Co-Founder @ Measure Studio 📈 AI-Powered Social Media Insights

I’m a 3x entrepreneur and M&A advisor who helps founders sell their businesses.

👋 WHY ME?

After I sold my first startup (Paladin), several founder friends reached out to me. They wanted to know what it was like and what I learned in the process.

A few of them were thinking about selling their companies and asked if I would help. After all, I understood the industry and probably knew most of the potential buyers.

So I agreed to help a few of those friends and found myself with a new side hustle as a boutique investment banker.

After cutting my teeth on a few deals, I realized how much I love working with entrepreneurs, so I made it official and launched my own M&A advisory practice: Quartermast Advisors.

🤝 WHAT I OFFER:

I help my clients manage the entire M&A process from start to finish, which includes:

✭ Preparing your materials (management presentation, financials, etc.)
✭ Identifying and getting in touch with the right buyers
✭ Negotiating the deal structure and economics
✭ Coordinating with legal and tax experts to protect your interests
✭ Asking thoughtful questions and providing useful advice along the way

🤔 WHY WORK WITH AN M&A ADVISOR?

Research shows that hiring a banker results in ~25% higher valuation premiums, on average.

It also frees founders up to continue operating the business and hit their targets. There's nothing worse than poor company performance during a sales process, so it's often more valuable for the team to focus on delivering good results rather than managing M&A discussions.

👨‍💻 WHO I HELP:

I stick to what I know: digital media, tech, and the creator economy. I’ve helped sell influencer agencies, talent management firms, enterprise SaaS companies, and more.

If you’ve been approached or are just thinking about selling your company now or in the future, shoot me a note. I’d be happy to chat and answer any questions.

If I’m the right fit, I’d love to help you out. And if I’m not, I’ll gladly point you in the right direction.

💬 I'VE BEEN FEATURED IN:
- Business Insider
- Digiday
- eMarketer
- Forbes
- Net Influencer
- New Economies
- PRWeek
- Scalable
- The Information
- The Publish Press
- TheWrap
- They Got Acquired
- Tubefilter
…and more

📢 I'VE SPOKEN AT:
- 1 Billion Followers Summit
- Consumer Electronics Show (CES)
- Digital Entertainment World (DEW)
- Digital First
- Digital Hollywood
- DMEXCO
- Social Media Week
- VidCon
- Youth Marketing Show (YMS)
…and more

James Creech

That’s a wrap on my first 1 Billion Followers Summit in Dubai! 🇦🇪

Three days of nonstop momentum. Coffee meetings, panels, late nights, and afterparties.

A true whirlwind. I’m leaving with a deeper appreciation for the opportunity in MENA, and more friends than I arrived with.

𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐀𝐘
Kicked things off with my first panel, “Fixing Creator Payments Globally.” A fantastic conversation with Germán López, Amina Taher, and Kwadwo Owusu-Agyeman.

Hats off to our world-class emcees, AJ Eckstein and Shira Lazar!

Back-to-back meetings that afternoon. Catching up with old friends and making new ones. 

That night, Sebastian Wulff and I hosted an exec networking mixer alongside Althea Lim and Cordell Broadus from Gushcloud International. We ended up WAY over venue capacity… but decided to ask for forgiveness instead of permission.

Big thanks to our sponsors Ilia Dronov (Fundmates) and Arjun Pande (.Store Domains) for making it happen!

After that, it was off to the 1BFS speakers’ dinner in the desert. Certainly an unforgettable experience (IYKYK). Shoutout to Reuven Ashtar, Timothy Goodman, Will Baumann, and Arthur Leopold for being great company throughout.

𝐒𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐃𝐀𝐘
Meetings. More meetings. And then… a few more meetings.

Snuck away in the afternoon to explore the Museum of the Future and refuel with pistachio gelato. 🍦

Got interviewed for Career Ladder 🪜, then back to the room for emails and a quick nap.

Incredible dinner at Chic Nonna, then off to Sherry Wong’s Creators & Operators party. Loved catching up with Ollie Forsyth, Kathleen Grace, Kimber Mowery, and others.

Assembled a rag-tag band of scoundrels (Jacques Keyser, Ivana Kirkbride, and Sebastian Wulff) and headed to the Palm for the "Inner Circle" after-party. 

Big thanks to Lukas Steiner, Didrik M. A. Svendsen, Philip Madero Hammarskiöld, Lucas Kollmann, and Tobias Hoss for hosting. Those Europeans know how to throw a party!

