Building an international creative agency producing branded content and travel production with influence…

Spencer Kohn, Co-founder and Creative Director of Supercharge (an integrated community of content creators, producers, and influencers, utilizing their talents to create unique branded experiences), shares his story with George Manley (CEO & Co-Founder of SOULER) in the MouthMedia Network studios. Presented by SOULER.

• How Spencer started Supercharge with him and a business partner two years ago


• Spencer was coming off a stint as creative director of magazine, looking for something new to explore


• Multi brands sharing the cost of a campaign, and international trips


• First trip to Nicaragua


• Brands paying influencers to travel for free, campaign with imagery and video, and influencers agree to post


• Campaigns have brought him to St. Lucia, Morocco, Cuba, Mexico, Bali, Finland, Croatia


• Looking forward to traveling for fun for the first time in a few years


• Recruiting more influencers


• Larger scale projects, waiting for brands to come to them, and brands becoming exclusive with those influencers


• Justifying that the images and assets that come from the trips will generate ROI for brands


• Requiring brands to hire content and marketing teams alongside Supercharge’s work


• Influencer have a large following that cares what what that person is saying, like modern day celebrities


• WinkyLux as a success example


• Instagram very valuable but changing, influencers very curated and very focused are getting it done


• How Spencer got into photography, inspired by mother, being working as photographer since 15, but entrepreneurial since 12


• Always understood value of money


• How skateboarding knowledge got him a photo gig


• When Spencer bought his first pro camera because another camera broke


• Creating a collective of fashion people and other creative people


• Having a small portfolio of NY models while on West coast


• Building a meaningful portfolio


• Spencer known for surreal photo scheme, with special effects all done in-camera


• All the people Spencer’s been with in past dozen years — still with them and still good friends


• Shooting for major labels, major celebrities, his work in major magazines – -all before age 26


• Spencer never had a bad experience with a celebrity—only with people who think they will be celebrities


• Finding what peaks your own creative interest


• When an unsolicited email from Instagram changed everything and made Spencer go viral, and why he  didn’t take as much advantage of that as he should – online fame but few jobs through Instagram


• Spencer’s friends are his greatest cheerleaders, never had to formally market himself


• Loving photography, what makes Spencer pull his camera out – personality


• Musicians are awesome to work with, and why Spencer is inspired by writers


• And —  the birth of a possible collaboration