Influencer advertising and marketing, which is on observe to turn into a $15 billion trade by 2022, is a novel approach for creators to monetize their content material and outreach.
The drawback with this trade is each the availability and demand dynamics, in addition to an unfulfilling tradition, in line with some. More and extra, creators are being confronted with a tricky determination, innovate or die.
22-year-old Illinois native Griffin Johnson has finished simply that. The media influencer, who lately made a pivot into angel investing and entrepreneurship, just isn’t solely trying to diversify his earnings but in addition unfold elevated worth to his extremely engaged viewers, from his experiences networking with the likes of hedge fund supervisor Steve Cohen, Miami mayor Francis X. Suarez and others.
In an unique interview, Benzinga chatted with Johnson to be taught extra about his pivot to investing and entrepreneurship, in addition to his imaginative and prescient for the longer term and the way he’ll proceed to interact these followers which have been with him for the reason that starting.
Origins: Johnson was your common midwest teen: sports activities, household and odd jobs.
“I grew up in a small city in Southern Illinois referred to as Paris,” Johnson instructed Benzinga. “I began working once I was 12 detasseling corn. When I used to be 17, I labored at a corn mill, after which, once I was 18, I went to work at a metal mill.”
Life wasn’t too thrilling, Johnson mentioned; the teenager was in fixed pursuit of alternatives that may assure him a cushty way of life.
“I used to be bored with being broke,” he chuckled. “I cherished chemistry and wished to do anesthesia, so I went into nursing as a result of it was a simple option to get by way of college and make good cash.”
See Also: Griffin Johnson Talks Mental Health And ‘Shaping The Culture’
Fast ahead, in his pastime, whereas learning to turn into a nurse, Johnson was introduced onto rising social media platforms, like TikTook, by shut pals. He started posting, as he calls “cringy,” movies of him having enjoyable and doing odd issues, like carrying pajamas to class.
“I used to be posting movies each day they usually saved blowing up,” he remarked. “I began going viral … earlier than TikTook was mainstream.”
At the outset, Johnson was a sufferer of social stigma, however his imaginative and prescient, in addition to the potential for earnings, allowed him to beat the negatives, like melancholy and nervousness.
“My academics hated me at my college,” he mentioned in reference to friends fabricating lies about his dedication to programs. “I went from being revered by everybody, just like the VP of recruitment of my fraternity and every part to actually just like the man everybody laughed at.”
Johnson persevered. Four months into his social media profession, he went on tour with pals he made on the platform, and issues have by no means been the identical, since. The influencer left Indiana State University to double down on social media, co-founding the Los Angeles-based content material collective Sway House, and rising his follower base to just about 20 million throughout a wide range of completely different platforms.
Career Evolves: “Social media careers don’t final.”
That’s in line with Johnson who’s, alongside different members of the Sway House like Josh Richards, taking a shot at entrepreneurship, angel investing, company consulting, music and performing, amongst different issues.
“Successful social media creators all the time find yourself making an attempt to pivot out or discover a option to create longevity of their profession,” he notes. “I’ll proceed to make use of my platform — I’m not quitting — I see it extra as a device to leverage for enterprise.”
As lately as March, Johnson, alongside Richards and Noah Beck, in partnership with Marshall Sandman and Michael Gruen, launched Animal Capital.
As society transitions from the COVID-19 pandemic into the so-called new Roaring Twenties, Animal Capital is the primary Generation Z-focused enterprise capital fund selling innovation in areas similar to fintech, healthtech and media, with the assistance of digital creator megastars on the founder-level.
Part of Animal’s advisory staff is Justin Kan, co-founder of Twitch; Suckhinder Singh Cassidy, a former Google, Amazon, and StubHub govt; Jana Messerschmidt of Lightspeed Venture Partners and #ANGELS; Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss of Winklevoss Capital; and Jason Levine of NewFlow Partners.
“I wish to put cash into issues that I exploit and imagine in,” Johnson notes. Thus far, the agency has raised practically $15 million. “We’re already shaping the tradition, we might as nicely construct or put money into it first.”
Aside from gathering seven-figure time period sheets, investing in dozens of startups like Versus Game, and dealing with companions like former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci, ex-TikTook CEO Kevin Mayer and Sean Rad of Tinder, Dave Grutman of Groot Hospitality, amongst others, Johnson is an lively advisor, aiding platforms like Breakr and Pearpop, ReKT Global, in addition to the Fan Controlled Football League, on imaginative and prescient improvement and execution.
Giving Back: Cognizant of some missteps and hardships he went by way of in constructing his profession as a creator and businessman, Johnson is dedicated to giving again.
In 2020, he, alongside different members of the Sway House, donated masks and blankets. The younger star additionally raised cash for Barstool Sports’ COVID-19 aid fund, sponsored the school tuition of underserved highschool college students, and volunteered for Kimbal Musk’s Million Garden Movement.
“Social media just isn’t all about eyeballs,” Johnson remarked. “It’s about having your area of interest viewers and understanding methods to get these individuals to transform, and be engaged within the message you’re making an attempt to unfold.”
Visions: “People that really love you’ll convert, no matter the place you go, or engagement.”
Despite a pivot to enterprise, Johnson is dedicated to creating useful content material for these followers that worth him essentially the most. He’s trying to break into the movement image and music trade, working with the likes of Cal Shapiro at Timeflies.
“He’s a lyrical genius,” Johnson mentioned in an earlier dialog. “We’re engaged on making a parody group referred to as Alter Ego as a result of we would like it to be our alter egos.”
Johnson’s first music recording — “Convenient” — garnered practically 25 million streams within the first month of its launch. Also profitable is Brand Aid, a podcast on model constructing Johnson co-hosts with Forbes Contributor Tom Ward.
When requested about whether or not or not he’s encountered difficulties in his makes an attempt to interrupt by way of, Johnson mentioned, “I get rejection each day, … I ship out loads of tweets, loads of DMs. I shoot for the celebrities.”
“Some of my biggest relationships are from that,” he added. “I spoke to Shaq, simply because I DM’d him. I acquired GaryVee on a podcast, simply because I DM’d him.”
Present initiatives embody a viral video sequence, a hybrid of Tosh.0 and Ridiculousness, he explains.
“We’re additionally doing a Gen-Z Top Gear, a fishing present, and finally going into mainstream Hollywood films.”
Check out and join with Griffin Johnson on LinkedIn or his different media.
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