WhoSay

WhoSay was an American social media service and branding platform created for celebrities, public figures, and, later, brands working with celebrity talent. Founded in Los Angeles in March 2010 by former Getty Images executive Steve Ellis together with Creative Artists Agency (CAA), the company addressed a specific problem in the early social-media economy: celebrities were publishing photographs, videos, and other material on third-party networks while often losing control over the associated rights, audience data, and commercial opportunities. WhoSay presented itself as a system through which high-profile users could manage their own digital presence, retain ownership claims over material they posted, and distribute that material across multiple social networks from one place. The service was unusual in that it focused on invited celebrity accounts rather than attempting to build an open social network for the general public. Its tools enabled approved users to publish to destinations including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, and, in some cases, Chinese social platforms. Content carried copyright and branding information intended to reinforce the celebrity’s ownership and identity. WhoSay also operated an editorial component that positioned the service as a kind of celebrity-focused digital magazine, combining first-party posts with entertainment coverage and updates. WhoSay received financing from CAA, Amazon.com, Comcast, Greylock Partners, High Peak Ventures, and other investors. Amazon and CAA were reported to hold minority interests. The service gained an important early client when Tom Hanks joined several months after launch. During its first three years it maintained a relatively low public profile while building a roster reported to include approximately 1,500 actors, musicians, artists, and other public figures. Clients named in public descriptions of the platform included Kelly Clarkson, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Paula Patton, Kevin Spacey, Jim Carrey, John Cusack, Bill Maher, Johnny Knoxville, Chelsea Handler, Eva Longoria, Spike Lee, Enrique Iglesias, and Katie Couric. WhoSay’s commercial model was designed to minimize direct costs for participating talent. Clients were not charged for the service and could receive a share of advertising revenue. The platform also offered access to registration-related audience data, including email contacts, allowing celebrities to maintain a more direct relationship with fans instead of relying exclusively on the algorithms and policies of large social networks. This emphasis on ownership, distribution, and direct communication distinguished WhoSay from ordinary social scheduling tools. The company expanded beyond its original celebrity-user focus during the middle of the decade. A consumer mobile application was introduced in September 2013, and the website was reported to attract 12 million monthly visitors by October of that year. In July 2014, Rob Gregory joined as chief revenue officer after serving as president of Newsweek’s The Daily Beast, with responsibility for advertising, premium commercial formats, and brand partnerships. By February 2015, WhoSay was reported to have 4.8 million unique users and had begun offering accounts and services to companies that employed celebrities in branded-content programs. The platform’s advertising business connected entertainment talent with marketers including Lexus, Chevrolet, KFC, JCPenney, Dunkin’ Donuts, and Crest. These programs used celebrity-created material and coordinated distribution across social channels, making WhoSay both a publishing tool and an influencer-marketing intermediary. Its Lexus work with Rosario Dawson involved short videos tied to the 87th Academy Awards period and the promotion of Studio One Eighty Nine, a clothing initiative connected with Dawson’s foundation. Its Chevrolet partnership used well-known personalities in a humorous classroom-substitute-teacher campaign. WhoSay deliberately did not allow ordinary consumers to create accounts, and its service lacked a conventional search function. This limited the platform’s usefulness as a standalone social destination but reflected the company’s strategy of serving high-profile creators rather than competing directly for mass-market social-network users. In January 2018, WhoSay’s website and business were acquired by Viacom. Publicly available reference material does not establish the brand’s current independent operating status, product availability, or whether all of its original services remain active.

