A failed city council run in 2022 just spawned the next big thing in civic engagement. Hamlet TV launched Friday as a streaming platform that transforms mind-numbing city council meetings into digestible content across TikTok, YouTube, and Apple TV. The AI-powered service from Hamlet promises to crack open the "black box" of local government by surfacing the moments that actually matter to citizens.
Sunil Rajaraman's political defeat became democracy's digital breakthrough. After losing his 2022 city council race in a small California town, the serial entrepreneur discovered something troubling: local government operates like a "total black box, and almost intentionally opaque," he told TechCrunch.
That frustration birthed Hamlet, which just expanded into consumer streaming with Hamlet TV. The platform uses AI to process thousands of hours of city council and planning commission videos, turning bureaucratic marathons into intelligence people can actually use.
"The video doesn't lie," Rajaraman explains, contrasting his approach with traditional meeting minutes that filter everything through someone's interpretation. The company has already raised $10 million from investors including Slow Ventures, Crosslink Capital, and Kapor Capital to build what Rajaraman calls the "Bloomberg of local government."
The business model started enterprise-first. Real estate developers and political action committees quickly realized they needed better insight into city hall decisions that could make or break their projects. Hamlet's AI tracks agendas, sends alerts when relevant topics surface, and synthesizes hours-long meetings into digestible summaries. Clients can search video archives to see exactly when and how competitors got mentioned in government settings.
But Friday's consumer launch represents Rajaraman's bigger bet on democracy itself. Hamlet TV streams across TikTok, YouTube, Apple TV, and Instagram, spotlighting the most important moments from council meetings, planning commissions, and school boards nationwide.
The content strategy mixes humor with substance. "If you show people procedural videos, they're just not going to care," Rajaraman admits. "But if you show them the funny stuff, they'll watch." His team has curated gems like someone dressing as a cockroach to address pest control issues at city hall.