Spencer Kohn of Supercharge – Image and Influence

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.

In this story:

• 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