Key facts
- Steven Bartlett, host of "The Diary of a CEO" podcast, is launching a new venture called OBSN.
- OBSN is a partnership with Authentic Brands Group.
- The venture aims to invest up to $400 million in creators.
- OBSN will provide creators with capital, infrastructure, and expertise.
- The goal is to build lasting businesses for creators through media, products, and partnerships.
- Authentic Brands Group has a portfolio of over 50 brands and figures, including Reebok and Shaquille O'Neal.
Steven Bartlett, the host of the popular "Diary of a CEO" podcast, is launching a new venture called OBSN in partnership with Authentic Brands Group. The initiative aims to invest up to $400 million to help creators build sustainable businesses. OBSN will offer creators capital, infrastructure, and expertise, focusing on developing media, products, and partnerships.
Bartlett stated that OBSN is designed to address the fragmentation in the creator economy, where various partners often have misaligned interests. He believes OBSN can serve as a truly integrated partner for creators. Jamie Salter, executive chairman of Authentic Brands Group, emphasized the company's ability to leverage its experience in managing brands and intellectual property, comparing its approach to managing figures like David Beckham or Marilyn Monroe.
Authentic Brands Group's portfolio includes more than 50 brands and personalities, such as Reebok, Shaquille O'Neal, Sports Illustrated, and Elvis Presley. The exact number of creators who will receive funding and the timeline for deployment are yet to be detailed, with funds expected to be deployed "over the coming years."
This venture builds on Bartlett's previous efforts to support other creators. Through his company FlightStory, he has been signing and nurturing talent, applying his own strategies such as extensive pre-show research and social media clipping. FlightStory has invested seven figures in "Hot Smart Rich" host Maggie Sellers Reum and also operates a speakers division and a social media distribution unit. FlightStory recently raised an eight-figure investment round to support its expansion, employing about 150 people and generating approximately $47 million in revenue last year.