GigPark

Founding publisher and editor of Dose magazine launch web startup, GigPark, to the masses

Using GigPark.com and its Facebook application, members of Toronto-based GigPark have already found hundreds of great services through their network of friends

Toronto, Ontario -- After a highly successful invite-only trial period, GigPark (www.gigpark.com) is launching to the public with an invitation for all to join.

GigPark allows members to easily find services through recommendations from friends and from friends of friends. Over the last several months, members of the Toronto-based website have found hundreds of great services - everything from accountants to tattoo artists - all through recommendations from their GigPark network.

"We believe that friends recommend the best people," said Pema Hegan, Co-Founder of GigPark. "When people are looking for a service, like a handyman or wedding photographer, they look to their friends for a recommendation first. GigPark has struck a chord with its initial members because it is an easy, productive, and fun way for friends to do exactly that - help each other find the services they need."

GigPark is the brainchild of Noah Godfrey and Pema Hegan. The two founders were the Founding Publisher and Founding Editor of Dose Magazine and came up with the concept when looking for an employment lawyer to review their termination package after Dose was closed.

"We found ourselves calling our friends and asking for recommendations," said Godfrey. "We realized that our demographic is in a major life transition - getting married, having babies, buying homes, starting businesses - yet nobody had come up with an easy way for friends to share all of these recommendations."

GigPark opened as invite-only in November 2007 and recently launched a Facebook application, allowing people that are connected on the massively popular social network to help each other find the services they need. Now, with a solid base of members and a huge list of recommendations ranging from doctors to hair stylists, the site is launching to everyone. The plan is to continue to grow membership and eventually expand to other platforms.

"With this launch, GigPark is at the epicentre of the two increasingly dominant influences on consumer purchase decisions - word of mouth and online research," said Godfrey. Almost two-thirds (62 %) of consumers read consumer-written product reviews on the Internet (source: Deloitte's Consumer Products group) and 93% of customers identify word of mouth as the best, most reliable and trustworthy source about ideas and information on products and services - up 26 percentage points vs. 25 years ago (NOP World).

Joining GigPark is free and only takes a moment

New members can join here: http://www.gigpark.com/join
Media who want the full experience right away can join here: http://www.gigpark.com/join/invitefromfounders

About the founders

Noah Godfrey, 30, and Pema Hegan, 29, were the Founding Publisher and Founding Editor-in-Chief of Dose, a free daily magazine in five major cities and a comprehensive online service (dose.ca) for young Canadians. Noah and Pema managed a team of 75 people and ran the organization from inception through launch and 13 months of operations. When it was closed in May 2006, Dose had 331,000 daily readers, reaching one-in-ten 18-24 year olds every day, and a 76% brand awareness amongst its target demographic.

Noah has also worked in Business Development at MTV Networks, Corporate Strategy at AOL Time Warner, and Investment Banking at Salomon Smith Barney, all in New York. Noah grew up as a child actor and graduated with an MBA from the Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Commerce degree from McGill University.

Prior to Dose, Pema was an Account Director for the award-winning Canadian Advertising Agency, Rethink, and worked at Michealides & Bednash, creating content and marketing concepts for some of the UK's most innovative media brands. Originally from New Zealand, Pema began his career at Young & Rubicam Advertising and then started his own media company, Sonar.

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Hi-res photos and logo files are available here

For further information, please contact:

Sarah Dea
Community Manager, GigPark