In the News

The Czech Republic is famous for its security
software industry, but with the Prague launch in
May of Toadsquare (www.toadsquare.com) it''s also
looking to be part of the social media phenomenon.
Toadsquare is a new global online tool that looks
to connect those working in the creative industries,
providing them with a platform through which
to showcase their work by hosting show reels
and portfolios. The site is the brainchild of Jane
Hrouda, a Prague-based Australian-Czech, who
found having worked in the creative industries felt
there lacked such a space, an online hub, that was
specifically designed to help people in this space
connect with each other. Some $1m and 10 years
later, the result is Toadsquare. "I worked for quite
a long time with people in the creative industries
and it''s really hard for them to find each other and
connect," Hrouda says. "I have seen their problems
in getting their work out – it''s very hard for them to
reach their audiences."
In its search for 20m users worldwide, Hrouda says
Toadsquare is not targeting a specific part of the
globe, though she says of course it''s harder for
those artists working in the emerging markets to
connect than it is, say, for those in the West, where
networks are more developed.