Who thought when we started this journey back in February that Butter would now be managing over $1 million dollars in subscriptions! But that’s where we are today and I couldn’t be more proud to be part of the team that’s made this happen.

When we first conceived Butter, our main goal was to help Canadians find cool, new subscriptions that they may not be aware of. While that feature is still in the pipeline, we pivoted quickly and found that a more valuable starting point was to manage subscriptions. That decision would prove pivotal, and once our team collectively believed in that vision, we were able to execute on building Butter into what it is today.

A million dollars is a milestone for several reasons. Most importantly, it shows our commitment to delivering a product that helps you manage an aspect of your life that was previously disordered. A million dollars (and counting) shows that you find value in what we’re doing and that means the world to us.

Subscriptions and memberships have become a staple in so many of our lives. From Netflix to Spotify, Amazon to Dollar Shave Club, your gym membership to that niche magazine you just love holding on to and flipping through its pages, Butter has improved the experience for any of us who use subscriptions.

We’ll celebrate this victory for a little bit, but we’re already looking forward towards the next milestone. A native app is on the way early in the new year, plus some cool new features that my team made me promise not to talk about. Don’t worry, you’ll find out soon enough =)

If you haven’t given Butter a try, you should check it out. Go to justbutterit.ca and see what all the fuss is about!

Butter Now Manages Over $1 Million Worth of Subscriptions! was originally published in justbutterit on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

We’re long past the point of streaming being this new, novel thing in our lives. Streaming has embedded itself into our culture for the foreseeable future. In other words, get use to it. It’s here to stay until some other revolutionary technology comes along and turns it into Blockbuster.

Other industries are feeling the impact of streaming services and its permanency, and we are all guilty of focusing on the negative effects of this new technology — cab drivers were up in arms at Uber and music labels were initially upset at streaming. Push-back is always the greatest against the most disruptive innovations, and streaming certainly fits into that category.

But once everyone takes a step back and a few deep breaths, they realize that with this disruption comes new opportunities. Opportunities to compete, opportunities to innovate, and in the case of smart speakers, an opportunity to benefit.

The Smart Speaker Boom

The product that can most directly attribute its upswing in sales to streaming are smart speakers. A study done by the Canalysis shows just how closely these two markets have become interdependent.

Between Echo, Google Home, and Apple Homepod, there’s been a 200% rise in sales in the second quarter of 2018 alone. 43% of these smart speaker owners are using some kind of streaming service. What’s even more interesting is that 37% of these users didn’t purchase any streaming services until after buying the smart speakers!

Though you can’t directly correlate one to the other, you can reasonably assume that a portion of those users purchased their smart speakers mainly for streaming.

Streaming Opportunities for Small Business

Streaming has opened the door for small businesses to be effective in communicating with both current and new clients. The public has made it clear that they prefer video over any other form of content and over 80% would rather watch a video than read a social post. And if you’re giving super behind-the-scenes type content, that number jumps to 87%. That’s a pretty loud statement from potential users.

Streaming has certainly affected how we’ve designed Butter. With all the different streaming services available, we wanted to make sure there’s an effective way of managing those subscriptions. Butter does that and more, including giving cash-back for a bunch of subscriptions that you connect to our platform. Give Butter a try and let us know what you think!

This Is How Streaming Is Boosting Sales in Other Markets was originally published in justbutterit on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

When Spotify launched in 2008, the music industry was like a beached whale waiting for something to lift it up and throw it back in the water. No one was sure that this new form of consumption would be the answer, especially when labels realized they’d only be getting a thousandth of a cent with each stream.

But Spotify promised things would change and that artists would be able to make a living again. Ten years later, and now it can be said that streaming is saving the music industry. It’s revolutionized the way we consume music and everyone — from the labels to the artists — are profiting off of Spotify’s promise.

Everyone’s Getting Paid

When profits from the music industry dropped to $6.3 billion in 2009 from $14.6 billion in 1999, there were some whispers that the industry was dead. While those worries were a bit overstated, the concerns were valid. Other than a few big name stars, neither the labels or the artists were making any money and no one was offering any kind of light at the end of the tunnel.

Then streaming started catching on. A few more services started popping up and consumers started buying into the notion that they could listen to 40 million songs for $10/month, less if you’re a student. That was less than the cost of one physical album. Fast forward to 2015 and Universal Music made 20% of its revenue from streaming, a figure in excess of $1 billion.

But things wouldn’t be much different if just the labels were getting paid. Thankfully, that’s not the case. Artists are making some bank, too. And not just big names like Rihanna, Beyonce, or Ed Sheeran. Even niche artists who are able to tap into an audience base who appreciates their music are getting paid off streams. And they’re doing it without a traditional record label.

Discovery Is Easier

Before streaming came along, artists would have to press hundreds and thousands of CD’s to build a buzz or submit their singles to radio stations if they hoped to get any play. That was cost prohibitive and just not very effective. Streaming kills all that. All today’s artists have to do is record music with basic software and hardware that can work in their home and *boom*, their music is ready to be uploaded to millions and billions of listeners.

SoundCloud has been the one of the most promising platforms for new artists to find and audience and kick-start their career. Drake was discovered on the now deserted MySpace. Justin Bieber found his success on YouTube. This just wouldn’t have been possible before streaming.

Pirating Is Down

According to the Digital Media Association, pirating of music is down over 50%. That’s huge for smaller artists who need every dollar they can get. Plus it only makes sense. Why would anyone need to pirate anything when you can access pretty much everything for a relatively low monthly subscription?

