James Creech

James Creech James Creech is an influencer

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

Los Angeles, California, United States
32K followers 500+ connections

About

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

Articles by James

  • January 2025 Social Platform Updates

    Looking for the latest edition of Social Navigator? Check it out on Beehiiv or Measure Studio's company page.

    1 Comment
  • December 2024 Social Platform Updates

    Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday break. Quick programming note: Going forward, I'll be…

    1 Comment
  • November 2024 Social Platform Updates

    LinkedIn is shutting down live audio. Spotify announced a monetization program for video creators.

    6 Comments
  • October 2024 Social Platform Updates

    Meta revamped its monetization program. Snapchat+ surpassed 12M subscribers.

    2 Comments
  • September 2024 Social Platform Updates

    Instagram added comments to Stories. LinkedIn is getting rid of the orange Top Voices badges.

    2 Comments
  • August 2024 Social Platform Updates

    Instagram added music to profiles. Telegram released monetization features.

    6 Comments
  • July 2024 Social Platform Updates

    Threads surpassed 175M MAUs. Spotify added comments to podcasts.

    8 Comments
  • June 2024 Social Platform Updates

    BeReal was acquired. Instagram added an Inspo tab.

    1 Comment
  • May 2024 Social Platform Updates

    LinkedIn and YouTube launched games. TikTok is testing hour-long uploads.

    12 Comments
  • 400+ New Open Roles Available!

    Programming Note: Starting next week, the Creator Economy Jobs newsletter will be published from our LinkedIn company…

    3 Comments

Activity

Experience

  • Quartermast Advisors Graphic

    Founder

    Quartermast Advisors

    - Present 5 years 5 months

    Los Angeles Metropolitan Area

    Quartermast Advisors is a boutique M&A advisory firm, specializing in media, technology, and the creator economy. We help founders navigate every step of the M&A process and maximize their outcomes.

    Visit https://www.quartermast.com or get in touch to learn more.

  • Measure Studio Graphic

    Co-Founder & President

    Measure Studio

    - Present 4 years 8 months

    Los Angeles, California, United States

    Measure Studio provides AI-powered social media insights for brands, agencies, and media companies.

    With automated performance benchmarking and computer vision analysis, we help you identify what about your content strategy is working (and what can be improved).

    Customers include Intuit, JD Sports, Vox Media, BBC Studios, IGN, Wave Sports & Entertainment, Jubilee, Ziff Davis, and more.

    Key features:
    • All of your social media data in one place, so you're not juggling…

    Measure Studio provides AI-powered social media insights for brands, agencies, and media companies.

    With automated performance benchmarking and computer vision analysis, we help you identify what about your content strategy is working (and what can be improved).

    Customers include Intuit, JD Sports, Vox Media, BBC Studios, IGN, Wave Sports & Entertainment, Jubilee, Ziff Davis, and more.

    Key features:
    • All of your social media data in one place, so you're not juggling databases, tabs, or spreadsheets.
    • AI computer vision to auto-tag your library, so you can view your content the way social media algorithms see it.
    • Automated benchmarking to align your team on content performance.
    • Hourly data for all new posts and stories, so you can measure early results and take action.
    • Intuitive, powerful filtering and auto-grouping across your social media accounts for granular reporting.
    • Fully featured on both desktop and mobile, so you can access your data from anywhere.
    • Support for Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, X (Twitter), TikTok, LinkedIn Business, Snapchat Discover, Meta Ads, TikTok Ads, Google Ads, Google DV360, and more coming soon.

    Book an intro call to learn more:
    https://www.measure.studio

  • Creator Economy Jobs Graphic

    Founder

    Creator Economy Jobs

    - Present 2 years 8 months

    Creator Economy Jobs is the premier job board for creator economy companies and candidates.

    🙋‍♀️ CANDIDATES: Looking for a job in the creator economy?

    Sure, you can wade through hundreds of career pages and job postings. Or you can use CreatorEconomyJobs.co to easily browse open roles across our industry.

    Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get the latest jobs delivered to your inbox each week: https://creatoreconomyjobs.beehiiv.com/subscribe

    👩‍💼 HIRING TEAMS:…

    Creator Economy Jobs is the premier job board for creator economy companies and candidates.

    🙋‍♀️ CANDIDATES: Looking for a job in the creator economy?

    Sure, you can wade through hundreds of career pages and job postings. Or you can use CreatorEconomyJobs.co to easily browse open roles across our industry.

    Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get the latest jobs delivered to your inbox each week: https://creatoreconomyjobs.beehiiv.com/subscribe

    👩‍💼 HIRING TEAMS: We want to help you find great candidates to join your team!

    Post a job on our site for free: https://creatoreconomyjobs.co/submit

    Sponsor - Want to promote your job listing? We offer sponsorships at the top of our site and via our weekly newsletter. Visit https://creatoreconomyjobs.co/pricing or email us at info@creatoreconomyjobs.co to learn more.

  • Creator Authority Graphic

    Partner & Board Member

    Creator Authority

    - Present 2 years 5 months

    Creator Authority is the one-stop shop for LinkedIn influencer campaigns. Learn more at https://creatorauthority.co.

  • Various Startups Graphic

    Angel Investor & Advisor

    Various Startups

    - Present 9 years 5 months

    Alts (alternative assets fund & investment community): https://alts.co/
    Creable (all-in-one workspace for creators): https://creable.com/
    Donut Media (automotive digital publisher): https://donut.media/
    Fast Travel (taxi management software): https://fasttravel.no/
    FlashFomo (creator merch marketplace): https://www.flashfomo.com/
    Foundry Six (AR/VR game studio): https://www.foundrysix.com/
    Kaukus (political meetings & voting software): https://www.kaukus.no/
    Lickd…

    Alts (alternative assets fund & investment community): https://alts.co/
    Creable (all-in-one workspace for creators): https://creable.com/
    Donut Media (automotive digital publisher): https://donut.media/
    Fast Travel (taxi management software): https://fasttravel.no/
    FlashFomo (creator merch marketplace): https://www.flashfomo.com/
    Foundry Six (AR/VR game studio): https://www.foundrysix.com/
    Kaukus (political meetings & voting software): https://www.kaukus.no/
    Lickd (commercial music licensing platform): https://lickd.co/
    Nobody Studios (venture studio): https://nobodystudios.com/
    ONYX Design (web development agency): https://onyxdesign.co/
    Pair AI (video-based education platform): https://pairai.com/
    Papercup (AI-powered video dubbing): http://papercup.com/
    RYSE (motorized window shades): https://www.helloryse.com/
    The Experience Resorts (all-inclusive luxury resorts): https://theexperienceresorts.com/
    Thematic (copyright-free music platform): https://app.hellothematic.com/
    Toonstar (tech-driven animation studio): https://www.toonstar.com/
    True Made Foods (sugar-free condiments): https://www.truemadefoods.com/
    Unbanked (fintech solution built on blockchain): https://unbanked.com/
    VidCon (the premiere online video conference): https://www.vidcon.com/
    Xigxag (reinventing audiobooks): https://xigxag.co.uk/

  • Cint Graphic

    SVP, Data Partnerships

    Cint

    - 8 months

    Los Angeles, California, United States

    Cint is the world's largest research marketplace, connecting millions of survey respondents to companies that want their questions answered. Learn more at https://www.cint.com.

  • Brandwatch Graphic

    SVP, Strategy

    Brandwatch

    - 1 year 7 months

    Los Angeles, California, United States

    Brandwatch is the world leader in consumer intelligence, social media management, and influencer marketing.

  • Paladin Graphic

    Co-Founder & CEO

    Paladin

    - 6 years

    Greater Los Angeles Area

    Paladin is the essential influencer marketing platform for brands and agencies. Acquired by Brandwatch in Mar. 2022.

  • All Things Video Graphic

    Creator & Host

    All Things Video

    - 6 years 6 months

    Greater Los Angeles Area

    All Things Video is a podcast dedicated to uncovering the past and charting the future of the online video ecosystem.

