Starting in September, SoundQue Multimedia Inc., a Trenton-based video production company, will launch a television-shopping network for handmade goods, available via Hulu, Amazon Prime, and Netflix.
“We want to reach the person who sells or buys on Etsy, Artfire, or Zibit — someone who appreciates a small, handcrafted item — which will really make it different from QVC and Jewelry Television,” says Kelly Rinne, co-founder of the Handmade Shopping Network, or HMCTV.
The channel — where live hosts will showcase products — will target men and women in their mid-20s to 60s in the U.S., Canada, United Kingdom, and Ireland. The network will also feature live and remote guest appearances by artists, who will be available to speak with customers who call in to the show.
“The sellers were the inspiration for this,” Rinne says. “None of the e-commerce sites have addressed the issue of making the jump to television broadcast, which is something that sellers have been asking for.”
Confirmed sellers include Belton-Texas-based SteampunkCoasters, Sparks, Nev.-based Originales by Carole, and Rhinestone & Pearl in Eugene, Ore., Rinne says.
“I want this channel to become a major player in the same way Etsy has become a major player to the handmade market,” Rinne says. Etsy, an e-commerce website based in Brooklyn, has more than 1 million active shops and reported nearly $1.4 billion in merchandise sales in 2013.
This isn’t SoundQue’s first foray into television. The company also produces Go Live Sports Cast and Michigan Live Events, which feature free and PayPerView webstreaming.
Registration for HMCTV is underway. Sellers are required to have their own website or a shop on a non-reseller handmade goods site such as Craftori, HipSwap, or HAFShop.
For more information, visit thehandmadechannel.tv.