Artists Can Be Creative Again

When the industry was trending downwards, labels made it a point to stick to safe music that could top the charts. That meant any artist that wasn’t putting out Bruno Mars type melodies were relegated to the sidelines and many times cut from the roster all together.

Streaming has changed all that. Musicians can feel comfortable playing the type of music they love knowing they’ll get some streams. And while they might not be turning out top ten billboard hits, they can focus on their fan base without sacrificing creativity and still make a living. Artists like British singer Jones, who’s debut album failed to make the billboard 200 but whose songs have been streamed over 70 million times, is a perfect example. So are the rappers you may not have ever heard of but are able to do mid-sized venues based on the fanbase they’ve accumulated through streaming.

Playlists Adding to the Money Jar

Another benefit of streaming not often talked about are the playlists. Because of playlists, music can now be ordered and categorized in any number of ways. Listeners adding songs to playlists means it can get played any number of times over the lifespan of that user. Plus these platforms put together their own playlists that get streamed millions and millions of times over. If an artists song happens to fit on that particular mood of playlist, they can expect to get paid.

This is great news for both new acts and past icons. Legendary acts like Fleetwood Mac have over 11 million listeners each month. They don’t have to put out any new music at all to get a sizable cheque at the end of the month.

The Down Side

So there really isn’t much down side to streaming. The main complaint is still the payouts. The record labels shouldn’t be complaining too much. The big three combined made about $14.2 million each day. Let’s look at how that payout looks for the artists over each streaming platform.

• Spotify — $0.00397/stream (51% market share)
• Apple Music — $0.00783/stream (22.29% market share)
• YouTube — $0.00074/stream (1.7% market share)
• Tidal — $0.0124/stream (1.76% market share)
• Amazon — $0.0074/stream (3.8% market share)

As you can see, the platforms with the highest market shares tend to pay the lowest amount per stream. And YouTube doesn’t want to give up a dime. Guess you can’t win them all. It should be said that Lyor Cohen, now head of YouTube Music, did say he plans to keep upping the payout amounts. Let’s not hold our breath, but the gesture is appreciated.

Another difficulty comes down to managing all the different platforms. Competition is great and we don’t want any single medium to dominate the market. But when certain platforms offer exclusive content, it only increases that platforms allure. For example, Apple loves releasing Drake’s albums exclusively on Apple Music for the first week or so. Tidal probably has the most exclusive content and have released Kanye and Beyonce albums exclusively on their platforms, along with other podcasts and interviews users can’t get anywhere else.

That’s where Butter can help. Gathering all your subscriptions in one place makes them that much easier to access. You’ll know when payments are coming out and get 1 percent cashback for every subscriptions of membership that you connect to the our platform. Learn more about how to Just Butter It.

Streaming Is Saving the Music Industry was originally published in justbutterit on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

As if Google doesn’t have enough going on already. They’ve jumped into the mobile game with the Pixel, are about to build a small community in Toronto through Sidewalk Labs, and now they’re tackling streaming video games. I need to catch my breath.

On October 1st, Google announced its partnership with Ubisoft. You may not have heard of Ubisoft, but you’ve definitely heard of Assassin’s Creed, one of the many video games that the gaming giant has produced.

With the new installation of Assassin’s Creed launching this week, Google is offering Project Stream, the name of its video game streaming service, to select US users . These users will have the opportunity to stream Assassin’s Creed Odyssey over Chrome browsers on their laptop or desktop.

The Question Is: Why Video Game Streaming?

This news may sound like a surprise to some, but Google’s actually been trying to get into the video game industry for quite some time. They tried to buy Twitch in 2014. That deal fell through but Google probably wasn’t too upset seeing that it had Niantic. If you remember, Niantic is the AR company that launched Pokemon Go. Obviously that campaign was a huge success. Unfortunately for Google, Niantic broke off to become an independent company in 2015, right before Pokemon Go became a viral phenomenon.

That left Google with no skin in the game. And with gaming being a multi-billion dollar industry, being left out is not where Google wants to be. That leads me to my next point.

Advertising

I’m sure Google will profess that there are many reasons for their seeking entry into the gaming industry. But unless you’re wearing blinders, the main driver behind Google’s persistence is advertising. Gaming is a $36 billion industry in the U.S. alone. That’s means there are lots of eyes in front of lots of screens that Google can capitalize on if they shift those eyes over to desktops and laptops.

Google Just Wants to Win

Obviously money is the main motivator, but there’s also the very real possibility that Google just wants to win. Streaming video games over a browser is no small feat. Creating the type of software that will enable online streaming without lagging is difficult and that kind of challenge must be alluring to a company that must continually push itself to innovate at the highest levels in order to remain alluring.

We’ll have to wait and see what kind of reactions users have to the experience. What we can be sure of is now that Google is in the game, they’re here to stay.

Why Is Google Streaming Video Games? was originally published in justbutterit on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

What’s the point of entering the TV subscription game right now? Are you able to produce supreme, game changing content like HBO? You’ll need to create a lineup that can outdo shows like Game of Thrones, Ballers, and Insecure to stand a chance. Or maybe you’re like Amazon and believe that relying on the immense ecosystems that you’ve built is enough to leave a dent. That’s a fair assumption, and with 26 million subscribers, they’re doing pretty good.

But even if you add up those Amazon subscribers with the 5 million HBO subs, you’re nowhere close to the over 100 million subscribers that claim Netflix as their go-to streaming service. In fact, you’d have to leave TV and venture over to Spotify and its over 80 million paid subscribers to find a platform that’s in the same atmosphere.