WhoSay emerged in 2010 amid growing concern among entertainers and talent representatives that social networks were becoming the primary distribution channels for celebrity photographs, videos, announcements, and promotional material. Although these networks offered enormous reach, they also controlled account infrastructure, audience data, presentation, and much of the surrounding commercial environment. Former Getty Images executive Steve Ellis worked with Creative Artists Agency to create a service that would give public figures more control over the material associated with their names and careers. Founded in Los Angeles in March 2010, WhoSay was financed by CAA, Amazon.com, Comcast, Greylock Partners, High Peak Ventures, and other investors. CAA and Amazon were described as minority stakeholders. The company's initial mission was not to create another broad social network but to provide an operating layer for influential users. Approved clients could publish from a central interface to several external networks, while copyright branding and related controls were intended to reinforce their rights in the content. The concept was sometimes compared with a celebrity magazine produced by the people appearing in it. The platform used an invitation-only model. It accepted talent beyond CAA's own client roster, but did not allow ordinary consumers to establish accounts. That decision kept the product focused on celebrity publishing and avoided direct competition with mass-market networks. It also meant that consumers generally reached WhoSay pages through links from a celebrity's other social accounts. The absence of a standard search function further emphasized that WhoSay was an infrastructure and publishing service rather than an independent discovery-oriented community. Tom Hanks became an early high-profile user roughly three months after the service launched. During its first several years, WhoSay remained relatively quiet while building a reported roster of around 1,500 actors, musicians, artists, and other public figures. Publicly cited users included entertainers and media personalities such as Kelly Clarkson, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Paula Patton, Kevin Spacey, Jim Carrey, John Cusack, Bill Maher, Johnny Knoxville, Chelsea Handler, Eva Longoria, Spike Lee, Enrique Iglesias, and Katie Couric. Users including Dylan McDermott and Chris Rock publicly valued the ability to distribute one post across several services without managing each network separately. WhoSay’s economic model linked its interests with those of its talent. Participating clients were not charged for access and could receive a portion of advertising revenue. The company also promoted the possibility of sharing registration-derived email data with talent, giving celebrities a more direct communications channel with their audiences. This approach addressed a central weakness of relying exclusively on third-party platforms: a celebrity could have reach without having a durable, portable relationship with fans. In September 2013 the company introduced a mobile application for consumers. By October of that year, its website was reported to draw 12 million monthly visitors. The company continued to combine celebrity publishing with editorial coverage, describing itself as a social celebrity magazine whose editorial staff kept users informed about entertainment news. In July 2014, Rob Gregory joined as chief revenue officer from Newsweek's The Daily Beast. His remit included developing premium advertising products and brand partnerships for the web and mobile businesses. By February 2015, WhoSay was reported to have accumulated 4.8 million unique users and was extending its services to corporate clients using celebrities in marketing. The resulting business sat at the intersection of talent management, social publishing, advertising technology, and influencer marketing. Campaign work included Lexus programming with Rosario Dawson around the 87th Academy Awards and Chevrolet's April Fool's Day #BestDayEver initiative, which used Olivia Wilde, Norman Reedus, Alec Baldwin, Ian Somerhalder, and Nikki Reed in surprise classroom appearances. Other named commercial partners included KFC, JCPenney, Dunkin' Donuts, and Crest. WhoSay's competitive set included theAudience, a celebrity-oriented digital media company associated with William Morris Endeavor. Its differentiation rested on rights management and celebrity control as much as on audience scale. Rather than ask celebrities to surrender their identity and publishing workflow to a new network, it sought to help them coordinate existing networks and monetize their own material. In January 2018, Viacom acquired WhoSay. Available reference material does not provide a complete account of the post-acquisition product roadmap, leadership, or operating status. The acquisition is the last clearly documented corporate milestone in the supplied sources, so the current status of the WhoSay brand and website remains uncertain.

• 2018

  Viacom acquisition

  [1]WhoSayen.wikipedia.org

  Viacom acquires WhoSay's website and business.

• 2015

  Brand-services expansion

  [1]WhoSayen.wikipedia.org

  WhoSay expands its services to companies using celebrity talent in branded social-media content.

• 2014

  Revenue leadership expands

  [1]WhoSayen.wikipedia.org

  Rob Gregory joins as chief revenue officer to develop advertising monetization and partnerships.

• 2013

  Mobile application introduced

  [1]WhoSayen.wikipedia.org

  WhoSay launches a consumer mobile application and later reports substantial monthly website traffic.

• 2010

  WhoSay is founded

  [1]WhoSayen.wikipedia.org

  Steve Ellis and Creative Artists Agency establish WhoSay in Los Angeles as a celebrity-focused content ownership and social distribution service.

• 2010

  Tom Hanks becomes an early client

  [1]WhoSayen.wikipedia.org

  CAA client Tom Hanks joins the service several months after its launch, helping give the new platform early visibility among major entertainers.

A managed digital publishing and commercial platform for celebrities and influential public figures, emphasizing content ownership, coordinated social distribution, direct fan relationships, and brand partnerships rather than open consumer networking.

• Social media publishing and rights management · 2010

  WhoSay celebrity publishing platform

  The core service gave invited celebrities and other influential figures a centralized way to create, brand, and distribute content. Posts could be sent to multiple external networks, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, and selected international services. The product emphasized copyright identification, control of a celebrity's digital presence, and the ability to communicate with fans without relying entirely on the policies or interfaces of any one social network.

