Boom
Boom is a Mac camera app that helps you stand out on every video call — whether you’re on Zoom, Meet, Teams, or anything in between. It turns your webcam into a stage you control, with creative layouts, overlays, stickers, and branded graphics that make every moment on screen more engaging and expressive.
Get to know Boom
Who’s behind Boom?
Hey, I’m Robleh Jama – designer, founder, and the maker of Boom. I’ve been building products for a long time, mostly because I love it. My craft really developed around mobile – I fell in love with the iPhone early on and started making apps back in 2010. It was still the Wild West then, everyone was figuring it out together, and it felt like a tight-knit community of people learning, experimenting, and constantly raising the bar.
My first app was a kids’ app called Pocket Zoo – you could watch live animal cameras on your phone. I built it right before becoming a dad, and it ended up being the number-one education app on the App Store. From there I kept building things I wanted for myself: a beautiful alarm clock called Wake, a home-workout app called Quick Fit that later got featured in an Apple commercial, and a third-party keyboard called Next that became the #2 paid app on the charts – right behind Minecraft.
Those projects eventually led me to start my own studio in Toronto called Tiny Hearts. We did a mix of our own apps and client work to keep the lights on. One of our clients was Shopify – they needed a keyboard app, we built it, and not long after, Shopify acquired my company. I joined them to run a small internal studio called The Garage, where the goal was to “disrupt Shopify from within.”
Out of that studio came a little experiment called Arrive – a package-tracking app that quickly took off and later evolved into what’s now known as Shop. I spent six and a half years at Shopify, working on mobile experiments, crypto projects, and new ideas. But I’ve always been an indie builder at heart.
Boom started the same way as everything else I’ve made – out of curiosity and necessity. During the shift to remote work, I realized we’re all basically streamers now. We’re on camera for hours a day, presenting, teaching, selling – but the tools we use weren’t built for that. I wanted software that made those moments feel more human, more fun, and more beautiful.
For me, building products has always been a form of art. And the best kind of art is the one you can turn into a business – because it means you can keep creating. That’s what Boom is for me.
What’s Boom and what’s so cool about it?
Boom is a virtual camera for Mac that makes you look great and feel confident on video. It sits between your hardware and whatever app you’re using – Google Meet, Zoom, or anything else – and lets you add layouts, overlays, and effects that make your calls more fun, engaging, and memorable.
It’s used by people running all kinds of sessions – from workshops and webinars to group coaching and virtual meetings. The goal is simple: to help you stand out and make your message land better. Whether it’s a timer to keep you on track, transitions that make your presentation feel seamless, or a custom-branded background that adds personality, Boom gives you tools to bring a little more life and energy to the screen.
At first, we leaned heavily into the fun side – because I really believe work should be playful. When people enjoy what they’re doing, they show up better. But we’re also building toward something bigger.
Boom 2.0 is our next major step – an AI-powered camera and screen recorder that expands everything Boom can do. It brings smarter recording, live captions, and voice features powered by Whisper, all wrapped in a beautiful, seamless experience. It’s the most ambitious thing we’ve done yet, and honestly, it’s incredible to see it come together.
At the end of the day, Boom is about making people feel more human, expressive, and connected – even through a screen.
Tool Stack of Boom
What’s under Boom’s hood? Which technologies were used and why did you chose them?
Boom is built entirely in Swift – it’s a fully native Mac app. I’ve always loved making products that feel fast, polished, and deeply integrated with the platform they’re on, and native just gives you that.
Because Boom is technically a virtual camera, it’s both an app and an extension. It sits between your hardware and your meeting software, so performance and reliability are everything. That’s why we’ve stayed close to Apple’s ecosystem from the start. We use Apple’s own AI frameworks for things like virtual backgrounds and other visual features, which lets us keep everything smooth and efficient.
More recently, we’ve been experimenting with new layers powered by AI – things like live captions and audio understanding using Whisper Kit. Those experiments are part of what’s shaping Boom 2.0.
We’re a small, tight team – just one full-time developer, my cofounder, and a few contractors – so tools that boost our productivity are essential. Cursor has been a huge superpower for us. We also use Claude and ChatGPT constantly to iterate faster, explore ideas, and even write or debug code.
Boom lives under our small studio called Tomorrow, where we’re building AI-powered tools that feel personal, useful, and beautiful. The goal isn’t just to use AI for the sake of it, but to make it invisible – something that amplifies the product rather than defines it.
Do you use any other tools to run the business?
We run a really small and lean setup – just a few of us, so the tools we pick matter a lot. Linear is our main hub for managing work. We’ve also been experimenting with a new AI-powered tool called Stilla, which connects directly to our calls and can automatically create or update Linear tickets based on what’s discussed. It even pushes code changes and opens pull requests – it’s wild.
Cursor has become a core part of how we build. It’s our main code editor and a huge multiplier for our small team. Between Cursor, Claude, and ChatGPT, we’re able to move incredibly fast. I literally have those AI tools open all the time.
For meetings, we use Granola for transcripts and notes – it’s honestly one of my favorite new tools. And we still rely on essentials like GitHub for version control and Setapp for discovering and distributing apps.
Our studio, Tomorrow, is focused on building AI-powered products, but we also use AI to build them faster and smarter. The way we work is less about heavy process and more about staying close to the craft – experimenting, prototyping, and iterating constantly.
What’s your personal stack? Which apps do you and your team love?
I’m always testing new Mac apps, but there are a few that I can’t live without. CleanShot is probably at the top of that list – I’m a total screenshot addict because of it. Raycast is another one. Once you start using it, there’s no going back. Same goes for Linear – it just nails the balance between simplicity and speed.
I still use Cron (I know it’s called Notion Calendar now, but it’ll always be Cron to me). It’s the cleanest calendar experience out there. Arc is my go-to browser – easily the best one in my opinion. And for calls, I use Granola all the time for transcripts and notes.
I love discovering little utilities that make the Mac feel more personal. AirBuddy is a good example – it’s such a simple app, but it makes connecting AirPods seamless. Tuple is another favorite for pair programming; it reminds me of Multi, which I used to love before it was acquired by OpenAI.
The apps I enjoy the most all share the same DNA: they’re beautifully made, they respect your time, and they make everyday workflows feel effortless. That’s the bar I try to hold Boom to as well.
Anything else you’d like to share?
Right now we’re focused on Boom 2.0 – it’s the biggest leap we’ve taken since launching. I honestly can’t wait for people to try it.
But beyond that, what matters most to me is staying independent and close to the craft. I’ve been around long enough to know how easy it is to lose that focus. I’d rather build something meaningful, sustainable, and fun – something that feels like art.
That’s the challenge I’ve set for myself and for Tomorrow – to keep making beautiful, useful tools that help people show up better, and to keep doing it on our own terms.
Now, discover Boom for yourself
Big thanks to Robleh for sharing the story behind Boom and everything that went into building it. Give it a spin, it might just change the way you think about video calls.