YouTube BrandConnect
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Digital entertainment, Influencer marketing |
| Founded | 2013 |
| Founder | Agnes Kozera, David Kierzkowski |
| Headquarters | Santa Monica, California , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Influencer marketing platform |
| Owner | |
| Parent | YouTube |
YouTube BrandConnect—previously known as FameBit—is a digital entertainment firm established in 2013, headquartered in Santa Monica, California. The company manages an Influencer marketing platform that links brands with content creators. Since 2016, it has operated as a subsidiary of Google, functioning within the YouTube division.
Independent beginnings
FameBit was launched in 2013 by Agnes Kozera and David Kierzkowski. Kierzkowski, who co-founded the digital marketing service TapClicks, collaborated with Kozera, who had hands-on experience leveraging social media influencers to promote her subscription-based gift business, SeasonsBox. Together, they created FameBit as a platform where businesses could post collaboration opportunities for influencers.
In February 2014, FameBit was selected as one of two Canadian startups to join the 500 Startups accelerator program.
By 2015, the platform had onboarded roughly 9,000 YouTube creators and completed about 1,600 campaigns for nearly 1,200 brands. Influencers on average had around 46,000 subscribers. By year-end 2015, FameBit expanded to include approximately 21,000 influencers across six social networks: Vine, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, and YouTube.
By 2016, FameBit had helped produce nearly 25,000 branded videos generating an estimated total watch time of 2 billion minutes.
Acquisition by Google
On October 11, 2016, Google purchased FameBit for $36 million. At that time, the platform had grown to include 50,000 registered users. Google incorporated FameBit into its YouTube division to strengthen its branded content marketing capabilities.
Following the acquisition, FameBit introduced functionality allowing advertisers to retarget video audiences via Google's Ads platform, broadening promotional options. In 2020, FameBit discontinued its self-service feature that previously allowed creators to independently connect with brands.
On June 16, 2020, the company rebranded from FameBit to YouTube BrandConnect and shifted its strategy toward facilitating direct matchmaking between creators and advertisers internally.
Business model
FameBit functions as a marketplace where companies submit requests for social media influencers to endorse products or services at negotiable rates. The platform retains a commission of 10% on completed deals.
Controversy
The platform has faced criticism from brands due to allowing YouTubers to join without verifying follower counts and from creators who were banned following disputes with brands. Additionally, multiple former employees have reported a negative workplace culture, which is reflected in predominantly low scores on Glassdoor.