Back to the hotel. Crash.

𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐀𝐘
Spontaneous breakfast with Melissa Grabiner and her husband Craig. So great to finally meet in person!

Took the stage for a keynote on the State of Creator Economy M&A. Shared data on recent acquisitions, key trends, and predictions for 2026.

Moderated a panel on “Why Creators Can’t Get Funded." Eric Kullberg, George Gachara, and Criswell Fiordalis dropped some knowledge about funding options for creator-led businesses.

Had a delicious Lebanese lunch, followed by a few final meetings and a fun hang with Brittany Li and Abby Ho.

---
Huge thank you to Jim Louderback, Nizar Salman, and Dina Aylabouni for making the entire event possible. I had an amazing time and am already looking forward to next year!

Founder, Quartermast Advisors 🤝 We help entrepreneurs maximize their M&A outcomes. 🚀 Co-Founder, Measure Studio 📈 AI-powered social media insights.💡

I'm giving a keynote about the State of Global M&A in the Creator Economy tomorrow at the 1 Billion Followers Summit. Here's a preview:

🚀 2025 was a record year for creator economy acquisitions, with 81 deals completed (+17% YoY).

📈 Transaction sizes continue to climb, led by headline deals like Bending Spoons x Vimeo ($1.38B), Later x Mavely ($250M), and Publicis x Captiv8 ($175M).

👩🏻‍💻 Software companies are most in demand (26%), followed by Agencies (21%), Media (16%), and Talent Management (14%).

🌎 The U.S. dominates M&A activity, accounting for 71% of all transactions.

I'll also share typical valuation multiples, buyer archetypes, and practical tips for founders considering an exit.

Please join me tomorrow if you're interested!

Sunday, Jan 11th at 11 am on the Binance Stage.

After my talk, I'll be moderating a panel about Why Creators Can't Get Funded with the incredible Criswell Fiordalis, George Gachara, and Eric Kullberg, so please join us for that as well!

Takeaways from Slow Ventures' Creator CEO Summit:

➊ Depth over breadth. Epic Gardening has proved how obsessing over a niche can unlock outsized scale and long-term value.

➋ Content is the wedge, not necessarily the entire business. Many of the best creator companies use content to earn trust, then evolve into operating businesses with real products, teams, and systems.

➌ Mary Heffernan from Five Marys Ranch gave a masterclass on building and monetizing an online community. Some of her pearls of wisdom:

When it comes to content: "Share the good and the bad, but not the ugly."

"We don't get a lot of haters, but I try really hard not to invite them. We don't soap box."

➍ Timing is everything. Several founders emphasized restraint, waiting for the right product, timing, and capital structure instead of launching too early.

➎ Early-stage progress looks messy, but that's okay. Getting the train moving requires solving real problems for a specific audience, even when the path isn’t linear.

➏ There’s no single creator-to-company playbook. Pet grooming, dental health, and entertainment founders all took different paths. What mattered was alignment with their audience’s needs.

➐ The best creator businesses feel inevitable in hindsight. They start small, stay focused, and earn the right to expand, rather than chasing scale over substance.

Unofficial afterparty at Mao's Kitchen, which is hands down the best Chinese food in LA. 🥡

Shoutout to Megan Lightcap and Billy Parks for organizing such a great event!

Missed my keynote at the 1 Billion Followers Summit?

I broke down the data from all 81 creator economy acquisitions last year. Here are the highlights:

📈 Annual deal volume increased 17% YoY, resulting in the biggest year on record for creator economy M&A.

🌍 North America dominated, with 71% of transactions, followed by Europe (21.5%) and Asia (3.8%).

🤝 Primary acquisition targets included software (26%), agencies
(21%), media (16%), and talent management (14%). Despite rising deal volumes, the category mix remained remarkably consistent YoY, suggesting broad-based conviction rather than a single trend-driven surge.

💰 Average transaction sizes increased meaningfully, and landmark deals like Bending Spoons x Vimeo, Later x Mavely, and Publicis x Captiv8 set strong valuation benchmarks.

🔮 We expect even more deals in 2026, driven by an increase in creator-founded company exits, more picks-and-shovels acquisitions, and non-endemic buyers entering the space.

I also break down typical valuation multiples, buyer archetypes, and practical tips for founders planning for an exit.

🔗 Watch the full presentation here: https://lnkd.in/guN_7sAB

---
I'm James Creech, Founder of Quartermast Advisors. We help media, tech, and creator economy founders maximize their exit outcomes.