Disney knows this. They know that Netflix has become a verb synonymous with streaming. Yet Chairman and CEO Bob Iger is still bringing the home of Mickey Mouse to face off against big red. And guess what? Netflix better hold on to its remote, because if there was ever a competitor that could rival their market share, Disney is it.

Let’s examine why they have a real chance.

They’re Not Starting from the Bottom

Starting from the bottom is a pop culture reference that many of us can relate to. Disney is not many of us. They’re entering into the streaming game with full racks of content and they’re ready to unload it all on their new Disney Play platform. Well, not all of it according to reports, but as much as it needs to offer subscribers a real alternative to the competition.

Disney is planning to launch Play near the end of 2019 with 500 of its film library paired with 7000 TV episodes. A big part of those numbers are expected to come from its Marvel and Star Wars assets, along with current Pixar content. That means Disney can jump right in without worrying too much about having an extensive catalog of original Play content, something Netflix can now boast.

Kids Matter

Disney’s contract with Netflix comes to term at the end of 2019. While they haven’t explicitly said they’ll be removing their content from the Netflix catalogue, you can imagine they’d want to monopolize access to what’s made them one of the giant media companies of the 20th and 21st centuries.

Iger says Disney Play plans to focus heavily on its core audience. So much so that they’re won’t be any R-Rated movies on the Play platform. It’s thought that most of the adult content will be shifted over to Hulu, of which Disney owns significant share.

Lower Price Point

While Netflix has prices fluctuating between $7.99-$13.99, Iger promises that Disney Play’s pricing will be significantly less expensive. Part of that is definitely competition, but as Iger admits, it’s also conceding that Play won’t immediately have the volume of content as Netflix.

If we take Iger at his word, lowering the price point eases the point of entry for potential users. And when you couple that with the reality that you’re not really taking a chance with Disney because of its century long reputation, then it’s not difficult to see masses of viewers subscribing to Play without a second thought.

Which brings me to our final point:

They’re Disney

The very fact that Iger can promise super low pricing says a lot. This is Disney. They own ABC, ESPN, Fox, Hulu, Pixar, Marvel, LucasFilm — trust me, I can go on and on. Play, for Disney, is another piece of their extremely large pie. They’re entire business model doesn’t rely on them knocking this out of the park.

They can take their time and do what Disney does, which is consistently produce quality family programming. And while Netflix is enjoying their seat on the throne at the moment, you can bet that they can feel Disney breathing down their neck, and Play won’t even be live for at least another year.

Netflix is already thinking ahead, though. They’re kids and family programming saw a 61% boost in streams with its expansion into Europe and Asia. (That same number only grew by 13% in the U.S.). And with Disney about to join the party, Netflix hopes another year will further cement their hold in that area, as well.

Look, Netflix isn’t going anywhere. It’s become embedded in streaming culture in the same way (and perhaps greater) that Uber has become connected to the ride culture. But if anyone can share the title with the undisputed champions of streaming, Disney is it!

My advice is to try out both of these subscriptions. You’re likely already on Netflix, but give Play a chance, especially if it’s super low cost. And when you’re signed up for these streaming services, use Butter to manage them both, along with all your other subscriptions!

Disney ‘Play’ Is Ready to Take on Netflix — Here’s Why was originally published in justbutterit on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

October is here, which means two things: the leaves are changing colour and it’s time for some scary movies. You’ll have to go outside to check out the all the cool colours of the season, but if you’re ready to huddle up under some blankets and dull your screams with some couch pillows, then Netflix has you covered!

Notable New Releases

Let’s start with a classic. The Shining makes its debut on Netflix October 1st. This is one of the most iconic horrors of all time so get ready to squeeze your pillow extra tight. Also, look out for Malevolent. It’s a horror movie about a brother and sister team who fake paranormal encounters for cash who find themselves in a very real haunted situation. That one comes out October 5th.

OK, so maybe horrors aren’t your thing. Not a problem. Netflix has a plethora of new and returning titles that are sure to keep you binging through the entire month. Sticking with animation for a minute, season 2 of Big Mouth is back on October 5th too. Big Mouth is a Netflix original that stunned viewers last season with its raw interpretation of teenage life.

You should also look forward to Apostle. It’s a dark thriller that’s not quite horror, but still fits with the month’s theme. The story revolves around religious cults and the main character’s struggle to free his sister before it’s too late. Season 2 of Hip Hop Evolution kicks off on October 19th. So does Season 1 of Wanderlust, which is a story of a therapist reassessing her life and marriage after a cycling accident.

Don’t Miss This

If there’s one selection this month that you absolutely shouldn’t miss, it’s 22 July. It’s a movie recounting the real life events that took place in Norway back in 2011 when 77 people were viciously murdered at a Youth Camp by a right wing terrorist. It’s moving, powerful, and will grab you from start to finish. DON’T MISS THIS. Starts October 10th.

