A new social network taking two years and almost €1 million to develop was launched today in the heart of Bohemian Prague. ‘Toadsquare’ aims to unite the world’s 20 million creative professionals – artists, photographers, filmmakers, scriptwriters, designers – and provide them with an instant, global showcase for exhibiting their talents to agents, producers and collectors.

Toadsquare is the brainchild of Jane Hrouda, daughter of a Czech émigré, who grew up in Australia, who wanted to find a way of connecting millions of creative professionals in countries around the world with each other.

Taking her lead from sites such as Facebook and Linked-In she developed a social networking site specifically built for this unique sector.

Says Hrouda, “Artistic communities have always flourished on a local level, with clients and collectors making a bee-line for the cafes where up-and-coming talent can be spotted. But what if you’re a budding genius in Jakarta and your ideal customer is in Madrid? With Toadsquare they could be sitting at the next table.”

The site is free to join and gives every member their own shop-window – ‘a website within a website’ – where they can display works of art, photographs, films, video, scripts, designs, music: samples and examples of their creative talents. They can also buy equipment and materials, get training, swap stories and tips with other creative professionals, advertise shows and exhibitions, invite expert criticism and seek inspiration.

Toadsquare was launched in Prague at a re-creation of Montparnasse, designed to evoke the dynamic artistic melting-pot of Paris at the end of the 19th Century.

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http://vimeo.com/61664858