New Year, new beginnings. An oft-used phrase that was never more welcomed than it was when 2021 finally arrived. For us here at Fenix Down, we’re looking at the New Year as an opportunity to start fresh. We’re looking to kick off this year with a bang!
So much of last year centered on getting things started and getting the company off the ground. For 2021, we’re looking at building on what we started and pushing things forward. Not only for ourselves, but the industry of content creation as a whole.
Building for the Future
Looking back at the genesis of Fenix Down, something our founding team all agreed on was creating a company built to last. We knew that we were all in this for the long haul. We wanted to create a strong foundation for the company to build on moving forward.
Part of that strong foundation was creating Fenix Down in a manner that best reflects where this industry is heading while also remembering where it came from.
Resources for the Community
The journey of a content creator has long been one mired with questions. Unfortunately, this journey too seldom yielded anything in the way of answers. This air of mystery surrounded the industry from its infancy all the way to where it stands today. In doing so, we created a barrier to entry that can be difficult for new creators to break through.
The unfortunate truth of the matter is that streaming on platforms like Twitch professionally is still the wild west in a lot of ways. This is why Empowerment is one of the pillars of our company philosophy. We want to empower creators with confidence that their work is being properly recognized. Furthermore, we want them to know that they are being fairly compensated for their efforts.
While we can help our clients do this directly, we wanted to do the same for the community at large. With this goal in mind, we have plans to provide additional educational resources that anyone can access to help determine fair rates for sponsored work. These resources should come out later this year and we hope that it will provide creators with valuable information regarding what “fair compensation” really looks like.
Agency License
Amidst all the chaos that was 2020, one thing it made clear was that livestreaming as a medium for entertainment was here to stay. Fenix Down already operates as management for our clients, however, we are currently in the process of obtaining our license to work as an agency for them as well.
The distinction between management and agency is often blurred, but to briefly explain the difference, here’s a quote from an article by Cecilia D’Anastasio on the subject: “Agencies procure employment; managers help clients get it done.” Essentially, in order to go out and obtain additional sponsorship opportunities for our clients, we must first ensure that our company’s contracts are approved by the California labor commissioner.
While this has proven to be a time-consuming process, it’s something that we feel strongly about. Registering as an agency would allow Fenix Down to legally operate in a manner similar to how traditional agencies in more established industries such as film and music function. We view live streaming as the next evolution of entertainment and we’re preparing our company to operate as such.
A Board for Direction
When it comes to company goals, perhaps our most ambitious is to create a board of directors for Fenix Down. Our overarching company philosophy is to build a company that stands for the needs of content creators above all else. With that in mind, we’ve decided to assemble a board for Fenix Down to weigh in regarding important company decisions.
Our board will consist of a combination of representatives from different parts of the industry. Fenix Down and Rare Drop will both hold seats on the board. However, our clients and a few select and trusted industry professionals will possess representation on the board as well.
We’ll be selecting individuals for the board of directors later this year so stay tuned to our Fenix Down newsletter and social media accounts for more information.
Time to Work
Setting goals for the year is an important step for measuring progress for anyone. Without taking the time to do so, how would you ever know if you had a “successful” year or not? There’s no doubt that the hardest part still lies ahead for us. But we can’t wait to start knocking each of these goals out of the park!
