Why I Built GoodEvening.tv

I haven’t filmed a single video yet. I don’t have a YouTube channel. My Elgato Prompter is still in the mail. And somehow I built an entire teleprompter app.

Let me explain.

I like building things

I’m a computer engineer by degree and an industrial automation engineer by trade. In my free time, I build stuff. My senior capstone was a custom sim racing wheel where I did everything: mechanical design, 3D-printed enclosure in CAD, PCB design, soldering, programming. That’s just how my brain works. I see a problem, and I want to build the solution myself, end to end.

I’ve always wanted to document that process. The builds, the failures, the tools I use. I’m inspired by creators like Matt Gray and I want to make content in that style. I have a whole list of content buckets planned out: build-in-public deep dives, tool and gear reviews, solo entrepreneurship, even my Ironman training. The ideas aren’t the problem. Actually sitting down and recording is the part I need to optimize.

So I started researching teleprompters

I wanted to streamline recording as much as possible. Script goes in, words come out, minimal retakes. A teleprompter seemed like the obvious tool.

But the more I researched, the more frustrated I got. Video after video, creators complained about the same things. Voice sync that barely works. Script editors that feel rigid and clunky. Software that demands a specific GPU just to scroll text while you talk. People were spending more time troubleshooting their teleprompter than actually recording.

I hadn’t even bought a prompter yet and I was already annoyed.

The engineer brain kicked in

I knew voice-following didn’t need a dedicated GPU or a native desktop app. The browser has the Web Speech API. It works on any device with a microphone. No drivers, no installs, no hardware requirements.

So I opened a code editor and started building. Not because I planned to launch a product. Just because I saw a problem and wanted to solve it properly.

Somewhere along the way, I realized this could actually be something. The idea of a warm, retro broadcast-themed teleprompter stuck with me. The name came from presidential addresses: “Good evening.” Two words that mean the cameras are rolling and it’s time to talk. The branding practically wrote itself.

My first SaaS

Full transparency: I’ve never launched a SaaS product before. I’m actually working on a much larger project (an indoor cycling app similar to TrainerRoad), but I realized I should start smaller. Get a rep in. Learn what it takes to ship something, put it in front of people, and support it.

GoodEvening.tv is that first rep. It’s small in scope but I’m building it like it matters, because it does. To me, and hopefully to the creators who use it.

Where I’m at right now

The app is live. The free tier has everything you need: script editor with chapters and formatting, smooth scrolling, keyboard controls, offline support, and Voice Sync.

I’m writing this blog post at 1 AM before I’ve even recorded my first video. There’s something honest about that. I’m not a creator with a million subscribers telling you what tools to use. I’m an engineer at the starting line, building the tools I wish existed, and sharing the process as I go.

If that resonates with you, try GoodEvening.tv. And if you want to follow the journey, this blog is where I’ll be documenting it.

- Samuel