• Mobile digital media · 2013

  WhoSay mobile application

  Introduced in 2013, the mobile application extended access to WhoSay's celebrity-focused content and audience experience. It complemented the web platform as the company attempted to build consumer reach while retaining its invitation-only approach to celebrity accounts. The supplied references do not establish whether the application remains available.

• Influencer marketing and advertising · 2015

  WhoSay branded-content services

  WhoSay connected brands with celebrity clients for coordinated campaigns distributed through social channels. The offering combined campaign planning, talent participation, content production or publication, and cross-platform amplification. It allowed marketers to use the credibility and reach of entertainment personalities while giving WhoSay an advertising and partnership revenue stream.

• 2015Lexus and Rosario Dawson Academy Awards campaign

  United States

  WhoSay worked with Lexus and actress Rosario Dawson on five short social videos released during the run-up to the 87th Academy Awards. The material showed Dawson driving around Los Angeles while preparing for the opening of a pop-up store associated with Studio One Eighty Nine, a clothing line connected with her foundation's work promoting African culture and content.

  Outcome. The campaign integrated automotive branding, celebrity storytelling, social distribution, and promotion of Dawson's related fashion initiative. The supplied reference does not report performance figures.

  Source
• 2015Chevrolet #BestDayEver

  United States

  For Chevrolet's April Fool's Day #BestDayEver campaign, WhoSay helped enlist Olivia Wilde, Norman Reedus, Alec Baldwin, Ian Somerhalder, and Nikki Reed to surprise students in four U.S. classrooms as substitute teachers. Baldwin appeared in an Abraham Lincoln costume in an Occidental College class focused on U.S. culture and society.

  Outcome. The campaign used celebrity surprise appearances and social video to create shareable branded entertainment. The supplied reference does not report campaign performance figures.

  Source

• 2018

  Accept acquisition by ViacomM&A

  Background

  After developing a celebrity publishing, editorial, and branded-content business, WhoSay became part of a larger media company.

  Action taken

  Viacom acquired the WhoSay website and business.

  Aftermath

  The transaction ended WhoSay's documented period as an independent venture. The supplied sources do not establish the subsequent product structure or current brand status.

  Source

• 2015

  Expand into corporate celebrity marketingStrategy

  Background

  WhoSay had built publishing capabilities and a roster of high-profile talent that could also serve advertisers seeking social-media distribution.

  Action taken

  The company began offering accounts and campaign services to businesses that employed celebrities for branded content.

  Aftermath

  The move produced campaigns for marketers including Lexus and Chevrolet and broadened WhoSay from a talent tool into an influencer-marketing and advertising platform.

  Source

• 2013

  Introduce a consumer mobile applicationProduct launch

  Background

  After several years focused on celebrity accounts and web publishing, WhoSay sought to broaden its consumer reach and support mobile consumption.

  Action taken

  The company launched a mobile application for consumers.

  Aftermath

  The application complemented the web service, but the supplied sources do not document its later development or current availability.

  Source

• 2010

  Build a controlled publishing layer for celebritiesStrategy

  Background

  The company was created in response to celebrities' concerns that third-party social networks could weaken control over their photographs, videos, identity, and audience relationships.

  Action taken

  WhoSay developed an invitation-only service that combined copyright branding, centralized publishing, cross-network distribution, and audience communication tools.

  Aftermath

  The model attracted a large roster of entertainment clients and differentiated WhoSay from open social networks, although the consumer experience remained intentionally limited.

  • theAudience — TheAudience was identified as a competing celebrity-oriented digital media service; the supplied reference does not describe a specific response.

  Source

• 2018

  Viacom acquires WhoSay[1]WhoSayen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Viacom acquired WhoSay's website and business, ending the period in which the platform operated as an independent venture.

• 2015

  WhoSay expands into celebrity-led branded content[1]WhoSayen.wikipedia.org

  Campaign

  The company expanded its accounts and commercial services to brands that used celebrity talent in coordinated social-media campaigns.

• 2014

  Rob Gregory joins WhoSay as chief revenue officer[1]WhoSayen.wikipedia.org

  Leadership change

  Rob Gregory moved from Newsweek's The Daily Beast to WhoSay to develop monetization, premium advertising, and brand partnerships.

• 2013

  WhoSay launches a consumer mobile application[1]WhoSayen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  WhoSay introduced a mobile application as part of its expansion beyond its original web service for invited celebrity accounts.

1. 1WhoSayen.wikipedia.org