Erin Simons Cook has spent her career working in product and marketing for consumer brands, sometimes with companies that had big budgets, sometimes at companies with small budgets. But, no matter the budget size she saw the same problem: Big elaborate photo shoots that yielded a limited range of lifestyle product photos or lots time and energy spent sourcing and getting permissions for user-generated content.
What she wanted was a way to find professional photographers who could supply lifestyle shots with the authenticity of user-generated content but with the added skill needed for shots that would be part of big marketing campaigns.
In 2018, she left her job as business unit director for kids products at Keen Footwear to build such a tool. Cook tapped her network to find developers to help her build what she wanted. At the same time, she grew a database of photographers from around the country.
The result is Authentic, a startup aimed at bridging this gap and offering photographers a steady line of work and offering brands professional quality photos with an array of options. The startup recently completed the Portland Incubator Experiment and has the first version of its product available. It has a handful of repeat paying customers and has about 15 customers who have used Authentic for a couple projects, said Cook.
The team is working on version two of the platform now.
The technology/product: A digital platform that streamlines and diversifies the branded photo shoot by connecting brands to professional photographers. It combines the best of user-generated content with high quality content. The platform handles the whole process from create brief to photo purchase.
How it makes money: Authentic takes a cut when an image is sold. The company is generating revenue.
Size of market: $1 billion
Competition: Influencer marketing platform like Cohley.
Competitive advantage: Unlike other influencer marketing-focused products, Authentic offers brands connections to professional photographers who can produce high-quality content. It also cultivates relationships with a diverse array of photographers who in turn have a diversity of models that ensure photoshoots and marketing content are inclusive. The platform also speeds the process of a project from months to weeks.
Business it could disrupt: The traditional creative agency model/photoshoot process, which has high cost. The traditional stock photography model, where content is overly generic, photos tend to look the same or lack inclusivity.
Investors: none so far
Capital sought: $250,000
Ideal exit: Acquisition
Closer Look
Company: Authentic LLC
Headquarters: Portland
Founded: 2018
CEO: Erin Simons Cook
Employees: 1
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