Creatives Build Peer-To-Peer Wealth Distribution Tool In 48 Hours To Help Entertainment Freelancers

Last week, 3.28 million workers filed for unemployment insurance in the United States and as the shift in employment continues, communities are coming together to help each other in these uncertain times, particularly in music and entertainment.

After a friend posted an ask for financial help to ease the burden of a lost gig in the wake of the current pandemic, Alessandra De Benedetti united a group of friends from disparate creative industries to build Leveler, a powerfully simple tech stack allowing peer-to-peer donations to get freelance workers – particularly in music and entertainment – through unprecedented reductions in income due to the Coronavirus pandemic. “It’s not a recurring source of income but it supplements a lost gig and can help with immediate needs like groceries,” says De Benedetti, Co-Creator of Leveler and Founder of DBA Studio, a creative shop based in New York City. 

Leaving the startup world in 2019, Alessandra wanted to focus on high community impact and sustainability projects and for Leveler, she’s done just that – bringing together an all-star cast to build the wealth distribution ecosystem in just 48 hours, consisting of Adam Levy, Head of Product at TikTok, Samuel Mlodozeniec, a lead developer in the blockchain space, and Sabina Mamedova, a senior product manager at a creative agency.

The idea was simple: create a way for salaried people, or those who have the means to help others right now, distribute their funds evenly between freelancers who are currently without income. “Having basic needs covered shouldn’t be considered a privilege, it’s a born right,” says De Benedetti, “so we’re moving as fast as we can to get access to as many people as possible and ultimately, it’s up to the communities to decide how they want to use it or how well it will work – the bones are all there.” On launch day, March 13, 2020, Leveler had a database of 100, by day 7, grew to 900 and is currently at 3,275 today. The top industries serviced through the freelancer database are helping people in the arts, hospitality, and live in the U.S.

The mobile-first tool established a simple vetting process through an internal UI built on Firebase. The UI form collects freelancers’ email address, affected industry, social media profile, payment link and short description of context on why they are joining database.

Leveler connects “distributors” with 10 randomly selected “receivers,” and allows money to be sent between users via Venmo, PayPal
PYPL
, or Cash App. Micro-payments are anywhere between $5.00 and $10.00 depending on the amount the distributor gives. Leveler does not have custodial permissions or interfere with money being distributed within its database – all transactions are strictly peer-to-peer and server costs have been donated by Netlify
MET
. 

With New York City hit the hardest by the Coronavirus pandemic as the epicenter, Leveler was first circulated within the freelancer community in the Manhattan and Brooklyn areas, quickly spreading across the country. “I received a total of $160 and was so grateful,” said one user in Oklahoma City.

With the U.S. underway, Leveler will launch in Mexico next week and Canada shortly after. “We’ve set up an infrastructure that can be easily replicated, organized and kept in the hands of communities however big or small they are,” says De Benedetti.