As a seasoned filmmaker, Andrew Jarecki began to realize much people like to open up and have their stories heard — people like Robert Durst, the accused murderer who was featured in a six-part documentary for HBO titled The Jinx, as well as the countless individuals that appear on his MTV series Catfish.
This realization inspired Jarecki to develop a new app that would serve as a platform where users can express their individuality and creativity through photos and videos.
Released on Thursday in the App Store, KnowMe allows users to easily record and edit together video clips, and narrate over photos to create a minidocumentary.
Users tap on the viewfinder located in the middle to start recording to share whatever is on your mind. Once they let go, the segment is added to the message timeline.
There is the option to blend together previously recorded videos from the camera roll, as well as adding in images from the web. Users can also add a voice-over to these videos and photos, a move which allows them to describe what they were doing in a photo or to reveal how they were feeling at that particular moment seen in the video clip.
KnowMe also allows users to add in music from their phones, or use songs from the app's library to give the clip a soundtrack.
There is no limit to how long the videos are, so users don't feel pressured to get in all they want to say within seven seconds. All the clips added are featured as icons below the viewfinder and are strung together to create a complete story. This means users get to turn the camera on themselves and create their own docu-series starring themselves directly from their phones, so the world can get to know them through their own personal stories.
"KnowMes" can be shared with the public or kept private for a select group of friends. Users can also share their KnowMes to their other social media profiles, via email or text.
There are a few big names already using the app, including KnowMe ambassador and host of Catfish Nev Schulman, as well as Mike Myers, Trevor Noah and Sean Hayes.
Jarecki, who is also the founder of movie-locator app Moviefone, began developing the app in 2014 with funding coming from a small group of private investors including Star Wars: The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams.
The app is now available for free on iOS.
