It’s been nine months since streaming star Ludwig Ahgren teamed up with a group of co-founders to launch Offbrand, a company that produces events and special streams in partnership with prominent creators. Offbrand is now supporting the next phase of its operations by making some key hires.
Jerma, a Twitch streamer known for his innovative events, has signed on as Offbrand’s Chief Creative Officer. He’ll be joined at the company by two execs — David Gorman and Daniel Najarian — who previously worked at the recently shuttered esports-oriented studio Beyond the Summit. Offbrand has also tapped Kelby May, formerly of gaming management firm Loaded, as its Chief Revenue Officer.
Jerma brings a new angle to Offbrand’s strategy
The 37-year-old Boston native is joining a leadership team that includes the company’s co-founders: Ahgren, his business partner Nick Allen, and creator Nathan Stanz. In an interview with Tubefilter, Allen explained that Ahgren heads Offbrand’s creative side, while he and Stanz play pivotal roles in the business.
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Within that creative division, Jerma’s ingenuity will be key. Allen explained Ahgren “thinks very macro” by asking questions like “what’s the big idea” during the production process. Jerma, on the other hand, has a keen eye for small details. If Offbrand needs a “hilarious way” to introduce a specific prop or segment, it can turn to its new Chief Creative Officer for a solution.
Jerma’s shrewd, attentive production style has been on display in the events he’s run on his own Twitch channel. Among other stunts, he has invented a fantasy-themed baseball league and let his viewers control him in a real-life version of The Sims. The results for those one-off specials have been tremendous, generating sizable viewership and national media attention. The “fantasy baseball” stream peaked at approximately 53,000 concurrent viewers on Twitch.
Offbrand’s new team members are already influencing its latest productions.
The events company got its start by producing specials in partnership with creators like Jerma and Felix ‘xQc’ Lengyel. Offbrand teamed with the prominent French-Canadian streamer to devise an interactive game show called Juiced.
Its next slate of projects, including a charity auction hosted by Welsh creator CDawgVA (real name Connor Colquhoun), included input from the company’s recent hires. “They had their fingerprints on the creative of these events,” Allen said.
BIG NEWS 😌 pic.twitter.com/15VJuCTYdF
— Connor (@CDawgVA) June 8, 2023
Gorman and Najarian will influence the company’s operations by leading a vertical called Offbrand Productions. The new division will have several links to Gorman and Najarian’s former employer. It will operate out of the former Beyond the Summit studios and will be crewed by staff members who previously worked for that company.
Offbrand’s growing team will make its approach to live broadcasts more efficient, but at the company’s core, its mission won’t change. The goal, Allen explained, is to “create content for creators who haven’t had the opportunity to do so.”
The creators who partner with Offbrand also obviously have a stake in the events that are created on their behalf. Allen told Tubefilter each event is tailored to the featured client so that they feel “in control” of the proceedings. A flexible revenue-sharing model provides monetary benefits for both Offbrand and its creator partners.
“We want the creators to be the owners of the content and receive the upside of that ownership,” Allen said. “They partake in the upside of the value they’re creating.”
Speaking of money…
Each of Offbrand’s partnerships is executed on its own financial terms, so that the company can meet the specific needs of its partners. “We don’t want the financial portion to be the blocker,” Allen said. Therefore, some Offbrand productions are fully funded by Ahgren and co. In other cases, costs are split between Offbrand and its creator partners.
Those bills can add up quickly. To support its growing operation, Offbrand is exploring multiple fundraising options. Allen said that he and his business partners are considering institutional VC firms as well as the possibility of a creator round.
Offbrand’s strong financial footing will give it the resources it needs to pursue a varied slate of upcoming projects. Some planned Offbrand productions, such as Ahgren’s next Super Smash Bros. invitational, will piggyback off past spectacles.
THE RETURN OF THE LUDWIG AHGREN CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
OFFLINE QUALIFIER https://t.co/cUxgC3wbyK
COME WATCH IN PERSON pic.twitter.com/qqURBsowCX
— ludwig (@LudwigAhgren) June 8, 2023
But Allen clarified that Offbrand is willing to work with any partner who has big ideas for the streaming space. “We want to talk to everybody,” he said. “We want to hear about ambitions and plans.”