Every Release This Month

Here’s a rundown of everything else on Netflix this October:

October 1

• Anger Management
• See No Evil, Hear No Evil
• The Purge: Election Year
• Warcraft

October 2

• Joe Rogan: Strange Times
• MeatEater: Season 7

October 3

• Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein
• Angela’s Christmas
• Casper
• Dawn of the Dead
• Dune
• Mr. Bean’s Holiday
• Operation Finale
• Spy Game

October 4

• Star: Season 3
• Violet Evergarden: Special

October 5

• Big Mouth: Season 2
• Dancing Queen
• Elite
• Empire Games
• Little Things: Season 2
• Malevolent
• Private Life
• Super Monsters Save Halloween
• Super Monsters: Season 2
• The Rise of Phoenixes
• YG Future Strategy Office

October 6

• Little Things: Season 1

October 8

• Mo Amer: The Vagabond

October 9

• Inferno
• Supergirl: Season 3
• Terrace House: Opening New Doors: Part 4

October 10

• 22 July

October 11

• Riverdale: Season 3
• Salt Fat Acid Heat

October 12

• Apostle
• Errementari: The Blacksmith and the Devil
• Feminists: What Were They Thinking?
• FightWorld
• ReMastered: Who Shot the Sheriff
• Tarzan and Jane: Season 2
• The Boss Baby: Back in Business: Season 2
• The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell
• The Haunting of Hill House
• The Kindergarten Teacher

October 13

• Dynasty: Season 2

October 14

• A Taiwanese Tale of Two Cities

October 15

• Octonauts: Season 2–4
• The Seven Deadly Sins: Revival of The Commandments

October 16

• Black Lightning: Season 2
• Ron White: If You Quit Listening, I’ll Shut Up
• Travelers: Season 2

October 19

• Accidentally in Love
• Ask the Doctor
• Best.Worst.Weekend.Ever
• Darren Brown: Sacrifice
• Distrito salvaje
• Gnome Alone
• Haunted
• Hip-Hop Evolution: Season 2
• Illang: The Wolf Brigade
• Larva Island
• Making a Murderer: Part 2
• Marvel’s Daredevil: Season 3
• The Night Comes For Us
• Wanderlust

October 20

• [REC]
• Halloween
• Scary Movie
• Scary Movie 2
• Scary Movie 3
• Scary Movie 4
• Scary Movie 5
• Scream
• Scream 2
• Scream 3
• Sinister
• The Cabin in the Woods

October 21

• Robozuna
• The Cured

October 22

• The Secret Life of Pets

October 23

• Adam Sandler 100% Fresh

October 24

• Batman Ninja
• Bodyguard

October 25

• Great News: Season 2
• Hell or High Water

October 26

• Been So Long
• Castlevania: Season 2
• Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
• Dovlatov
• Jefe
• Shirkers
• Terrorism Close Calls

October 27

• Girl From Nowhere

October 28

• Bridget Jones’s Baby
• Certain Women
• Collateral Beauty
• Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj

October 30

• Fate/EXTRA Last Encore: Illustrias Geocentric Theory
• The Degenerates

October 31

• GUN CITY

Netflix in October — Halloween Lineup was originally published in justbutterit on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Aidan Chopra, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Bitsbox, tackles one of the world’s biggest challenges — teaching kids how to code.

• Name: Aidan Chopra
• Position: Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer
• Company: Bitsbox (a learning system that creates new and engaging ways to teach kids aged 6–12 how to code)
• Team: 10 full-time employees located in Boulder, Colorado
• Founded: 2014 (after Kickstarter ended, mailed first-box in 2015)

I love what I do and I wouldn’t change anything. My “winging it” personality worked out now that I am an entrepreneur.

In your own words, how would you describe Bitsbox?

As a product person, I like to frame Bitsbox as a potential solution to a bigger problem: there are not enough people who understand technology. Technology is changing at such a rapid pace, but for most people, it’s still just “magic”. The world needs more people who fundamentally understand computer science, coding, and programming. Bitsbox is trying to answer the question of “how do we get more people to learn this stuff?”

That’s a tough nut to crack. How does the product work?

It’s super easy: parents subscribe and each month, kids receive a box of fun app-building projects. Using the materials provided, kids build apps on our site and can change the code to make it their own. Our teaching method prepares kids to understand coding as a language — no different from, let’s say, learning Spanish.

That’s how they taught French in school too.

Yes, teaching through example projects is an effective way of “learning by doing”. And at an early age, children have virtually no preconceptions of who they want to be or what they are interested in yet. They are not ruling out coding because they want to be a chef or astronaut — it’s just another language to them. We believe this is the best time to teach kids how to code.

That makes sense. I tried to learn the guitar in my 20s and it was very difficult.

Exactly. Coding, like cooking, music, sports, and languages is much easier to learn at a young age. Many people get started, but few follow through. Bitsbox wants to help “light the fire” and keep the fire going through motivation and encouragement.

You sound very passionate — what sparked this interest?

Growing up, I loved art. You know the kid that the teacher always asked to draw the poster for the spring musical? That was me. At Bitsbox, I am responsible for leading product, content, and branding, which is the intersection of art and technology that I deeply love and excel at.

We’ll spend more time on this later, but as an ex-Googler and current entrepreneur, you must have been an A+ student.

You know, it’s funny you say that because it’s only half true. I did very well in elementary school. I would just listen in class and write the tests, and I would get good marks. I constantly dreamed about being a marine biologist because I was obsessed with whales. Then I wanted to become a veterinarian.

Whatever it was, it was always something in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). However, my natural ability to do well without much effort at a young age did not help me develop good study habits, so when I hit my senior years in high school, I struggled.

Did something change when you realized that?

I saw myself as a STEM person but I eventually took the advice of a calculus professor and went to art school in Halifax instead. That was fun for me, and I went on to take some design courses at a famous art school in Rhode Island. I ended up at Rice University in Houston and completed my Master of Architecture degree. My dad’s an architect, so I guess I should have known. I found my passion in figuring out how physical space aided in children’s learning and development.

And then you went to SketchUp?

