Patreon welcomes former WME expertise agent Avi Gandhi as Head of Creator Partnerships

Creators all the time come first at Patreon, which is why we’re dedicated to constructing an all-star Creator Partnerships workforce. And now, we’re thrilled to welcome Avi Gandhi to Patreon because the chief of that workforce. Avi has all the time championed the creator financial system, paving the way in which for creators to earn an revenue doing what they love. As a veteran expertise supervisor and government, he’s labored on quite a lot of unbelievable tasks, together with one of many first profitable motion pictures starring YouTube creators. With years of expertise within the creator area, he’ll information the workforce as they concentrate on serving to creators construct sustainable membership companies with Patreon.

Inform us about a few of your earlier achievements all through your profession.

I started my profession as a expertise agent when YouTube was gaining traction. Creators drew massive audiences, however there wasn’t a mechanism in place to monetize their work. I used to be one of many first brokers in Hollywood representing creators from the web. I helped create the direct-to-consumer, influencer film mannequin that launched motion pictures like Camp Dakota with Grace Helbig, Mamrie Hart, and Hannah Hart. I’ve additionally labored as a creator partnerships guide and exec in VR and gaming at corporations like Survios and Alibaba-owned Sametable Video games.

Then I landed at Jimmy Kimmel and Brent Montgomery’s Wheelhouse, the place I constructed and led a workforce of producers and dealmakers who partnered with web creators and extra conventional media creators to be their inventive and manufacturing companions.

As a veteran expertise agent and EVP at Wheelhouse, what drew you to Patreon?

I labored with top-of-market creators for many of my profession and needed to say no to many creators with smaller however rising markets. The enterprise fashions that I labored in didn’t permit me the time to interact and assist them construct and scale their companies. I’m excited to work at Patreon on this function particularly as a result of it’s a chance to make use of my expertise to work with these rising creators. I even have this superb workforce that launches lots of of creators a 12 months. Hopefully quickly that’ll be hundreds and tens of hundreds of creators a 12 months as we develop.

Does your expertise affect the way you method your function as Head of Creator Partnerships?

Completely. While you spend time working with creators, you learn the way essential it’s to respect the artwork and respect the method. It comes all the way down to relationship administration, which is one thing I discovered by means of expertise.

The relationships that I’ve with brokers, managers, legal professionals, and executives throughout the business actually will play a task, particularly as a result of Patreon is at an inflection level. We’re centered on creating a spot the place individuals can earn an revenue instantly from their followers, however on the identical time we’re centered on scaling the enterprise. So we wish to shift that story towards the enterprise facet of issues and make the platform interesting for creatives trying to construct their companies, it doesn’t matter what measurement these companies is perhaps. Having these relationships and telling their tales on to the decision-makers shall be worthwhile.

What recommendation would you give to individuals trying to be a part of your workforce?

Know what your strengths are and know what your community is. There are roles for individuals enthusiastic about creators, speaking to creators, and dealing with creators, which is thrilling.

What kind of particular person would actually shine at Patreon/in your workforce?

People who find themselves genuinely enthusiastic about creators and are genuinely variety, caring, empathetic, pushed, enterprise savvy, and dedicated to getting it carried out proper. We’re on the market hustling on behalf of creators to assist them acknowledge the worth of creating a membership enterprise and hopefully construct it with us.