Faces of Studio City: Benji Boehlke, Founder of MapChat Social
Benji Boehlke, founder of MapChat Social, on building a hyper-local social app from Studio City, the survival of third places, and why this neighborhood is more Hollywood than Hollywood.
5/1/20264 min read
Tell me about your business: what you do, who it's for, and how far it reaches.
It's really hard to get to know a town, especially one as vast as LA. I'm building an app called MapChat Social that maps local venues (starting with bars) across most of LA, sorted by your location, so you can find a local spot near you. There's a social gaming component too. You check in, earn points for leaving the house, and when you get wherever you're going there are games and ways to connect with the people already there.
I'm working to solve two things at once: the struggle of connecting to your neighborhood, and the survival of third places, especially bars, which are hyper-local by nature. We've been iterating for a while and we're due to launch on the app stores in about a month.
MapChat is LA-based and DC-based to start, since one of my team members is in DC. I think TMZ got wind of our plans and tried to beat us to market. (Seriously, go Harvey!) We'll see how it lands and grow from there.
Plug: right now you can see listings of events and specials at mapchat.social, but there's so much more planned.
Is your business rooted in Studio City, or does Studio City just happen to be where you're based?
Studio City just happens to be where I'm based, but I love LA and I love Studio City. There are few other neighborhoods I resonate with this strongly.
What did you know nothing about when you started that you know now?
TikTok, trademarks, traditional media, tenacity.
Walk me through what you actually do on a typical day.
Okay, so you're probably going, "Is this, like, a Noxzema commercial or what?" But I have a totally normal life for a middle-aged startup founder. I wake up, put on my hoodie, hop on a call with my team, and prioritize the day. My husband Clay is retired, so the house stays calm. I ship some code, do a few TikTok posts, work on financial, go-to-market, and fundraising planning, take our dog Scout for a walk, and a few times a week I do a bar visit for "research and marketing."
What's the hardest thing you've had to learn to do well?
Being patient and taking calculated risks. We've yet to see if the risks bear out, but being an entrepreneur, a creative, or a small business owner requires both.
What's a detail in your business that most people miss but you obsess over?
I have two. First, user design is a fickle beast. If you don't get it right, no one will use your product. Second, building a consumer application is like building a movement. You have to build with a why.
Which neighbors, other businesses or creatives nearby, do you feel most connected to?
I love being around people in diverse occupations, especially folks in the entertainment industry. As a new but middle-aged startup founder, it's inspiring to be around people who've built incredible careers by being themselves and working passionately at it. LA is also a reality check compared to San Francisco, where everyone is deep in tech. Seeing the parallels between the two worlds helps me think more creatively.
How did you end up here, and what made you stay?
When I first moved here, my friend Dani was in Bell Canyon and I stayed with her. As I got my bearings I gravitated toward this area (Valley Village first) because it wasn't too crazy, it was close to everything, and my favorite bar (you'll notice a theme) was here. Well, North Hollywood, if you know gay bars and can think of the one you wouldn't associate with love, but community. That's the one.
That's where I met my husband. He already lived in Studio City in a condo, and when we eventually went looking for a single-family house, we looked at about 70 of them and couldn't leave the neighborhood. We just love it here.
What's a Studio City business or spot you love that isn't yours?
Firefly, Laurel Tavern, Sushi Note, Rocco's, Oy Bar (I can walk to it). Any of the wonderful bars and restaurants around here. I tend to index my spending on experiences and people. Support your local bars, third places, and businesses!
How has running a small business (or creative practice) in LA changed since you started?
AI has changed everything about how I run my business, and it's also made it easier for others to compete. In the past year, tech has been upended. Claude Code is pretty much constantly running on my machine.
What do people misunderstand about running a business like yours?
The tremendous amount of risk involved. Also, the mentality of most investors in this space that leads to the enshittification we're experiencing. I'm trying to combat that.
What's a Studio City value you hope doesn't get lost?
Decent-ish parking. Kidding. It's harder to articulate, but it's our subtle cool. Not flashy. Just cool.
What's your most-ordered meal in Studio City, and where?
The Laurel Burger at Laurel Tavern. They make it perfectly, it's priced well, it hits the spot every single time, with a side of garlic fries (and a beer, but that goes without saying). And sushi in general. I saw a TikTok recently saying this part of the Valley is burgers, sushi, and pizza, and I thought, yeah, what more could you ask for.
If you had to explain Studio City to someone who's never been, in one sentence?
We're more Hollywood than Hollywood. We connect LA to the world.
Find Benji at mapchat.social and on TikTok. The MapChat Social app launches on the app stores in the coming weeks.