“…mobile isn’t a marketing afterthought anymore. Companies are recognizing that mobile is an imperative part of their business and they are asking, ‘How can we evolve our business to support mobile?’ instead of the other way around.”

Designing and managing multi-million dollar interactive experiences driven by creativity and vision with nothing below a standard of excellence is Chaotic’s Chief Executive Officer Ben Lamm core competency.

A creative entrepreneur for more than 10 years, Ben has mastered software product design, interactive design, E-learning design, brand development, user interface design, and virtual world simulations and scenarios. Trust us—his creativity and vision for products isn’t something you want (or can afford) to miss out on.

Chaotic Moon claims to be the world’s most proven mobile application studio, providing everything from initial brainstorming and strategy, to custom development and publishing, to managing your entire mobile presence in any application marketplace. They stand on a history of long-term success by embracing an intense desire to reach further, faster and longer than ever before.

MO: Where did you come up with the name Chaotic Moon Studios? It sounds more like a hippy yoga class rather than a company that boasts the best and brightest in the industry.

Ben: There are several stories around the name, and some of those several will forever remain between the partners (trade secret). At the end of the day, Chaotic Moon IS a unique company, and thus deserves an equally unique name which accurately reflects our core vision. Oh, and Apple was taken.

MO: You have an impressive team with credentials from places such as, Apple R&D, Microsoft, and IBM Research as well as staff from some of the largest design agencies. How did you manage to entice them away from well established companies to your relatively new one?

Ben: People like challenges and smart people like working with other smart people. There are, generally speaking, few businesses that offer their employees opportunities to work on challenging projects with other smart people that can affect millions of other people. They end up being a cog in a big machine. What we’ve found, however, is there are a lot of these people serving as cogs who want more and want the chance to do something unique. Our apps are used by millions of people every day. It’s an opportunity for smart, innovative people to work on a team of equally smart, innovative people and create products that shape the way we communicate with each other, the way we get our news, and the way we play games. Because of these reasons, we find it relatively easy to recruit.

It’s either that or the pizza parties.

MO: I really enjoyed checking out your site. What were the influences or inspiration for the web design?

Ben: For us our site is a reflection of who we are as a company. A lot of companies’ sites are trying to sell who they are, but we try to embody our company culture on the web. We’re very excited about our products and focused on shipping our products, and like to share these stories with others via the website. It’s our avenue to share part of the projects we work on daily. Additionally, we spend a lot of time and money on our brand and have a very strict brand guideline. So the design of the site directly follows our own branding and messaging. The messaging is just as important as the creative; they go hand-in-hand.

MO: This isn’t your first company. What lessons did you learn from your last business, Simply Interactive, that you were able to apply to Chaotic Moon?

Ben: Pick partners that share your values. While Simply Interactive did and still does well, our goals and vision weren’t always aligned. You want to be drinking the same Kool-Aid. You want to have partners that empower you. My partners at Chaotic Moon empower me to make effective decisions daily. I also learned that it’s all in the details. People will pay for the polish; the details take the good to the great.

MO: What are two major trends that you’re seeing in the mobile app market right now?

Ben: App resurrection is becoming much more needed. People have built apps quickly and taken shortcuts to get it out on the market as fast as possible, and as a result there’s a lot of cleanup required. A small SWAT team at Chaotic Moon is operating as an app EMS for companies in high need and quick turnaround. The other trend is that mobile isn’t a marketing afterthought anymore. Companies are recognizing that mobile is an imperative part of their business and they are asking, “How can we evolve our business to support mobile?” instead of the other way around.

MO: You have an amazing team and an impressive client list but what are you most proud of so far?

Ben: I’m obviously most proud of our team and our products that reach millions of people. But I’m also most proud, and most shocked for that matter, about how many people have supported us from the beginning. We have a relatively large fan base that has helped us get to where we are. The tech community as a whole, both nationally and internationally, has made it possible for us to be successful. It’s the people that buy and wear our t-shirts and invite us to speak at conferences, and introduce us to new clients.