Jack Conte

Jack Conte (born July 12, 1984) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is one half of the band Pomplamoose, along with his wife Nataly Dawn, co-founder of the band scary pockets, and CEO and co-founder of Patreon.

Conte has recorded two EPs—Sleep in Color and Nightmares and Daydreams—and released them along with the compilation VideoSongs Volume I.

Career
In 2007, Conte created his YouTube channel to upload music videos inspired by the Dogme 95 movement. He gained widespread attention when his video Yeah Yeah Yeah was featured on YouTube's main page.

The majority of his new music is released as singles posted to YouTube. These mostly take the form of "VideoSongs", a medium he defines with two rules:


 * 1) What you see is what you hear. (No lip-syncing for instruments or voice)
 * 2) If you hear it, at some point you see it. (No hidden sounds)

In 2008, Conte formed the band Pomplamoose with Nataly Dawn. The band's presence is primarily online, having only performed a handful of live shows. Nevertheless, the collaboration has garnered significant fan support.

On May 7, 2013, Conte announced the launch of Patreon, a crowdfunding venture, together with co-founder Samuel Yam. According to Conte, the startup is "like a kickstarter for people who release stuff on a regular basis."

In 2020, Conte was identified as a "Young Global Leader" by World Economic Forum.

Reception
Much of Conte's work has been met with positive reviews, citing evocative lyrics in Sleep in Color and creative delivery of his VideoSongs. However, Conte's music was reviewed less favorably by Amplifier: "Hints of Conor Oberst, Radiohead, Patrick Watson, contemporary punk rock (screamo), radio power pop, and incalculable other singer songwriters are more than borrowed, making for a short mishmash of electro rock."

Personal life
Conte was born in San Francisco although he grew up in Marin County, California. He studied music and composition at Stanford University, graduating in 2006. Conte and Nataly Dawn became engaged in January 2016 and married in May 2016.