OnlyFans, Subs founder Tim Stokely launches fund to invest in creator IP
Tim Stokely, the founder and former CEO of OnlyFans who has since launched creator platform Subs, has unveiled a fund to help producers in the creator economy to develop, produce and launch original entertainment IP.
The Subs Creator Fund is described as “a groundbreaking investment programme” that “catapults the creator economy forward, transforming uploaders into franchise builders with premium shows that captivate global audiences.”
From today, Stokely and the Subs team are inviting professional content creators who are over 18 to submit ideas to the Subs Creator Fund, after which a commissioning panel will select the best concepts to develop, produce and launch on the Subs platform.
Production of the funded content will go through the newly launched Subs Studios, although the platform’s in-house production and commissioning arm will coproduce with third-party production companies depending on the creator and idea.
Subs said working with Subs Studios will give creators access to dedicated funding, expert content development and production partnerships, as well as marketing and distribution via the Subs platform. Creators can submit pitches here.
“Creators deserve more than a platform, they deserve the tools to forge lasting entertainment brands,” said Stokely. “The Subs Creator Fund is our commitment to that vision. We’re challenging creators to dream big, pitch bold ideas, and partner with us to create the next wave of must-watch content.”
Subs was launched in March of this year, after Stokely stepped down as CEO of subscription content platform OnlyFans in December 2021, and the new platform offers content monetisation opportunities to a much broader range of creators. Unlike the more adult-themed content that can be found on OnlyFans, Subs offers subscription content ranging from workout videos and sports analysis to how-to infotainment, travelogues and vodcasts.
The Subs Creator Fund, furthermore, is looking to expand on this by investing in projects ranging from vlogs, reality series, comedy, lifestyle, gameshows, documentaries and other innovative entertainment formats.
Stokely will join the commissioning panel to select concepts to back, and said the fund is looking for “ideas bursting with personality, originality and series potential – from bite-sized shorts to full episodic runs.”
Other members of the commissioning panel have yet to be announced but will likely comprise “a small specialist group with strong experience across digital content, creator-led media and audience-driven formats,” according to a Subs insider. Projects will be selected for originality, scalability and their ability to resonate with paying audiences rather than following a traditional broadcast commissioning model.
“This is your shot,” Stokely added. “If you’ve got a killer concept and the drive to make it happen; we’re here to back you.”
Regarding ownership of the IP that receives Subs funding, C21 understands that this will be negotiated on an individual basis depending on the origination and development of the ideas.
The move comes as creators start to embrace ownership of intellectual property (IP) as a business model and see more upside in licensing that IP to other platforms, similar to what has happened with content like Hot Ones, a US celebrity interview format that began as a YouTube series but later was licensed to be produced locally for TV channels outside the US.
A Subs source told C21 that depending on the ideas and creators that receive funding, Subs will be looking at “all routes for distribution and exploitation once an exclusive window on Subs has expired.”
The topic of creators developing IP as a revenue stream so they’re not so reliant on brand relationships and can future-proof their businesses was a hot topic during some of the creator-focused panels at C21’s Content London earlier this month and will be a big theme at another C21 event Create London in April next year.