    Listen and subscribe on iTunes (http://bit.ly/allthingsvideo) and Google Play (http://bit.ly/allthingsvideopodcast).

  • Bent Pixels Graphic

    SVP, Growth

    Bent Pixels

    - 2 years 2 months

    Greater Los Angeles Area

    • Led the growth team responsible for strategy, sales, and business development. Secured 30+ new accounts and generated $1.5M+ in revenue.
    • Developed partnerships with AdolescentTV, FilmTrack, Epoxy, IZEA, and Epidemic Sound.
    • Hired 4 account executives and 10 part-time employees.
    • Managed a website redesign, corporate blog launch, and creation of all sales collateral.
    • Secured Google Partner status for the company and access to the Google AdWords API.
    • Evaluated…

    • Led the growth team responsible for strategy, sales, and business development. Secured 30+ new accounts and generated $1.5M+ in revenue.
    • Developed partnerships with AdolescentTV, FilmTrack, Epoxy, IZEA, and Epidemic Sound.
    • Hired 4 account executives and 10 part-time employees.
    • Managed a website redesign, corporate blog launch, and creation of all sales collateral.
    • Secured Google Partner status for the company and access to the Google AdWords API.
    • Evaluated, implemented, and managed third party business systems, including Salesforce (CRM), Google Apps (productivity), and Jazz (HR).

  • Channel Factory Graphic

    VP, Operations

    Channel Factory

    - 2 years 7 months

    Greater Los Angeles Area

    • Helped scale the video advertising startup from 0 to 8-figure revenues and 5 to 40+ employees in 2.5 years.
    • Managed the company's day-to-day operations. Saved $100,000+ through systems automation and process improvement efforts.
    • Led sales operations for a 7-person ad sales team and managed BD partnerships with one of the three largest online travel agencies, a major online ad management platform, and rep firms in the United Kingdom, India, Brazil, and Australia.
    • Spearheaded…

    • Helped scale the video advertising startup from 0 to 8-figure revenues and 5 to 40+ employees in 2.5 years.
    • Managed the company's day-to-day operations. Saved $100,000+ through systems automation and process improvement efforts.
    • Led sales operations for a 7-person ad sales team and managed BD partnerships with one of the three largest online travel agencies, a major online ad management platform, and rep firms in the United Kingdom, India, Brazil, and Australia.
    • Spearheaded company recruitment efforts and improved HR budget efficiency to save $350,000+ annually.
    • Evaluated, implemented, and managed third party business systems, including Salesforce and PipeDrive (CRM), Basecamp (project management), Google Drive (KBM), The Resumator (HR), and NetSuite (ERP).
    • Led the media buying team, saving $270,000+ in media costs through vendor negotiations.
    • Expanded network reach by 340M MAU and grew the company's site list to 5,000+ display publishers, 1,500 mobile apps, 500 mobile sites, and 100+ social influencers.

  • Blizzard Entertainment Graphic

    Project Management

    Blizzard Entertainment

    - 4 months

    Irvine, CA

    • Prioritized
 and 
tracked 
the 
Global 
Planning 
&
 Support 
team’s 
70+ 
projects.

    • Implemented
 visual 
controls 
to 
improve 
organizational
 efficiency 
and
 accountability.

    • Categorized 
100,000+ 
customer 
contacts 
into
 25 
top
 player
 issues 
using
 NICE
 data 
analytics software.

Education

  • University of Southern California Graphic

    University of Southern California

    B.S. & B.A. Business Administration & Political Science

    Activities and Societies: 👇 • Vice President, Mortar Board Senior Honor Society • Executive Articles Editor, Journal of Law & Society • USC Renaissance Scholar • USC Presidential Scholar • Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society • Beta Gamma Sigma Business Honor Society • Pi Sigma Alpha Political Science Honor Society • Blackstonians Pre-Law Honor Society • Phi Sigma Theta National Honor Society • USC Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society

Skills

Honors & Awards

  • Google AdWords Certified (Fundamentals, Advanced Search, Advanced Display, and Vide)

    Google

  • YouTube Certified (Audience Growth and Digital Rights)

    YouTube

Languages

  • Spanish

    -

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