TikToker Griffin Johnson Is Making A Movie With Studio Startup ‘Creator+’

Creator+, which produces and distributes films starring top digital creators, has unveiled its second project.

Diamond In The Rough will star Disney and Lifetime actress Samantha Boscarino and TikToker Griffin Johnson (10.6 million followers), with Johnson also serving as producer. The film follows a young woman who loses her parents and is gifted a country club membership, where she must navigate racial and gender prejudices as well as class dynamics.

Creator+ likens the project to a modern-day Caddyshack or Happy Gilmore. Production began this week in Los Angeles.

Creator+ plans to distribute films via PPV model, with secondary distribution on streaming services. In addition to financing all production and marketing costs — to the tune of between $500,000 and $2 million per project — Creator+ will split profits with creator partners in perpetuity once those expenses are recouped. The company also plans to offer merch around its film releases as another revenue stream.

Johnson, for his part, rose to fame as a member of TikTok collective Sway House, and has pursued a bevy of entrepreneurial endeavors, most recently through his VC fund Animal Capital. He previously flexed his acting chops in the Brat series Attaway General.

Creator +’s inaugural feature film is the previously-announced psychological thriller Jane, starring Madelaine Petsch and Chlöe Bailey. The company was founded by former Crackle and YouTube execs Jonathan Shambroom and Benjamin Grubbs in April with $12 million in venture funding.