A Liverpool-based millionaire has launched a new influencer agency for TikTok stars, having sold off the YouTube firm he started while still at university.
Twenty-seven-year-old Kamran Sankey, originally from Baku in Azerbaijan, might have been forgiven for feeling nervous as he launched new agency 15Talent at the height of the coronavirus pandemic's first wave in April.
However, the risk has paid off, with Sankey saying the business is growing at a 'rapid rate'.
Sankey has launched the agency along with his partner Gabriela Blukacz, a TikTok star whose Gabi Faye account has over 1.4 million followers and receives 40 million views a month.
Advert
That's enough to place it within the UK's top 50 most popular accounts on the platform.
He told the Liverpool Echo: "We wanted to test the waters with how effective TikTok is as a platform for creators that could provide viable monetised solutions.
"We have exceeded anything beyond our expectations with just how well our Gabi Faye brand came to grow."
The Gabi Faye account is filmed at the couple's city centre home and videos include her performing various tasks, and taking part in TikTok's infamous viral challenges such as getting covered in beans, milk and fizzy drinks.
Advert
It launched during lockdown and became a huge success.
Sankey said: "[Launching during a pandemic] was not a risk for us.
"Online content consumption has greatly increased since the start of this pandemic globally and with that more brands started to come through to purchase campaigns across the ever-increasing scope of new creators."
The entrepreneur was able to start 15Talent thanks to his previously successful first company Illuminata TV, which he started at the age of 17 while studying for a degree.
Advert
Similarly aimed at supporting digital content creators, it grew to become a multi-million-pound conglomerate catering to over 40,000 YouTube creators, before being sold to Dutch broadcaster ZoominTV.
Following that, he provided a private consultancy advising other businesses on their growth strategy.
15Talent hopes to represent TikTok infuencers and help them connect with brands, as well as branching out to find other revenue streams.
Sankey said: "We would like 15Talent to become a one-stop solution for TikTok influencers across Europe, launching large scale tailored projects for each individual creator based on their niche.
Advert
"I believe there is a huge demand for both brands and influencers for an all in one agency that could effectively connect the two without hiccups which leads me to believe this could very well be as successful as my previous venture - if not even more so."
Featured Image Credit: Liverpool EchoTopics: UK News, Money, tiktok