Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Global creator company Jellysmack has recently inked a deal with creator economy company WebTVAsia to allot US$30m of investment across content creators in the Asia-Pacific region to accelerate their growth.

The funding means WebTVAsia’s content creators can propel growth forward with capital to take their businesses to the next level through hiring teams, building new studio space, launching products, increasing quality content creation, and more.

Said deal also marks one of Jellysmack’s significant investments in the region.

In addition, the new partnership further strengthens Jellysmack’s support of top global creators and aligns with WebTVAsia’s mission to empower Asian Pacific creators with opportunities and resources to maximise the return on the investment of their content.

Ezechiel Ritchie, general manager for APAC, at Jellysmack, said, “Partnering with WebTVAsia to deploy capital to APAC creators is a unique opportunity. They are a key partner that understands the pulse of Asia and can foster creators’ growth via our creator financing program.”

He added, “This initiative is going to have a huge impact on content creators in the region enabling them to scale up through a variety of new financial technology solutions personalised to their unique needs, and I can’t wait to see the results.”

Meanwhile, Fred Chong, group CEO and founder at WebTVAsia, commented, “WebTVAsia was one of the first to invest into the creator economy of Asia since 2013. In the past 3-year pandemic-hit period alone, we have generated over US$100m in direct income for creators. Our long term relationship is built on 3 ‘F’ values that creators desire most: Fame, Fortune and Freedom (to create).”

He added, “As a creator myself, I see this partnership with Jellysmack as a game-changer that will open up new possibilities for creators to bridge the Web 2.0 and 3.0 worlds. The next 6-12 months will see us launching exciting new creator tools and solutions including content NFTs, digital wallet, virtual identity for metaverse, fan community, and Web 2.5 monetization models.”

Jellysmack, whose roster includes major creators like MrBeast, How Ridiculous, JianHao Tan, Food Kingdom, Junya, and PewDiePie, uses artificial intelligence to detect promising creators and helps skyrocket their social growth with multi-platform content optimization and distribution. To date, Jellysmack has earned over US$175m for creators. 

The partnership is a part of Jellysmack’s newly established creator finance division, JellyFi, which is a US$500m initiative to help creators achieve their boldest ambitions, as well as nine-figure Series C investment from SoftBank.

Singapore – Global creator company Jellysmack has announced that current ANZ and SEA country manager Ezechiel Ritchie, has taken on an expanded regional role as general manager for APAC. In his expanded role, he brings rich experience in brand partnerships, advertising, and digital content and leverages his deep expertise with content and creators to establish meaningful partnerships.

Ritchie, who joined Jellysmack last year as ANZ and SEA country manager, previously held executive roles at Google and Taboola, and was at the helm when Jellysmack launched its Creator Program in Australia last October.

Commenting on his new role, Ritchie said: “Creators across Australia, New Zealand and Asia are having incredible success, not just on a local level but with fans and subscribers across the globe. In Australia alone there are 6 million content creators, which has grown by 48% since 2020. There are 18.5 million content creators in Japan and 17.5 million in South Korea.”

He added, “However, there is a big difference between a content creator and a successful content creator who can make a living from doing what they love. This is where Jellysmack can help by growing new audiences and revenue streams for local creators and I’m looking forward to growing our presence in the Asia Pacific region even further.” 

Meanwhile, Youri Hazanov, chief international officer at Jellysmack, commented, “Growing the creator economy across Asia Pacific is a top priority for Jellysmack, and following the success Ritchie has driven across ANZ and Southeast Asia, we are delighted to have him take the reins of the region.”

Jellysmack has partnered with over Australian and New Zealand content creators since the company launched here last October, including some of the biggest YouTubers such as How Ridiculous, JoshDub, Whippy, Vincenzo’s Plate, Indigo Traveller, Living Big in a Tiny House and How to Cook That. 

The company has also expanded its Asia Pacific presence, signing popular creators such as Junya who is Japan’s biggest YouTuber, TikToker, JianHao Tan from Singapore and Food Kingdom in Korea. 

Australia – Full-service creator company Jellysmack has announced the launch of its new catalogue licensing venture for the video sharing platform giant YouTube. Through that venture, Jellysmack invites YouTube content creators to some upfront capital in exchange for licensing videos in the creator’s YouTube library.

As part of that venture, the company is offering lump sum payments ranging from US$50k to US$50m or more to qualifying creators. This catalogue licensing venture brings the Jellysmack Creator Program’s total plan for creator investments to US$750m.

Jellysmack’s new catalogue licensing model gives creators an upfront cash infusion to take the next steps for business growth without giving up any equity in their intellectual property, brand, or new ventures. While many creators are expected to use the funds for common needs like scaling content creation, hiring additional team members, launching new business ventures, or securing studio space, creators can use the capital for anything they choose. 

Additionally, the company does not participate financially in any newly uploaded YouTube video content. This non-dilutive design allows creators to remain fully independent and at the helm of their burgeoning enterprises.

Laurent Hulin, general manager for APAC at Jellysmack, said, “Whether a creator is looking for upfront capital to invest in production or to focus on long term multi-platform growth, we’re ready to back creators with over US$750m committed to catalogue licensing. Between the Jellysmack Creator Program and the introduction of Catalog Licensing, Jellysmack is committed to empowering creators as solopreneurs. It’s all part of our creator-driven mission to empower creators behind-the-scenes to go bigger.”

The catalogue licensing venture established yet another pathway for Jellysmack to support creators as business owners. Creators can either opt for a deal to receive immediate capital in exchange for licensing some of their YouTube catalogue, take part in the Creator Program for multi-platform monetisation over time, or participate in both.

In addition, Jellysmack got its start by building and scaling dozens of its own video channels like Beauty Studio, Oh My Goal, and Gamology into the world’s leading social communities. This first-hand knowledge plus the company’s unmatched technology, puts Jellysmack in a unique position to support individual creators not just financially, but also strategically. 

Ezechiel Ritchie, country manager for SEA and ANZ at Jellysmack, commented, “Jellysmack is creator at heart. We have grown some of the largest communities on social media. Unlike pure financial partners, we think like creators and understand how to support creators’ big dreams. Our Catalog Licensing offer enables creators to access the value of their back-catalogue today, instead of waiting to collect the revenue over the next three to five years.”

He added, “By receiving the revenue upfront for their old videos, creators no longer have to wait years for YouTube to pay out back catalogue earnings and can invest that revenue to grow their business. It’s not a loan and their past content can fund their future success.”

Jellysmack has partnered with some of YouTube’s largest content creators such as MrBeast, PewDiePie, and Nas Daily.