COMIC BOOK YETI: Can you tell us what is Zoop and why is this platform unique?
JORDAN PLOSKY: Currently, Zoop is an all-in-one platform + suite of services for crowdfunding. That means campaign management, marketing, printing and fulfillment services all in one place.
We also steer away from the tier model, and use a basic cart for shopping and checkout, allowing backers to choose as many different rewards as they’d like, put them in their carts, and checkout. Streamlined and simple.
CBY: Is Zoop focusing on comics?
JP: Yes. Currently, we have focused specifically on comics. It’s been a variety of single issues, graphic novels, hardcovers, webcomics, artists editions, and just about any other format of print you can think of!
CBY: What tools does Zoop provide that support creators?
JP: With the model the way it is currently set up, we basically handle all the business, tech and admin side of a crowdfunding campaign for a creator. This saves months of time of learning, sourcing, vetting and figuring out how to handle all aspects of crowdfunding.
CBY: What quality controls are there? For example, how might Zoop prevent hate groups from using the platform?
JP: Currently, we are a concierge service, meaning, we curate our site, and are the ones who actually put together campaign pages, and make a campaign live. So, someone can’t just “sneak” onto the platform. We have constant communication with clients or potential clients. We look into their past work and social media to make sure our values are aligned and that the working relationship is a fit for us and our audience.
CBY: How does Zoop deal with cancellations, an issue that has affected projects on other crowdfunding sites?
JP: We understand that people’s financial status may change throughout the duration of a campaign, and we do accept supporter cancellations, to a point. We do have a policy in our FAQs stating "Cancellations of rewards or add-ons of $500 or more must be made before there are 72 hours left in the campaign."
CBY: Does Zoop use blockchain or cryptocurrency at all?
JP: No.
CBY: What are Zoop's plans for the future? Is there a growth strategy and other exciting plans we can look forward to?
JP: The plan has always been to provide an open backend system for creators to create and run their own campaigns, similar to other crowdfunding platforms. With this latest news though, we’re working on some ways to implement that sooner than later, even in a less elegant way. And while we focus on comics, we see other categories that are adjacent in the fan space that we are looking into as well.
CBY: Does Zoop have a review/approval process for projects?
JP: We do have internal processes, but should we open our doors to more creators than anticipated, we will need to shift slightly how we go about these things, which we’re currently discussing as these new developments unfold in real time!
CBY: How is distribution/printing/shipping handled at Zoop?
JP: As a turnkey solution, we have multiple vendors for these services, and we act as the client rep for these creators. This saves months of time of researching, sourcing, vetting, and negotiating with vendors, while also taking the actual communications with these vendors off the creators' hands as well.
CBY: Is Zoop geared more toward publishers or independent creators?
JP: We have been fortunate enough to work with both, and will continue to do so. There is no preference on our end in that regard.
CBY: Finally, anything we didn't cover that you think we really need to know!
JP: We’re staying abreast of all the announcements, comments, concerns that are being voiced on the internet right now about the current state of things. For anyone interested in submitting a project, please e-mail hello@wearezoop.com, and we’ll be trying to keep everyone updated as best we can.