With more than 50 million independent content creators worldwide, it’s clear that social media influencers across platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and Twitch represent a massive creator economy and even aspirational profession. In fact, according to a SignalFire survey, more American kids dream of being a YouTube star (29%) than an astronaut (11%). 

While the life of an influencer may look picture perfect, there’s more to each post than meets the eye. Content creators are often a one-person show, handling everything from content creation to marketing, brand partnerships, PR, compensation negotiations and more. 

Enter July, a platform that streamlines and automates business processes so content creators can focus on “what matters most – creating great content.” Founded by USC Iovine and Young Academy alumnus, Wells Douraghy, July just announced a $2.3M pre-seed led by Alexis Ohanian’s Seven Seven Six. 

“If you’re a creator, you need to be using July," said Ohanian in a recent press release. "July is the best way for a creator to streamline their business and land more brand deals. You can save hours of time, drive more revenue, and automate your entire business. It’s essentially a talent manager in your pocket."

Typically, ‘middlemen’ such as talent managers handle day-to-day managerial tasks for a 15-20% commission fee. July’s tech eliminates the managerial model and allows creators to easily pitch brands, automate outreach, and effectively monetize creativity without giving up control.  

“When a creator gets paid large sums of money for their following from brands, that accounts for the majority of their business. But the process behind it is an absolute nightmare to navigate. So ineffective and outdated,” Douraghy explains.

The idea for July stemmed from Douraghy’s own experience working as a makeshift manager for a community of influencers during his junior year at the Academy. Within this fledgling ecosystem, Douraghy began to detect a pattern – content creators were struggling with issues like contracts, rate negotiation, and brand sourcing. 

“I realized the process I was doing was toggling through a bunch of different software tools out there. I ended up scraping a tool together for the creators … Wow, this process could be easily automated! And the tool we created they loved. That’s what we ended up building the product around,” he recalls. 

As an Academy alum, Douraghy shares that his education has been “unmatchable and valuable” in the fundraising, hiring, and storytelling process. “I had an incredible leg-up because of the Academy’s mindset and the curriculum we went through.”

Douraghy occupies a unique role as both a content creator and founder. He’s all about transparency and authenticity surrounding his position, chronicling July’s trajectory through videos that document everything from the fundraising process to finding the right co-founder. Douraghy aims to answer the questions he’s seen time and time again from young entrepreneurs while simultaneously stepping into the shoes of his users. 

“The perspective there is incredible,” says Douraghy. “Also it’s a series I always wanted to watch – the conception of a startup to launch and beyond without hiding the painful parts.”

Douraghy’s advice to other business hopefuls is to do something because you have an original perspective on an issue that deserves ingenuity. “Don’t be a founder to be a founder,” he encourages. 

The July story originates with Douraghy seeking a unique solution for an “objectively painful problem” in an industry ripe for innovation, but it’s certainly not ending there.

“Even in the last six months there are tons of new ways people are consuming and monetizing content and building careers out of this crazy new concept,” says Douraghy.  “I foresee a lot more people getting involved in the creator space.” 

July states that its mission is “working to reshape the creative landscape by returning control and financial independence to creators.” They’re transforming the way influencers do business while empowering them to do what they love. 

And like the creator economy itself, Douraghy and his team are just getting started. 

While the life of an influencer may look picture perfect, there’s more to each post than meets the eye. Enter July, a platform that streamlines and automates business processes so content creators can focus on “what matters most – creating great content.” Founded by USC Iovine and Young Academy alumnus, Wells Douraghy, the tool is transforming the way influencers do business while empowering them to do what they love.

Transforming the Way Content Creators Do Business