Steven Bartlett’s holding company Steven.com and Authentic Brands Group have launched OBSN, a joint venture that will invest in and build businesses around creators, with Bartlett saying he aims to deploy up to $400m in creator businesses over the coming years.

The venture, whose name is short for Obsession, was announced in New York yesterday. It was due to debut the same day at a creator-focused event in the city, where Maggie Sellers Reum, investor and founder of Hot Smart Rich, was to moderate a fireside conversation with Bartlett and Jamie Salter, founder and executive chairman of Authentic.

According to the two companies, OBSN is “designed for the world’s most ambitious and consequential creators”. At its centre is a platform providing news, analysis and live experiences for the creator economy, which the partners say is designed to become the sector’s “definitive voice and home”.

How the partnership will work

Under the arrangement, Steven.com will lead OBSN’s media, technology, data and audience-growth operations. Authentic will contribute its expertise in brand building, product, licensing, strategic partnerships and global distribution.

The partners said every deal struck through OBSN would be tailored to the individual creator, whether that involves expanding a media business, developing products, growing licensing programmes, pursuing strategic partnerships or exploring investment and international expansion. They said the venture would provide creators with infrastructure, expertise and long-term partnership as well as capital.

The companies said they see opportunities to deploy hundreds of millions of dollars in the near term into creator-led businesses that meet their criteria.

“The next generation of global media companies and consumer brands will be built around creators. But a global audience of millions is not yet a company, and it certainly should not be the ceiling of a creator’s potential,” said Bartlett.

“Steven.com understands how to build media and audiences around creators, and Authentic understands how to build and extend brands around the world. OBSN brings those capabilities together so ambitious creators can reach the full scale of their ambition. We are aiming to deploy up to $400m in creator businesses over the coming years, OBSN is at the heart of that strategy.”

Matt Maddox, president and chief executive of Authentic, said: “Creators are redefining media and shaping the future of entertainment, with many poised to become multigenerational brands in their own right.”

He added: “By combining our complementary capabilities, we will identify, invest in and scale creator-led IP, capitalizing on a once-in-a-generation opportunity to strategically deploy hundreds of millions of dollars across the creator economy and build the brands of tomorrow.”

The companies behind OBSN

Steven.com is the holding company for Bartlett’s businesses, including The Diary Of A CEO podcast, marketing agency FlightStory, production business FlightCast and investment arm FlightFund. In October 2025 it was valued at $425m following investment from Slow Ventures and Apeiron Investment, with Bartlett retaining more than 90 per cent ownership. In December 2025, Bartlett also announced plans for Founded, a tech news website covering UK and US start-ups.

Authentic owns more than 50 brands, including Reebok, Champion, Ted Baker, Brooks Brothers, Hunter and Sports Illustrated, as well as rights linked to David Beckham, Shaquille O’Neal, Elvis Presley and Muhammad Ali. The company says it works with a network of more than 1,700 licensees and partners in more than 150 countries, and that its brands generate more than $38bn in annual systemwide retail sales. Its portfolio reaches nearly one billion social media followers, according to the company.

The move comes as advertising money shifts towards creators. Business Matters reported last year that creator platforms were forecast to overtake traditional media in global ad revenue for the first time.

OBSN said its creator economy media and events arm is already live, with more than one million followers on Instagram. The partners plan to expand it into new content formats, channels and live experiences, including festivals and official awards. Creators can register interest through the Obsession.com website.

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