After graduation, a classmate of mine introduced me to the group at SketchUp, a company building a 3D content creation tool, based out of Boulder, Colorado. I didn’t know anyone in Colorado but I took the job anyways because the team was great and the role allowed me to keep one foot on creative and one in practical. SketchUp let me stay connected to architecture while I learned about software and startups.

Google eventually bought SketchUp. What was that experience like? Let me guess…AMAZING?

Back in 2006 when Google bought us, they only had around 5,000 employees. Today, they have over 85,000! When we were acquired, Google had only a handful of products and made few acquisitions prior to us, so they didn’t have much of an acquisition and integration process. The entire SketchUp team didn’t know what was going to happen.

Post-acquisition, we became Google’s offices in Boulder, received some t-shirts, a login for the Google intranet, and that was it. I think today if a company is acquired by Google, the acquired company’s employees are sent to Mountain View for orientation. When we were acquired, there was no formal training. Some of us just sporadically went to the Google HQ, wandered aimlessly around and nobody knew who we were. That part was fun actually and I was able to walk around eating as much food as I could from all the various Google restaurants for free.

That’s a great inside look at being acquired by Google. What was the experience like?

It was net positive for sure. Google gave us the resources and reach to scale SketchUp from the 100,000 or so users we had before the acquisition to millions of users in a few short years. Personally, I benefited a lot just from the Google name. I even got to write the official “For Dummies” book about SketchUp! After that, I just gave myself the title of Product Evangelist and flew around to teach and present at various conferences. Life at Google was surreal.

What was the decision process to start Bitsbox?

My Co-Founder, Scott, and I met at SketchUp when it was part of Google.. Google ended up selling SketchUp to Trimble in 2012, and we both made the jump with the product. In early 2014, Scott created a Bitsbox prototype for his daughter and one day we decided to leave Trimble together to start a company based on his prototype. I was very lucky that my wife was supportive and had a great job to let me take this career risk.

This is the ultimate entrepreneur story: ex-Googler to entrepreneur to teach kids how to code. And it looks like the producers of Shark Tank agreed!

It was a long, stressful process that I’m not sure if I could do again. 8 million people saw the episode in February 2017 and in the next month or so, our business tripled. It was a pivotal point in Bitsbox history, essential to our business, but I still shudder when I think about how intense that experience was.

What was the Shark Tank selection process like?

I think the statistics are something like out of 40,000 applications, only 180 go into the tank and a subset of that airs on television. To be honest, Scott and I were not excited to be on reality television but the rest of our team saw it as very important to the business, which it ended up being. It’s really important to hire people who are smarter than you.

On audition day way back in April 2016, I had my Bitsbox shirt on and a Bitsbox under my arm. A producer gave me a numbered bracelet which told me where I was in line. The producer liked our story and two weeks later, we were invited to submit a video that showed our personality and business. Scott and I filmed it around Boulder and had the video cut to seven minutes, submitted it, and passed the round.

Next, we received a monster contract from ABC. We knew that ABC would not change anything on the contract so we agonized over it with our lawyers. Eventually, we signed it. Then there were more auditions and contracts and meetings throughout the summer of 2016. Finally, we taped in September at the ABC studios. We crossed our fingers to get aired because even until that point, there was no promise of being featured on television.

Lucky for us, they liked us and we made it.

It looks like the stars aligned. How was it inside the *tank*?

It’s an odd dynamic. Scott and I watched the show before so we “knew” the Sharks. But they didn’t know us at all. The pitch was just under an hour but the producers cut it to the short clip you saw on TV. It was not necessarily fun and it was not representative of standing in front of real investors at all. It was reality TV — plain and simple.

What did we not see in the aired episode?

Kevin O’Leary and Robert Herjavec are Canadians, and I am from Montreal, so we bonded over that a little bit. Also, the Sharks were kind and complementary and they asked good questions. The show gets edited to seem even more stressful than it really was.

Do you keep in touch with any of the Sharks?

Nope! It’s another odd moment of Shark Tank. Scott and I walked into the tank and we met and talked to the Sharks. And then we walked out and never saw them again. Chris Sacca tweeted a bunch of nice things about us, and Mark Cuban signed up for his kids. Maybe one day we’ll meet them again under less bizarre circumstances.

Congratulations on Bitsbox, the amazing team and the growth of the company! Now that you are here, is there anything you would do differently?

Thanks! I love what I do and I wouldn’t change anything. My “winging it” personality worked out now that I am an entrepreneur. But if I really had to pick on something, I wish I developed better study habits or took programming more seriously. Maybe I could have become a marine biologist or an astronaut.

Aside from building Bitsbox, what do you do for fun? What’s not on your LinkedIn profile?

I love photography. I have fancy equipment and use it to take thousands of pictures of my kids. Hmmm…LinkedIn. I haven’t updated it in four years.

I think this means that I have the most current profile of Aidan Chopra then! I’ll let you get back to teaching our next generation but first, answer these questions quickly. GO!

• Favourite weekend hangout: anywhere outdoors in Colorado with my wife and two boys in our new 22 foot travel trailer
• Favourite startup: Lyft for their innovations in self-driving cars
• Favourite subscription: HBO
• Favourite Netflix show: The Toys That Made Us
• Favourite Spotify playlist: Top 40 Pop
• iPhone or Android: iPhone
• Favourite app: New York Times
• Favourite place to travel: Japan

Butter is working with Bitsbox to teach more kids how to code! Try out Bitsbox, an exclusive offer from Butter :)

Bitsbox’s Co-Founder on the Importance of Passion in Building a Product and Life in the [Shark]… was originally published in justbutterit on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Like all great things, summer is coming to an end very soon. There are only a few short weeks left until we pack away our shorts and t-shirts, and we bring back out the parkas and sweaters.

