Boynton Beach resident Steve Beck, 52, is too young to retire.
After selling his chemical distribution company, H.M. Mist company, Inc., Beck was looking around for his second act.
"I don't golf or play tennis," he said. "I needed something to do. I found TapSnap – a high tech, social media photo booth without walls. It's a fun business and not high-pressure."
"I talk to people and make them smile," Beck said. "It's terrific."
Launched in mid-2012, TapSnap is a franchise based in Vancouver. Today, there are 100 TapSnap franchisees throughout North America.
Beck goes to weddings, bar mitzvahs, corporate events or any social occasion where the participants want to memorialize their event and brings along the equipment, including a 42-inch multi-touch screen, a high quality DSLR camera, physical props and customizable digital props.
"Imagine taking off the walls on a photo booth," Beck said. "Or imagine taking photos in front of a green screen. You could be at the Eiffel Tower or at the pyramids in Egypt… we can digitally maneuver the photos to your requests."
"We call it 'phototainment.' It's 100 percent social – you can print the photos or upload the photos instantly. It's great for corporations to create branding on their products or to create albums," Beck said. "It's a completely interactive experience."
Founder, Scott McInnes, who created DVDNow, a competitor to Red Box, noticed there wasn't much in the way of innovation in the photo business.
"We saw a way to apply our expertise to this industry and provide a better experience at events and for the user," he said.
The business has taken off and he has many high profile corporate clients including Walgreens, Walmart and American Airlines.
He's entertained at store openings for Nieman Marcus and at car shows in Denver and Chicago for Hyundai, who requested a zombie theme for their event.
Is he worried about the obsolescence of the technology?
"Not at all," he said. "There is always a need for entertainment. What we do will evolve, but there will always be events at which to entertain."
One of Beck's recent events was at the Palm Beach Medical Society Heroes in Medicine Awards Luncheon.
"TapSnap was the highlight of our event," said Tenna Wiles, CEO, Palm Beach Medical Society. "It's very interactive and a really fun experience."
She and her staff posed for a picture that was green-screened in a New York subway train.
"It gets the attendees participating," Wiles said. "Everyone really enjoyed it. And, it's instant – before people were out of the door it was posted to social media."
Due to the success of the interactive event, she said she plans to use Tap Snap again at the organization's gala in December.
"Steve and TapSnap are back by popular demand," Wiles said. "Steve is a great guy to work with; he interacts with the participants really well and encourages them to be creative. It's so much fun."
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