👍 Like this post to help me.
🔥 Repost to help others.

It’s been an explosive start to the year for creator economy M&A. 🧨 

16 transactions were announced in the past month alone — a 78% YoY increase compared to Jan 2025.

To be fair, January is typically one of the busiest months for M&A announcements, as many late-Q4 deals are shared after the holidays. Still, the momentum is hard to ignore.

Below is a complete list of creator economy acquisitions from the past month.👇

𝐀𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 🤝
• PMG acquired IM agency Digital Voices
• YKONE and Mirror Mirror Paris merged to form ONE Group
• Gushcloud International acquired IM agency Talent Plus
• Residence acquired creator-first social agency OK COOL
• YKONE acquired social and IM agency FAB STUDIO

𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞 🛍️
• Rich Sparkle Holdings acquired Khaby Lame's live commerce co. Step Distinctive for a reported $975M

𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚 🎥
• Global acquired sports media co. The Overlap
• NowThis acquired creator media co. Salary Transparent Street for a reported "7-figure acquihire"
• SuperAwesome acquired kids audio co. Starglow Media
• Katie Gatti Tassin bought back her "Money with Katie" blog and podcast from Morning Brew
 
𝐒𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞 👨‍💻
• Blue Zones acquired creator meal planning & community app Lighter
• Cloudflare acquired AI data marketplace Human Native
• Kolsquare | B Corp acquired IM platform Storyclash
• WSC Sports acquired sports marketing platform Partnerbrite for an estimated $10M

𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 ⭐
• Fixated acquired Ellify Talent Agency
• UnderCurrent Talent acquired Next Step Talent*

*𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘦: 𝘐𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘺𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘥. 𝘈𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘰! 𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘥𝘐𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨.

All signs point to another record year for creator economy M&A!

---
👋 I'm James Creech, Founder of Quartermast Advisors. We help media, tech, and creator economy founders maximize their exit outcomes.

👍 Like this post to help me.
🔥 Repost to help others.

Our 2026 Creator Economy M&A Report is out now!

We analyzed all 81 creator economy acquisition from 2025 to understand the key trends shaping the future of this rapidly growing industry.

Here are just some of the highlights:

𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐕𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐞 📈
Creator economy M&A activity exploded during the pandemic (2020–2022), and then remained fairly steady in subsequent years. Deal volume surged again in 2025, with a record-setting 81 deals (+17% YoY).

𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬 📋
Software companies are the most popular acquisition targets (26%), followed by Agencies (21%), Media (16%), and Talent Management (14%).

𝐆𝐞𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐜 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 🌎
North America is the most active M&A market by far. International deal volume dropped last year, but we hope to see it rebound in 2026.

North America: 56 deals (71%)
Europe: 17 deals (21%)
Asia: 3 deals (4%)
Australasia: 2 deals (3%)
South America: 1 deal (1%)
Africa: 0 deals (0%)

𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬 💰
Software valuations are based on annual recurring revenue (ARR), while service businesses trade on an EBITDA multiple.

Agency: 5.3x - 9.2x EBITDA (7.1x median)
Media: 8.0x - 17.0x EBITDA (11.6x median)
Software: 3.2x - 10.7x ARR (5.8x median)
Talent Management: 4.0x - 8.0x (6.0x median)

👉 Get your free copy of the full 39-page report here: https://lnkd.in/gTd9xP6K

Thank you Sydney Bradley at Business Insider for sharing our latest research!

And special thanks to our sponsors for making this report possible:

𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐬: Electrify Video Partners, NEW ECONOMIES

𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐬: .Store Domains, Favikon

𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐳𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐬: Creator Authority, Fundmates, & They Got Acquired

The creator economy is Wall Street ready.

Ian Shepherd's latest Forbes article emphasizes how our industry is maturing into a scalable, investable ecosystem with strong business models, owned IP, and defensible moats.

It's characterized "not just by explosive growth, but by investor conviction."

Our team at Quartermast Advisors agrees. As we enter 2026, acquirers are prioritizing profitable growth and defensible long-term business models over raw scale or audience reach.

This shift favors companies with operational maturity, diversified revenue streams, and strong unit economics. We expect more high-conviction deals, further cementing the creator economy as a durable and investable asset class.

Thank you, Ian, for sharing your perspective as an active investor in the space and highlighting the research from our 2026 Creator Economy M&A Report!

Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gQFBS9k8

Special thanks to our sponsors for making our 2026 Creator Economy M&A Report possible:

𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐬: Electrify Video Partners, NEW ECONOMIES

𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐬: .Store Domains, Favikon

𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐳𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐬: Fundmates, Creator Authority, They Got Acquired

NEW ECONOMIES is hands down one of my favorite newsletters.

Former VC and active angel investor Ollie Forsyth covers technology shifts across AI, the creator economy, and venture capital and shares fascinating founder stories.

That's why we were thrilled to partner with him for our 2026 Creator Economy M&A Report. 

Make sure to subscribe if you're not already! https://lnkd.in/gNX3-dvU

Special thanks to New Economies and all our sponsors who made the report possible:

𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐬: Electrify Video Partners, NEW ECONOMIES

𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐬: .Store Domains, Favikon

𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐳𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐬: Fundmates, Creator Authority, They Got Acquired

Brand Army

Fan-monetization and engagement platform built for social media superstars. We are a Safe-For-Work platform where creators own their channels, data, and audience. We have tech and creator tools that make it easy to manage thousands or tens of thousands of fans. iOS app and Web app.

Introduction:
Our app offers 9 ways for creators to monetize in-app from their 'army’. This helps creators create multiple revenue streams from their BrandArmy channel. 

Professional creators can start, grow, and build their own direct-to-fan business where they control content, price, and delivery cadence with no income ceiling. They are no longer beholden to the algorithm of an ad-revenue social media platform that dictates their ultimate value and behaviors. They are no longer collecting likes and double taps which don't pay the bills - they are building out a new, fun, and safe way to engage with and monetize their best fans and build a community of their best and most loyal like-minded fans.

Co-Founder & CEO

Creative Xchange

Partner & Advisor

DriveAds.com

DriveAds helps fleet managers convert fleets from cost centers to profit centers. With technology that can measure the number of people around a truck - we offer advertising rev-share opportunities to qualifying fleets. We help fleets increase revenue, stay innovative, and enhance value prop to customers/suppliers. 

DriveAds is actively seeking fleets for beta testing its Fleetvertisement service, an advertising solution that gives fleet owners a simple way to generate a new revenue stream, while offering advertisers the control of measurable impression data via an impactful and dynamic medium, moving trucks, for their outdoor ads.

Founder

Model Revolt

Model Revolt is a social network for the modeling community around the world and their fans.

Photographer

Freelance Photographer

Enhanced Alpha Management LP

Responsible for marketing a long/short commodities/financial futures (overlayed on equity positions) fund to family offices, fund of funds and major brokerage firms with hedge fund platforms.

Managing Director

CIBC Oppenheimer/CIBC World Markets

Worked with our affluent client base specializing specifically on our hedge fund platform. Our book was always fee and performance driven rather than transactional.

Director - Investments

Chatty Cathy's long lost brother is a networking aficionado who sells with vigor and enthusiasm. Passionate about all things creator and passion economy. Super excited to contribute to the movement that will forever put the power in the hands of creators with their fans. 

Serial entrepreneur. Creator - former professional photographer.

Focused on building BrandArmy, a direct-to-fan monetization and engagement platform built for creators and their superfans. One app where creators are in full audience, data, financial, and creative control. Superfans are able to be in a likeminded safe community while being able to get closer than ever before to the creator they love and follow. Superfans know they're expected to spend to show support and are happy to do so. 

Referral Program: We pay for referrals! Yas. And we can pay in 🌮 also! 

Background:
My sales career started in the health club industry at 17yrs old and by 19 I became the youngest general manager in the history of Bally Total Fitness. Private wealth management started at 24 where I spent years developing my skills needed to work effectively with high-end clientele. With a killer cold-calling script (ask me about it) I developed I found success in an industry where most fail. It always fascinated me that I can cold-call someone I’ve never met and over time they may transfer in hundreds of thousands or millions via wire and become a client. Thankful for having a terrific mentor in this industry. Later I would work for a Dallas-based hedge fund where I was responsible for marketing a long/short commodities and financial futures fund to FoFs, family offices, and major Wall Street firms for white labeling. Self-taught photographer is what started the entrepreneurial path and led to co-founding two of the biggest event production companies in Dallas. And later an advisor to an amazing startup, CreativeXchange, who are helping music talent monetize teaching to students and school systems.  

If you like to play tennis, talk strategy about your business, help getting to ‘the right person’ at any org, feed me cake or if you feel there’s anything I can help you with, please reach out. 

I’m a father to an Australian shepherd (Abel Mendez), an avid tennis player, and love training MMA although it's been too long since I last trained.

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