Maybe it is just me but I feel like our Canadian summers are getting shorter (and chillier) and the winters get more frigid. Lucky for us, our friends at Netflix recognize that we will start migrating back indoors soon and blessed us with an awesome line-up this month!

Notable New Releases

• Marvel’s Iron Fist: Season 2 — the end of Season 1 saw the Hand defeated and Chinatown was left in shambles. Now it’s up to Danny to defend the city and, hopefully, Danny can hold his own against a myriad of baddies now with a newfound sense of confidence.
• BoJack Horseman: Season 5 — what’s funnier than an alcoholic, talking horse? Puns, satirical references and provocative cracks, duh! BoJack’s straight-faced humour brings me back to the good ol’ days where friends could poke fun at each other and laugh about it without anyone getting offended. The controversial comments may elicit some anger in you but you’ll be yearning for more.
• First and Last — this show may not be lighthearted but is definitely emotionally-charged. This documentary interviews inmates who just arrive to Georgia’s county jail and inmates who are just about to depart.

The Highlights

• Black Panther — Marvel fans, rejoice! This movie rebooted the lull in Marvel films and brought a new energy to the franchise. Black Panther follows T’Challa back to Wakanda where he must lead his people into a new era after his father, the late King of Wakanda, passed. What makes this movie jump off the screen is the spotlight on Black identity, colonialism and creative fight scenes.
• A Wrinkle in Time — it’s amazing to see a motion picture based off of a book I read in Grade 10 English class. Meg, a brave, young girl, is sent to space in order to find her scientist father. The special effects that went into producing this movie are mind-blowing, not to mention the cast that includes Oprah, Mindy Kaling, Chris Pine and Reese Witherspoon!

The Complete List

Here’s what is coming to Netflix this month:

September 1

• Death at a Funeral
• Family Guy: Season 16
• Hancock
• Kramer vs. Kramer
• La Catedral del Mar — Netflix Original
• Labyrinth
• Legendary Booty
• Monkey Twins — Netflix Original
• Mr. Sunshine — Netflix Original
• Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising
• Sisters — Netflix Original
• The Flash: Seasons 1–4
• The Hollars

September 2

• Quantico: Season 3

September 4

• Marvel Studios’ Black Panther

September 5

• A Million Ways to Die in the West
• Bridesmaids
• Drag Me to Hella, Ella
• Fear
• Land of the Lost
• National Lampoon’s Animal House
• Neighbors
• Paulie Want a Cracker
• The Adjustment Bureau

September 6

• Once Upon a Time: Season 7

September 7

• Atypical: Season 2 — Netflix Original
• Cable Girls: Season 3 — Netflix Original
• City of Joy — Netflix Original
• First and Last — Netflix Original
• Marvel’s Iron Fist: Season 2 — Netflix Original
• Next Generation Butt Plug — Netflix Original
• Sierra Burgess is a Loser — Netflix Original
• Stretch Armstrong & the Flex Fighters: Season 2 — Netflix Original
• The Most Assassinated Woman in the World — Netflix Original

September 9

• Wynonna Earp: Season 2

September 11

• Daniel Sloss: Live Shows — Netflix Original
• The Resistance Banker — Netflix Original

September 12

• Jane
• On My Skin — Netflix Original

September 14

• American Vandal: Season 2 — Netflix Original
• Archer: Season 9
• Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures: Season 1
• Bleach — Netflix Original
• BoJack Horseman, Season 5 — Netflix Original
• Car Masters: Rust to Riches — Netflix Original
• Ingobernable: Season 2 — Netflix Original
• LAST HOPE — Netflix Original
• Norm Macdonald Has a Show — Netflix Original
• Super Monsters Monster Party: Songs — Netflix Original
• The Angel (Netflix Film)
• The Dragon Prince — Netflix Original
• The Land of Steady Habits — Netflix Original

September 17

• The Witch

September 18

• D.L. Hughley: Contrarian — Netflix Original

September 20

• The Good Place to Smoke Weed: Season 2

September 21

• Battlefish — Netflix Original
• DRAGON PILOT: Hisone & Masotan — Netflix Original
• Marvel’s Gotham: Season 4
• Hilda — Netflix Original
• Maniac: Limited Series — Netflix Original
• Nappily Ever After — Netflix Original
• Quincy — Netflix Original
• The Good Cop — Netflix Original

September 23

• The Walking Dead:Season 8

September 25

• Disney’s A Wrinkle in Time
• Marvel Studios’ Iron Man 2

September 26

• Lethal Weapon: Season 2
• Norsemen: Season 2 — Netflix Original
• This is Us: Season 2

September 27

• Grey’s Anatomy: Season 14

September 28

• Chef’s Table: Volume 5 — Netflix Original
• Forest of Piano — Netflix Original
• Hold the Dark — Netflix Original
• Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father:Season 2 — Netflix Original
• Lessons From a School Shooting: Notes from Dunblane — Netflix Original
• Lost Song — Netflix Original
• Made in Mexico: Trump’s Wall — Netflix Original
• Skylanders Academy:Season 3 — Netflix Original
• The 3rd Eye — Netflix Original
• Two Catalonias de Burrito — Netflix Original

September 29

• The Exorcist: Season 2

September 30

• Annihilation
• Sherlock Gnomes

Leaving Netflix in September

• 13 Going on 30
• How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
• Pitch Perfect 2
• Disney’s Pete’s Dragon
• Star Trek Beyond
• Jurassic World

Netflix in September — Falling into Fall was originally published in justbutterit on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

It’s hot. So hot that on most days, I’d rather it be winter. KIDDING! Have you experienced a Canadian winter? Brrr…it makes me shiver just thinking about it. We are only a few weeks away from summer ending so get off your butts and get outside! At night, go inside and relax with a tall glass of lemonade and Netflix.

