Arcade, the management company originally established around YouTube collective the Sidemen, has relaunched as a broader creator-first entertainment business and added six names to its roster.
The company has partnered with Max Fosh, Fallow Chefs, John Nellis, Faith Kelly, Generation Football and creator collective Friends From Work, comprising ArthurTV, Arthur Hill, George Clarke and ItalianBach. It will continue to work with the Sidemen, its first creator partner.
Arcade said its expanded remit would focus on developing creators into media brands spanning content, commerce and culture, with particular emphasis on intellectual property development, live entertainment and commercial partnerships.
The relaunch comes ahead of an invite-only creator media Upfront in London on 17 September. Billed by Arcade as the first event of its kind in Europe, the showcase will present creator content slates, audience data and insights to more than 150 advertisers, brands and commercial partners.
“Creators aren’t just building channels anymore, they’re building entire media brands – long-form, IP, live, branded entertainment,” said Arcade co-founder Jordan Schwarzenberger. “Arcade gives our partners access to the biggest creator media brands in Europe, which operate with the same scale and sophistication as a broadcaster or streamer, but with the trust and audience reach only these elite creators have.”
Arcade operates across content, live, ventures, partnerships and programming. Its existing commercial clients include Virgin Media O2, Formula E, Esports World Cup, Unilever, Lego and Papa Johns. The company also runs advertising sales arm Creator Access, which holds a YouTube Partner Sales licence and offers brands direct advertising opportunities around creator content.
Its next phase is being supported by a seven-figure investment from Lumina Media, the talent and IP-focused group founded by former Pulse Films chief executive Thomas Benski. Lumina will provide growth capital and access to its network across entertainment, technology and consumer businesses.
Matt Elek, who joined Arcade as chief executive in July after previously serving as Vice Media’s EMEA CEO, said: “Arcade is executing an ambitious growth strategy to become the dominant player in the creator economy in Europe, which is demonstrated by our incredible new line-up of creator media partners. We’ve built the entertainment company that creators need, and the wider market is only now starting to catch up.”
