Arcade Relaunches: A New Era for Creators

Arcade, formerly known for managing The Sidemen, has rebranded as an entertainment business with an ambitious European expansion strategy. The company has secured new talent, including comedian Max Fosh, creator collective Friends From Work, John Nellis, Faith Kelly, Generation Football, and Fallow Chefs. Arcade's new direction focuses on developing creators into powerful media brands that span content, commerce, and culture, with a significant emphasis on intellectual property development.

This strategic shift is being marked by Europe's first creator media upfront event, held in London. This exclusive gathering is set to attract over 150 advertisers and brands, offering them a preview of upcoming creator content and audience insights, mirroring the US NewFronts model. This development follows a seven-figure investment from Lumina Media and the appointment of former Vice exec Matt Elek as CEO.

Under Elek's leadership, Arcade is solidifying its position as a dominant force in the European creator economy. The company operates a commercial business for partnerships and an advertising division, Creator Access, which holds a YouTube Partner Sales license. Co-founder Jordan Schwartzenberger highlighted that creators are now building extensive media brands, and Arcade provides access to these influential entities with the scale of traditional broadcasters but with the unique trust and reach of elite creators.