Notable New Releases

• I AM A KILLER —if you like crime stories, this show may be for you (maybe). Netflix has interviewed convicted murderers sentenced to death and they’re recounting their stories. This is definitely not a show for a relaxing Friday night.
• Insatiable — this show sparked criticism once the trailer dropped. Insatiable follows Patty, a chubby high school student, who gets bullied for her weight, and eventually wires her jaw shut for months to lose weight. Over 150,000 people have called Netflix to cancel the show due to its body shaming messages. Netflix, really?
• Marlon: Season 2 —Marlon Wayans is a class comedy act and in Season 2, Marlon is a divorced and carefree dad trying to navigate his new life while co-parenting his kids.

The Highlights

• The Commuter — I am a huge fan of Liam Neeson and his new, yet quietly released, movie did not disappoint. Liam plays Michael, an ex-cop, recently fired insurance salesman who gets caught up in a conspiracy. This time, however, Liam is not invincible and takes a tough beat down.
• 8 Mile — classic movie with Eminem playing Jimmy, an aspiring rapper growing up in a rough neighbourhood in Detroit. And who can forget “Lose Yourself”, one of the most played rap tunes of the early 2000s?
• Along Came Polly — the classic 2004 rom-com with Ben Stiller and Jennifer Aniston is always a Sunday night favourite. The story follows Reuben after he discovers his new wife cheats on him, and then he meets Polly.

The Complete List

Here’s what is coming to Netflix this month:

August 1

• 8 Mile
• Along Came Polly
• Dragonheart
• The Huntsman: Winter’s War
• Julie & Julia
• Justice League Dark
• House of Deadly Secrets
• The Land Before Time
• Michael Jackson’s This Is It
• The Perfect Man
• Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
• Public Enemies
• Rise of the Guardians
• Safe House
• Switched — Netflix Original
• ’Til Death Do Us Part
• Touch of Evil

August 2

• The 100: Season 5
• Wild Oats

August 3

• Brij Mohan Amar Rahe — Netflix Original
• Cocaine Coast — Netflix Original
• Dinotrux Supercharged: Season 3 — Netflix Original
• I AM A KILLER — Netflix Original
• Like Father — Netflix Original
• Marching Orders — Netflix Original

August 4

• Flavors of Youth: International Version — Netflix Original
• On Children — Netflix Original

August 6

• I KILL GIANTS
• Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
• Storks
• Sully

August 9

• A Hologram for the King
• Perdida — Netflix Original

August 10

• 72 Dangerous Animals: Asia — Netflix Original
• Afflicted — Netflix Original
• All About the Washingtons — Netflix Original
• The Commuter
• Demetri Martin: The Overthinker — Netflix Original
• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society — Netflix Original
• Insatiable — Netflix Original
• La Casa de las Flores — Netflix Original
• Million Pound Menu
• Outlander: Season 3
• The Package — Netflix Original
• The Ponysitters Club — Netflix Original
• Voltron: Legendary Defender: Season 7
• Zion — Netflix Original

August 13

• Splash and Bubbles: Season 2

August 15

• Adventures in Public School
• Don’t Breathe
• Homeland: Season 6
• Hurricane Bianca: From Russia With Hate

August 16

• Made of Honor

August 17

• Den of Thieves
• Disenchantment — Netflix Original
• Magic for Humans — Netflix Original
• The Motive — Netflix Original
• Pinky Malinky — Netflix Original
• Spirit Riding Free: Season 6 — Netflix Original
• Stay Here — Netflix Original
• To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before — Netflix Original
• Ultraviolet — Netflix Original

August 19

• The Investigator: A British Crime Story: Season 2

August 20

• Death at a Funeral

August 21

• The Sinner

August 22

• How to Get Away With Murder: Season 4
• Marlon: Season 2 — Netflix Original

August 23

• Deadwind — Netflix Original
• Follow This — Netflix Original
• In Darkness

August 24

• The After Party — Netflix Original
• Ask the StoryBots: Season 2 — Netflix Original
• Bert Kreischer: Secret Time — Netflix Original
• Downsizing
• Ghoul — Netflix Original
• The Innocents — Netflix Original
• Trolls: The Beat Goes On!: Season 3 — Netflix Original

August 27

• The Accountant
• The Blacklist: Season 5
• When the Bough Break

August 31

• The Comedy Lineup: Part 2 — Netflix Original
• Inside the Criminal Mind — Netflix Original
• The Laws of Thermodynamics — Netflix Original
• Ozark: Season 2 — Netflix Original
• Paradise PD — Netflix Original
• Ultimate Beastmaster: Survival of the Fittest — Netflix Original
• Meteor Garden — Netflix Original

Leaving Netflix this August

• Apollo 13
• Belle
• The Fault in Our Stars
• Finding Dory
• How to Be Single
• In Good Company
• The Time Traveler’s Wife
• The Truman Show
• Scarface
• Gangs of New York
• Minority Report
• American Hustle
• School of Rock
• Sixteen Candles
• Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2

Netflix in August — Feelin’ Hot Hot Hot was originally published in justbutterit on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year — Canada Day! And to our friends south of the border, happy 4th of July! There’s a ton of events happening around the country over the next few days and the weather, at least in Toronto, is amazing. Make sure to catch some sun, eat some barbecue, and wear red to show this beautiful country some love on its 151st birthday.

