With its latest acquisition, Fixated is moving its roster of creator partners into four-digit territory. The talent firm, which works with digital stars like Sketch and the Botez Sisters, has acquired the end-to-end creator company Studio71.
The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Studio71’s previous owner, the German mass media company ProSiebenSat.1, is only selling the company’s North American business to Fixated. Its operations in other territories, including its home country, will remain underneath its umbrella.
That North American business, originally known as the Collective Digital Network, has spent the past 15 years building up clout in the creator world. Studio71 was a key player during the multi-channel network era, when it used creator signings, cross-platform strategies, and original programming initiatives to build one of the most competitive rosters in the business.
Subscribe for daily Tubefilter Top Stories
Even after many of the execs involved in that push moved on to new ventures, Studio71 continued to team up with big names from platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok. Its current roster includes Dhar Mann, Joey Graceffa, and Unspeakable, all of whom have picked up billions of views across their assorted channels.
By bringing that roster into its portfolio, Fixated will boast a thousand-strong creator lineup that generates billions of monthly views on major social platforms. That dominance is all part of the company’s plan. Earlier this year, Fixated co-founders Zach Katz and Jason Wilhelm told us that they intend to give the creator economy its “Avengers assemble” moment. By leveraging a $50 million funding round, Katz and Wilhelm are acquiring the assets that will make their company a must-have partner across all aspects of the creator career.
Previous acquisition targets have included gamer talent firm Ellify and creator subscription business Elevate. Now, by adding Studio71 to its portfolio, Fixated is joining forces with a company that’s well-versed in end-to-end creator operations. Studio71’s services have ranged from ad deals to scripted podcasts to merch lines, and that makes it a good fit within a company that wants creators to build their own media businesses.
“Creators stopped being influencers a long time ago. They’re building media companies, and the infrastructure to match that ambition has never existed — until now,” Katz said in a statement. “We built it. Fixated is the only company in the space with the end-to-end infrastructure to take a creator from first upload to nine-figure business without ever leaving the building. With Studio71 inside the tent, the company now operates with a scale, depth, and integrated capability set that the market has never seen. That’s the game. We’re playing it alone.”
Studio71 will operate as part of the Fixated platform moving forward. As for Fixated, its acquisition streak isn’t over yet. The firm says it has more targets in its sights, so keep an eye out for Katz and Wilhem’s next money moves.
