HeyHey Global: Caleb Franklin is Humanizing Celebrity-Fan Connections through Personalized Media and Web3 Innovation
In the glittering world of Hollywood and Bollywood, the wall between celebrities and their fans has traditionally been high, made of marble, and guarded by gatekeepers. But Caleb Franklin, Founder and CEO of HeyHey Global, is using technology to turn that wall into a bridge. After a decade at the legendary Creative Artists Agency (CAA) in Los Angeles, representing icons like Will Smith and Andre Agassi, Caleb moved to India to open CAA’s operations in Mumbai. There, he worked with stars like Priyanka Chopra and Ranbir Kapoor before realizing that the next evolution of entertainment wasn't just about representing talent—it was about democratizing joy. Today, HeyHey is a platform where over 2,500 celebrities deliver personalized video messages and immersive Web3 experiences directly to their fans at scale.
On the ELI Podcast, Caleb discusses his transition from Hollywood’s elite corridors to the high-stakes world of Indian startups. He shares how HeyHey (heyhey.global) is moving beyond simple "shout-outs" into the world of proprietary smart contracts, real-world NFT utilities, and why hyper-honesty is the most critical asset for an entrepreneur in the attention economy.
The Hollywood-Bollywood Bridge
Caleb identified a universal truth: people love Bollywood and Cricket, but the access remains exclusive. HeyHey was built to solve this by providing a platform where anyone can get a customized birthday wish from Govinda or a digital autograph from their favorite athlete, facilitated entirely through a frictionless tech stack.
The Tech Behind the "Shout-Out"
Facilitating on-demand requests from global talent requires a robust backend. HeyHey’s core system, built on **Ruby on Rails**, manages two distinct user experiences: a consumer-facing marketplace and a talent-facing mobile app.
"The technological challenge was making sure talent gets notified, records the video, and gets paid super fast," Caleb explains. "In a world where 77% of artists make their money from brand deals, we created a new revenue stream where they can get paid within four hours of sending a shout-out. For them, it’s easy money on a Sunday afternoon, but for the fan, it’s a priceless memory."
Breaking the Web2 Barrier: The NFT Leap
While the celebrity video business was the starting point, Caleb realized that the Indian market needed more than just a fleeting video. Fans wanted to *own* a piece of the experience. This led HeyHey to build its own proprietary smart contracts.
This leap into the "Metaverse" has already seen massive success, with celebrity NFT launches selling out before they were even officially announced. By moving beyond simple media and into community access, HeyHey is unlocking a level of scalability that traditional talent management could never achieve.
The HeyHey Flywheel
- Supply-Led Discovery: Leveraging the combined reach of 2,500+ artists (well into the billions) to drive organic users to the platform.
- Personalized Engagement: Fans receive customized content, which they then share on social media, creating a viral loop.
- Web3 Ownership: Converting fans into holders through NFTs that provide exclusive access to VIP events and merchandise.
- Frictionless Payouts: Ensuring talent is compensated instantaneously, building a high-retention supply of celebrities.
Navigating the Indian Cultural Dynamic
Caleb is candid about the challenges of achieving Product-Market Fit (PMF) in India. "The celebrity shout-out business in India is different than in the US," he notes. "When someone has ₹3,000 in discretionary income, they want to own something tangible."
This insight drove the company to pivot from just videos to affordable products (as low as ₹50) and high-value NFTs. By choosing to invest in the product over paying massive upfront fees to celebrities, HeyHey has built a sustainable moat. "A lot of competitors were just throwing crores at celebrities to onboard them. We chose to spend that money on building smart contracts and a better user journey."
Impact and Scale
- Talent Pool: 2,500+ global celebrities across film, sports, and music.
- Reach: Combined social reach of artist partners in the billions.
- Funding: $1.5 Million Seed round backed by Electric Capital and Jam Fund (Justin Mateen).
- Monetization: A 25/75 split model that empowers creators while scaling the platform.
The Meaning of Entrepreneurship
For Caleb, being an entrepreneur is about learning at a rate that is impossible in a traditional career. "I’ve learned more in one year as a founder than in five years as a professional," he says. "It’s about being beat up, frankly, but finding new challenges every day."
Caleb's Advice for Founders
- Tell the Truth and Nothing More: Be hyper-honest with investors, users, and yourself. It allows you to address problems and change faster.
- Code to Your Word: Hold to your promises. In the 'cannonball run' to build companies, don't sacrifice ethics for speed.
- Up-skill Constantly: Even as a non-technical CEO, you must scale your capabilities fast to lead engineering teams effectively.
The Vision: Democratizing the Red Carpet
As HeyHey Global partners with giants like Coinbase and Viacom18 Studios, Caleb Franklin remains focused on the mission: bringing joy. Whether through a 15-second birthday wish or a high-utility NFT, he is ensuring that the "Red Carpet" experience is no longer reserved for the few. By blending the emotional weight of celebrity culture with the decentralized power of Web3, HeyHey is redefining what it means to be a fan in the 21st century.