As the market for apps quickly expands, AppSynth Media, a powerhouse development company located in Oakland founded by three CSU East Bay alumni, takes its journey into the world of art and technology.

Trio Jateen Bhakta, Ellias Fullmore and Clare Lewis, a product of the Multimedia graduate program class of 2011, took a circuitous route to this point.

The team initially came together in graduate school for their thesis project, SlipStream. Inspired by a collective concept of epic, they brought Herothesis, their 3D fish character to life in a 180 degree projected video game installation.

It is a game where mobile phones act as game controllers and personality input creates a generative soundtrack, unique to each player.

“The work the students do connects to industry, science, art, and technology with a focus on education,” said Multimedia graduate program coordinator Raquel Arcia. “We got it going on over here!”

“AppSynth Media serves as a testimony of how we continually evolve,” proclaimed the founders.

According to Lewis, “We already had clients while in school.”

This was a contributing factor in what helped to raise money for their thesis budget.

“Today as AppSynth Media, apps organically come out of us as things evolve.”

“My goal in school was to come out with a business of some sort,” says Bhakta. “It made sense for us to start a business. As we grow, I feel like we’ve been doing this for years.”

According to Bhakta, “Learning from our mistakes is the beauty of how we learn. More importantly, we put the ego aside.”

The AppSynth Media artists are not your everyday developers. They are inspired by a collective goal of epic. Their work is a part of a collaborative effort.

“We do work well together doing large collaborations,” says Bhakta.

The Jae Ellis “Unleashed” is AppSynth Media’s first “mix tape app.” It was launched for Super Bowl Champion Raheem Brock, hosted by Don Cannon and includes the single “Speed’n” which features multi-platinum artist Jim Jones. It provides a good way to stay in touch with current and upcoming hip-hop artists of today.

Having collaborated with the hip-hop trio CopperWire, their innovative app turns one song into an interactive piece of music where you may never hear a tune the same way twice. It redefines the way a single is released in the digital age.

With Burntface Radio, they’ve created and animated a radio player that streams classic, rare and unreleased Burntface songs with over 50 tracks of commercial free independent music.

Zap Cancer is a game currently in production with AppSynth Media. Contracted and inspired by Natalie Kruetzer, the aim is to bring laughter, fun and visualization to the fight against cancer.
The company is housed in the heart of East Oakland’s Fruitvale District.

In 2011 only months after graduation, Lewis gave up her vehicle, and purchased a spacious home from the proceeds of the sale of a family farm. The workspace accommodates this ethnically diverse trio of artists.

Lewis is the trio’s communications specialist and received her undergraduate degree from Hampshire College in Social and Political Thought. Lewis brings over 10 years of professional experience in public opinion research and mobile technology.

“Living together and working together as artists and business partners has an interesting impact,” says Lewis. “Although I miss being around women and talking about clothes and purses, I actually live and work with three great men that I infinitely trust. I’ve mostly worked with men in the past, but this is infinitely better.”

Lewis also teaches a course called Professional Practices in the Art Department at CSUEB.

“We live in a bubble,” says Bhakta.

This technical wizard received his undergraduate degree in Multimedia from CSU Sacramento. As the mastermind whose developer skills sets cover a broad spectrum of computer programming, Bhakta specializes in making the mobile app happen.

Fullmore, the creative mastermind is also a musician with TV and film production experience. Fullmore received his undergraduate degree in Business from Morehouse College.

Fullmore has worked with NBC, CW, the Academy Awards and has been a recipient of a Congressional Award of Recognition for his production of the Ethiopian New Year’s cultural festival of 2007 at the Washington Monument.

“We all have our differences just like the personality constructs of the characters in our graduate thesis project. However, when you live together you must be very good at scheduling.

“At the end of the day we can all say this is the ideal situation for us,” says Fullmore.