Demi Weitz Transforms Personal Challenges into Innovative Music-Tech Venture Following Viral Fundraisers and Kidney ‘Funeral

NEW YORK — This week marks the sixth anniversary of a time when the world as we knew it came to a halt. For many, the pandemic brought about feelings of loss, fear, and uncertainty. Yet, for a teenager in Los Angeles at the time, it ignited a spark of incredible potential and action.

If you were to spend a day with Demi Weitz today, you’d find yourself alternating between bouts of laughter and moments of deep inspiration.

“Who encouraged you with the words, ‘Change the world, Demi. Change the world’?” inquired Joelle Garguilo, an Eyewitness News Entertainment reporter.

“Ryan Seacrest said that to me. On Zoom,” Demi recalled.

If Demi’s name rings a bell, it’s for good reason. Six years ago, she transformed a simple birthday Zoom call into a dynamic movement, successfully raising an astounding $3 million.

Rewind to March 2020. The world shut down and there was so much darkness, but there was light too, and a lot of it came from Demi’s kitchen.

“March 2020 was the most pivotal part of my life,” Demi said. “It was my 17th birthday, and my dad wanted to do something online. He got all of my friends on, and Dario started playing covers. Then my dad’s good friend Melvin was on, and he called his friend John Mayer.”

For context, Demi’s dad, Richard Weitz, is one of the most powerful agents in Hollywood. She realized she could tap into his A-list access and do some good.

“I was like, you have a platform, we need to raise money,” she said.

Dolly Parton, John Legend, the original cast of “Hamilton,” hundreds of performers answered the call.

“And it skyrocketed. We raised $38 million for 75 different charities,” Demi said.

But what no one knew was that while Demi was bringing joy to millions, she was quietly suffering.

“I was in excruciating pain to the point where it was debilitating,” she said. “It was hard for me to make friends. I was always in bed. I was always complaining.”

Six surgeries during her freshman year of college made starting a new life almost impossible, until finally, she got a diagnosis.

“As I grew up, my kidney lost more and more function, and it was basically dead. I got an MRI, and my kidney was black,” she said.

Nearly six years after that first fundraiser, Demi did it again, this time hosting a funeral for her kidney. The event became another fundraiser, raising thousands more. Jay Shetty, Jeff Ross and even Rick Astley showed up.

“I like to do these fun things on a whim,” Demi said. “But they have to have impact.”

She has since joined an organization that helps children in the kidney division at a children’s hospital. “What the Schenkman’s have started is so powerful,” she said.

From Quarantunes to her kidney journey, through it all, music has always been her way to make her mark.

“Music is like the thing that saves everyone,” Demi said.

Now, at almost 23, she is ready for a new endeavor, a music tech startup to help up-and-coming artists make a living.

“I created an app. It’s called On Octave. We’re helping artists connect with fans, and we’re adding a feature where you can tie that into a charity,” she said.

“Because it’s you,” Garguilo said. “Because it’s you.”