The COVID-19 pandemic spelled the end of Ramon Mendez’s previous startup. But it gave him time to return to a previous idea that is quickly taking off.
Since launching a beta version of the new Dallas-based content creator platform BrandArmy in March, the platform has grown to more than 15,000 users and hit $750,000 in revenue. However, its launch from North Texas will be short-lived, as the company is in the process of moving its 18-person team to Los Angeles, where it’s the “epicenter for all things entertainment.”
“We’re building a platform of well-engaged creators and, literally, their super fans,” Mendez, the company’s co-founder and CEO, said. “You move from a fan following to a fan business because anything and everything you want to do on the other platforms, you can now do in one place. But everything that you do now, you get an ROI.”
Mendez jokes that most creators are more famous than they are rich. With BrandArmy, he’s looking to give them the tools to change that. Currently, the company has a platform side and an agency side to the business. Mendez describes it as a way to connect creators to superfans, offering more ways to monetize content than other platforms on the market. He said influencers on the platform have monthly subscriptions ranging from $5 per month to $1,000 per month.
“This is a pro-creator platform in its purest sense,” Mendez said. “We are looking to being the antithesis of what they might experience on these bigger platforms,” Mendez said.
BrandArmy sees itself taking on bigger names working in the industry like Patreon and OnlyFans. Mendez said platforms like Patreon offer only one way of monetizing content – subscriptions – whereas BrandArmy allows creators to monetize things like individual posts, messages, videos and shoutouts. He added that BrandArmy provides an alternative to OnlyFans, which has a stigma for adult content that many creators want to avoid.
“We very much want to give (creators) tools to understand their customer and then, ultimately, the market,” Mendez said. “People think we might have some of the best and most valuable data in the world. We literally have the people that can actually move audiences and their best-of audiences.”
BrandArmy also allows creators to own their data, allowing them to target better messaging and connect with their fans. For its part, BrandArmy is looking to use the data to help build out more robust AI tools to help creators manage their content. It also helps creators with onboarding and strategy.
“It’s almost like an Instagram on turbo with all these monetization capabilities on every major screen, so in effect, it can handle all types of creators,” Mendez said.
Already, the startup has pulled in a $1 million seed round from several global finance leaders. It has onboarded about 30 creators onto the platform and has about 50 people on its brand agency side, including names like Waka Flocka Flame. In February, it brought on Alden Reiman as its VP of digital talent and brand partnerships, whose experience with agency CAA and the NFL brought a roster of digital talent to Brand Army.
“It’s going to be great to know they’ve got this wonderful sort of roadmap and vision of what this thing can become because if I’m super early, I’m going to be helping them with ideas or feedback,” Mendez said.
Mendez said it’s important for the company to move quickly as several other businesses are working on different aspects of the creator economy, which has taken off as more traditional entertainers have had to look for virtual ways to connect with fans during the pandemic. He said BrandArmy is eyeing a potential public launch date by the end of the year but notes there isn’t a set date. While not disclosing too many plans, Mendez said BrandArmy is currently developing a feature similar to Clubhouse, but with video. He also teased other features that will help creators further monetize their content.
“There are so many companies popping up, but they’re typically doing a sliver of what we’re doing,” Mendez said. “I’m trying to take a much more 360-degree robust view of what their needs are, both now and also down the road.”
The company’s future growth will take place outside of North Texas. Mendez said BrandArmy’s recent hires are all in the process of relocating to Los Angeles. His own move is not far away. He noted that it’s one of the main hubs of the U.S.’s entertainment industry, adding that the company has been in talks with many agents, agencies, and creators.
“We’ve got other relationships that we’re inking and working on, and we’ve got a lot of good stuff coming,” Mendez said. “We talk about this being a superfan’s dream because there’s going to be some percentage of one’s following that wants to get closer… and they want to elevate that relationship. In effect, the creator is the boss. Period. We’re simply the conduit tool.”
