March 2024 Startup Grant Awarded to Joystream

We’re excited to announce the $10,000 Startup Grant recipient for March 2024. Congratulations to Brittany Snyder, founder of Joystream.

Recently, WomensNet Advisory Board member Jama Hernandez sat down with Brittany for an exclusive interview. You can listen to their conversation and view the transcript below.

Video Transcript

WomensNet: Hi everyone, my name is Jama with the WomensNet Advisory Committee and we are so excited to introduce our March 2024 winners. We have with us Brittany Snyder with Joystream, the Mobile Merrymaker, and she is our startup winner. So before we begin, tell us a little bit about Joystream, the mobile Merrymaker. 

Brittany: My name is Brittany Snyder and I’m the owner and founder of Joystream, The mobile Merrymaker.  Joy Stream is a versatile event space inside a custom Airstream trailer that can be used for beverage service, photo booth or lounge space. So it’s super versatile. It can be used for a number of different parties. Backyard get togethers to elaborate weddings, and we just want to come out and just spread some joy to the community!

WomensNet: Can you please tell us who inspired your business? Where did you come up with this great idea?

Brittany: Well, it was it was a number of things. So kind of similar to the Covid situation. It’s funny how a lot of things are blossoming out of such a dark time. So I had been a professional dancer my entire life and worked as a Radio City Rockette for many years. And we did not do the Christmas Spectacular that year. I knew I was probably going to retire in a handful of years and although a lot of things interest me, I didn’t know yet what I really liked. I I had my dream job for so long I just wasn’t sure what the pivot was. 

I have always been obsessed with Airstream trailers, they’re just the cutest things. That little touch of like Americana, it’s just the nostalgia around it, everything. And I was actually looking at one to make into a tiny little home. That’s how it all started. I’m scouring the internet and I came across one that was outfitted as a mobile bar. And I was like, that is such a good idea. And I love people. I love being around them and I’ve taken event planning courses and all that stuff. And I was like, that is such a good idea. And even though we didn’t know what events were gonna look like or gatherings were gonna look like, it just felt like this was something that had legs that could grow beyond.

And so I wanted to take that idea and I wanted to make it more robust. So I didn’t want it to just be a mobile bar. I wanted to be able to pull up to a church or a kid’s birthday party. We have an eight serving window, so we can do beverage service, but it’s also a lounge space. Everything is custom inside- so it could be a lounge space, it can also be a photo booth area. So I really wanted it to be able to roll up to any sort of function and be able to come and spread that joy. And so that was really important to me. 

And then the name…so, you know, you hem and haw over a lot of things with your business constantly. And that was one! I threw out some names, but I was like, we all need some joy. Again, it doesn’t matter if we’re in the middle of pandemic or if everything’s great, you could always use more joy. And when I said Joystream- it just rolled off my tongue. And then I came up with the mobile merrymaker and I was like, you know what? It might be a little cheesy to some, but I’m a little cheesy so it’s okay! And so I went with that,  it just stuck. And I was like, we just need some joy no matter what in our lives. And that’s where the name came from!

And personally our family before Covid, we suffered a couple really big losses. My brother at 37 years old was diagnosed with a super rare form of cancer called leiomyosarcoma. And they found an eight pound tumor in his body, it was crazy. He ended up living for three years and, but unfortunately did pass away three years later. And then we unfortunately lost my dad a couple years later. And so then the pandemic happened and then there was kind of like this dark cloud. We’re a pretty positive family, but it was a little darkness. And so this has been so awesome for our family. Like we were in the path of totality ’cause I’m in Indianapolis, Indiana, and we were out at an event for that. It was my mom, my sister, and me, and they’re out here working with me.. and even my sister-in-law! It just brought so much light! I did my niece’s 10th birthday party the other day. It has brought a lot of joy to our lives, our personal lives as well. And a big thing for me. 

I knew that when I had a business, I would want to give back. When we were going through everything with my brother, the community was just so amazing. And, even before that, it’s always just been something that was instilled in me,I just want to be able to give back as much as possible. Whether that’s a need in the community or a charity that’s near and dear to our hearts. Right now the push is for leiomyosarcoma because it’s just so underfunded. 

My niece has done lemonade stands for it and we really wanna revive that. And we’re actually doing a walk here in a couple weeks on the 27th that Joystream’s going to sponsor and give sales from that. So I’m really excited about that, and just being able to be a light in the community and to give back as much as possible- that’s just so, so, so important. There are a lot of other inspirations that I didn’t even mention, but those were some of the big driving forces for why I wanted to do this and why we’re here today.

WomensNet: What a story. We all have so many from Covid and it’s nice that there’s a positive thing that came out of it for you.  So, we’ve seen some similar kind of trailer type pop up things come up in different communities. But what makes Joystream’s approach unique from other businesses that also do some similar type things?

Brittany: So I kind of touched on this earlier, the fact that we aren’t just one thing. We aren’t just your beverage service. We aren’t just your photo booth or a lounge space. We can do it all. We can even run the photo booth and the beverage service depending on guest count at the same time, which then we are a one-stop shop for you. You don’t have to hire different services. And it is so important to be able to be super versatile and allow that. And another thing that was always so important from the jump for me was that I don’t want to be just be a service. I want this to be an experience. And it’s so awesome, it makes me wanna cry with the feedback that I have gotten already in the short amount of time since we launched in October.

People are so enjoying it. I want people to walk away and have a smile on their face and a drink in their hand or a picture in their hand and just be. It’s an elevated experience, hospitality that takes it to the next level. And that is what I will pride myself on till forever. And it is important to me that people experience something and feel something when they’re here. It’s not just a service.

WomensNet: That’s wonderful, we love that. I could feel your warmth through. And so, where can we find you and where can we book you?

Brittany: You can find me on Instagram at Joystream, and on Facebook and TikTok on joystreammobile. My website is www.joystreammobile.com. And you can book through there. There is a link where you can book me and check out all the fun things we’ve been doing so far.