday there's just so much more to learn, and I appreciate you giving advice to students like us!
What Every Student Entrepreneur Needs to Know to Succeed (3) Know Something! · 10/19/11
Great post, Dave and it is exciting to see meaningful entrepreneurial activities like this at Columbia!
I’m a student in the Berkeley-Columbia eMBA program based in the Silicon Valley and it would be great if we could find a way to get the BCEMBA community involved with the entrepreneurial activities at Columbia notwithstanding the geographic distance as most of us are not located in NY.
Our current students and recent grads are in management positions at places like Google, Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, Yahoo, Intel, Oracle, NVIDIA (just to name a few…) and a number of us (myself included) are working on startup ideas. It would be great if we could realize some synergies between Manhattan and the Silicon Valley.
I’d be happy to explore possibilities with anyone in the Columbia venture community who’s interested.
David Zilberman
BCEMBA 12’
zilberman@hotmail.com
A New Breed of University Entrepreneur Arrives on Campus · 02/10/11
thanks...
Angel Profiling (2): Global Directory of Blogging Angels · 11/25/10
yes- agree Brian.. insiteny!
Thoughts on the Various Types of Entrepreneurial Mentorship · 11/25/10
Thank you so much! your words are brilliant.
Angel Profiling (2): Global Directory of Blogging Angels · 11/25/10
insiteny.org?
Thoughts on the Various Types of Entrepreneurial Mentorship · 11/22/10
Hi David, thanks for the reference to one of Kurosawa's best films. I saw it as a student back in the late 80s, and it stuck with me. Now you've made me want to watch it again, and more importantly follow the model that you have highlighted... yes, sometimes our ecosystem is like the unforgiving Siberian taiga with scary creatures and long dark cold spells. Anyone who is willing to share the knowledge/skills to survive with others, probably deserves a movie about them as well!
Remembering Dersu Uzala, Siberian Entrepreneur- Community Organizer · 11/11/10
Hi David,
great idea, but agree with the comment that it will be very hard to get an overview once additional information is loaded in. Nonetheless, am willing to give it a try.
Could you add Dubai to the list of locations, please ?
Regards - Simon
Crowd-Sourceable Map of World's Entrepreneurial Ecosystem · 11/01/10
Great content!
Angel Profiling (2): Global Directory of Blogging Angels · 10/14/10
Dark Angels!! Can't wait. :)
Angel Profiling (1): A Moveable Feast of Mugs, Maniacs and Masters of the Game · 09/29/10