It’s also a long weekend so it’s the perfect time to sleep in, eat ice cream, and kick back and binge on the latest Netflix releases!

Notable New Releases

• Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee: Season 10 — any Seinfeld fans? Well, Jerry is back and he drives around with 12 comedians to talk about random topics highly caffeinated. Calibre? Think Ellen DeGeneres, Dave Chappelle and Zach Galifinakis.
• Sacred Games — based on a best-selling thriller novel, this series follows Sartaj, a cop in Mumbai, who is tipped off on the location of a crime lord. As events unfold and lives intertwine, they encounter a much bigger story.
• Orange Is the New Black: Season 6 — after the riot, the women get moved to a security prison. MAXIMUM SECURITY. No synopsis has been released but the hush hush makes it all the more exciting.

The Highlights

• Hitch — this 2005 rom-com follows Alex, played by Will Smith, as a professional “date doctor” who helps answer one of the world’s toughest questions…what is the foolproof way to woo women? Kevin James and Eva Mendes are also in the mix. This is a comfy Friday night watch!

• Kung Fu Panda 3: Angelina Jolie, Jack Black, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen — the cast is all here! Following up the last movie, Po’s long-lost father reappears and they travel to a secret place and find more magical pandas. Kai, the super villain, reappears too, and Po must figure out a way to protect his friends and family.
• Now You See Me 2: this movie did not get great reviews, but it’s still fun to watch. The Four Horsemen return and add a new team member to use illusion to execute a heist. Magic and cool tech effects — what’s not to like?

The Complete List

Here’s what is coming to Netflix this month:

July 1

• A River Runs Through It
• Barbie Dolphin Magic
• Counterfeiting in Suburbia
• District 9
• Dogtown and Z-Boys
• Hitch
• Hot Fuzz
• Jawbreaker
• Kung Fu Panda 3
• Now You See Me 2
• Paul Blart: Mall Cop
• Return to the Blue Lagoon
• Swiss Army Man
• The Boss
• The Exorcism of Emily Rose
• Within

July 2

• Dance Academy: The Comeback

July 3

• The Comedy Lineup — Netflix Original
• Good Girls — Netflix Original

July 4

• A Beautiful Mind
• American Graffiti
• Brewster’s Millions
• Charlie St. Cloud
• Curious George
• Mercury Rising
• The Dream Team
• The Family Man

July 5

• Hyori’s Bed & Breakfast: Season 2

July 6

• Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee: New 2018: Freshly Brewed — Netflix Original
• First Team: Juventus: Part B — Netflix Original
• The Fosters: Season 5
• Free Rein: Season 2 — Netflix Original
• Inside the World’s Toughest Prisons: Season 2 — Netflix Original
• I, Tonya
• Sacred Games — Netflix Original
• Samantha! — Netflix Original
• Somebody Feed Phil: The Second Course — Netflix Original
• The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter — Netflix Film
• The Skin of The Wolf — Netflix Film
• White Fang — Netflix Film

July 8

• War Dogs

July 9

• Lockup: Extended Stay: Collection 1
• Ratchet and Clank

July 10

• All the Queen’s Horses
• Baby Ballroom: Season 2
• Drug Lords: Season 2 — Netflix Original

July 11

• Mossad 101: Season 2

July 12

• Suits: Season 7

July 13

• How It Ends — Netflix Film
• Jim Jefferies: This Is Me Now — Netflix Original
• Last Rampage
• Sugar Rush — Netflix Original
• The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants — Netflix Original

July 15

• Bonusfamiljen: Season 2 — Netflix Original
• Hollywood Weapons: Season 2
• The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale: Part 2 — Netflix Original \
• Suicide Squad

July 18

• Queen of the South: Season 2

July 19

• The Stranger

July 20

• Amazing Interiors — Netflix Original
• Dark Tourist — Netflix Original
• Deep Undercover: Collection 3
• Duck Duck Goose — Netflix Film
• Father of the Year — Netflix Film
• Final Space — Netflix Original
• Home: Adventures with Tip & Oh: Season 4 — Netflix Original
• Jimmy: The True Story of a True Idiot — Netflix Original
• Last Chance U: EMCC & Life After — Netflix Original
• Last Chance U: INDY: Part 1 — Netflix Original
• Luna Petunia: Return to Amazia: Season 2 — Netflix Original
• Mom and Dad

July 23

• 44 Pages
• Better Call Saul: Season 3
• Sausage Party
• The Devil and Father Amorth

July 24

• Iliza Shlesinger: Elder Millennial — Netflix Original
• The Warning — Netflix Film

July 27

• The Bleeding Edge — Netflix Original
• Daddy’s Home 2
• Extinction — Netflix Film
• Orange Is the New Black: Season 6 — Netflix Original
• Roman Empire: Reign of Blood: Master of Rome — Netflix Original
• Welcome to the Family — Netflix Original
• The Worst Witch: Season 2 — Netflix Original

July 30

• A Very Secret Service: Season 2 — Netflix Original

July 31

• Hinterland: Season 3
• Terrace House: Opening New Doors: Part 3 — Netflix Original

Leaving Netflix in July

• Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie
• Dazed and Confused
• Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
• The Other Woman
• Rio 2
• It’s Complicated
• Disney’s Alice Through the Looking Glass
• Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax
• Lie to Me: Seasons 1–3
• Braveheart

Netflix in July — Canada Day, eh? was originally published in justbutterit on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.