iWorld
YouTube ads startup FameBit buys Refame; expands brands’ access to digital stars
MUMBAI: With the advent of YouTube stars, gone are the days when brands were only obsessed with having television, film or sports celebrities as brand ambassadors to endorse their products. In today’s all pervasive digital ecosystem, anyone with enough chutzpah can catapult to fame, amass a cult following, become an instant star… and a money churning one at that. And brands nowadays are more than willing to work with these millennial influencers for branded content and endorsements.
In a scenario like this, digital stars across platforms like YouTube, Vine etc, who offer unique and differentiated content to a host of followers on the world wide web, have caught the fancy of many a specialised companies. And they’ve left no stones unturned in milking these cash cows.
Armed with a vision to expand its offerings, FameBit, a marketplace which connects brands to YouTubers for branded content and endorsements, has now acquired the video marketing agency Refame.
Specializing in super-short-form videos, Refame creates branded videos starring Vine, Snapchat and Instagram personalities. Last year, the company pulled together a roster of social influencers who reach 40 million people across their channels and profile pages.
FameBit, which is on track to reach a billion subscribers by the end of 2015, will now add Reframe’s roster of creators to its platform. The acquisition also means that FameBit now has access to more digital platforms in the social video marketing business apart from YouTube.
FameBit’s platform boasts of more than 10,000 creators across YouTube, Vine, Snapchat and Instagram, collectively reaching more than 450 million subscribers. According to the company, YouTubers have submitted more than 100,000 proposals to brands for product integrations through FameBit till date. In July last year, the company helped brands create more than 1,000 videos and paid out more than $500,000 to creators by October.
“This is a defining moment for FameBit. We see Refame as a natural addition to the long-form content our influencers are currently creating and we are excited to incorporate it into our platform. By expanding our reach to content marketers on Snapchat, Vine and Instagram, we’re giving brands the opportunity to speak to audiences across other creative platforms in ways that are most impactful and appropriate for each one of those platforms,” said FameBit co-founder and CEO David Kierzkowski.
With the kind of fan following digital stars enjoy, brands now know how valuable they can be as content creators and endorsers. FameBit has already connected YouTube creators with brands like L’Oreal, Adidas, JustFab, Hint and Dollar Shave Club. It’s just a matter of time before more and more brands hop on to the digital stars’ bandwagon in order to pull in and connect to its customers.
iWorld
Epic Company launches unified Epic Studio for films and OTT
Vivek Krishnani to head films business; Samar Khan leads OTT & Television.
MUMBAI: Epic just merged its creative superheroes under one cape because when films and OTT need to fight for attention together, you don’t keep them in separate universes. The Epic Company has launched Epic Studio, a next-generation creative and production powerhouse that unites Juggernaut Productions and Movieverse Studio under a single banner. The move creates a streamlined, scalable platform for premium storytelling across theatrical films, OTT originals, television, digital-first formats and branded content.
Vivek Krishnani has been appointed chief executive officer, Epic Studio (Films), overseeing the theatrical and film business with a focus on culturally resonant narratives across Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Gujarati and Malayalam cinema. Samar Khan continues as chief executive officer, Epic Studio (OTT & Television) and retains his role as chief content officer for Docubay and Epic On.
The Epic Company managing director Aditya Pittie said, “Epic Studio brings together our entire creative ecosystem under one unified studio vision. This is not just an integration of verticals, but the creation of a collaborative environment where writers, filmmakers, creators, and brand partners can seamlessly develop and scale stories across formats and screens.”
Vivek Krishnani added, “We are building an audience-focused mainstream film studio committed to delivering fresh, engaging, and innovative stories for both theatrical and streaming platforms.”
Samar Khan commented, “This alignment allows us to approach storytelling with a unified studio mindset. We are building IP under one creative umbrella, with scale and longevity in mind from inception.”
The unified structure eliminates silos, enabling ideas to flow fluidly from concept to screen while adapting to evolving audience behaviour. Epic Studio positions itself as a creator-led ecosystem championing purposeful, resonant storytelling with commercial strength.
In an entertainment landscape where stories now leap between screens faster than plot twists, Epic isn’t just building a studio, it’s crafting a single launchpad where every tale gets the best shot at soaring across every platform.
