YouTube, licensing veterans launch Volt Factor to turn creator IP into global brands

Former YouTube executive Lindsay Hampton and licensing industry veteran Elan Freedman have launched Volt Factor, a platform that aims to turn creator-led ideas into global consumer brands.

Lindsay Hampton

Freedman will serve as CEO of the US-based outfit, while Hampton will be president.

Volt Factor has been founded on the belief that the creator economy is producing some of the most potentially valuable but commercially underdeveloped IP outside the legacy studio system.

Freedman and Hampton’s company will provide the infrastructure needed to scale digital-first IP into lucrative brands.

At YouTube, Hampton managed leading creators across fitness, entertainment and lifestyle, and led initiatives around creator retention and monetisation.

Freedman, meanwhile, has nearly two decades of experience commercialising both creator-led and legacy media IP. His family founded Surge Licensing, the toy licensor behind the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise. Freedman also co-founded Electric Monster Media, a YouTube channel roll-up, and Capacitor Media, an IP-focused finance company.

Elan Freedman

At launch, Volt Factor represents global licensing rights for a group of creators. They include Twitch streamer and gaming personality TheBurntPeanut; YouTube Shorts creator Alan Chikin Chow, creator of Alan’s Universe; and trick-shot creators Tommy and Matthew End, the brothers behind YouTube channel That’s Amazing.

Freedman said: “Enduring franchises don’t happen by accident – they are built with intention. The top creators are building IP with unrivalled audience development capabilities, and Volt Factor exists to bring this community into the franchise world.

“I’m thrilled to partner with Lindsay, who is widely recognised for her long-standing relationships with talent, and is regarded by many of YouTube’s most influential creators as one of the platform’s most trusted voices.”

Hampton said: “Creators have built highly engaged global audiences and widely recognised IP, yet most lack the resources to fully capture the long-term value of what they’ve created.

“We started Volt Factor to change that. We work alongside creators and their teams, leading product strategy and execution, and managing the business back end so the brand can scale while creators focus on what they do best.”