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CONTECH

Amazon joins creator economy gold rush with Spotter investment

Tech giant Amazon is making a major move in the creator economy with an undisclosed investment in Spotter, a company that provides capital and software to enable creators to grow their businesses.

Aaron DeBevoise

Founded in 2019 by CEO Aaron DeBevoise, the LA-headquartered company says it has paid US$940m to creators to date, helping them to accelerate the growth of their businesses and brands.

Spotter partners with some of the biggest names associated with the creator economy, including MrBeast (who is already in business with Amazon), Dude Perfect and The Try Guys.

The partnership will give creators the opportunity to “unlock new IP and monetisation opportunities” by working with Amazon, said the companies, ranging from content development to retail.

More broadly, the investment will also allow Spotter to expand its content, product and monetisation opportunities for top creators globally.

The news comes around two months after Spotter announced the launch of Spotter Studio, described by the company as an “AI-powered creative suite” designed for YouTube creators as a “brainstorm partner, project planner and research copilot that provides the tools and personalised recommendations to effectively develop innovative video concepts that consistently overperform.”

Spotter says its mission since inception has been to “solve creator pain points.” Initially, access to capital was the biggest challenge, prompting the company to financially back creators. As the creator economy has evolved, “content ideation” has emerged as a significant challenge, leading Spotter to launch Spotter Studio. Today, it says, a major challenge for creators is how they “scale across content and commerce,” which led to the Amazon partnership.

Meanwhile, Amazon described Spotter as a “natural partner to support [its] foray into the creator economy.”

“Spotter’s track record of empowering creators is exceptional in our industry. We are thrilled to join forces to support the creator economy in innovative ways whether it’s on Prime Video or via our dynamic commerce offerings,” said Amazon MGM Studios head of television Vernon Sanders.

“This initiative will give us the opportunity to bring even more compelling content to our global customers, while fostering the growth of today’s most influential creators, by forging new opportunities for them to thrive.”

DeBevoise added: “We are excited to partner with Amazon and take our mission even further, offering our creators exceptional opportunities to monetise their brand and content and build lasting connections with audiences.

“Amazon is forward-thinking in recognising the immense potential of the creator economy, and together we’re excited to explore new opportunities to invest in creators and drive deeper engagement and growth.”


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