Om avsnittet
You’ve probably heard of ‘Lil Miquela. The 19 year-old Brazilian-American influencer has millions of followers and has partnered with the likes of Samsung and Prada. But despite capturing the hearts of many, she’s not real. But you probably haven’t heard her origin story. In this episode we take a trip back to 2016, to a world that looked much different to today, together with two of Miquela’s creators – Trevor McFedries and Isaac Bratzel – cofounder and Chief Design and Innovation Officer of Brud at the time.We learn what inspired the experiment and what early signs indicated that Miquela was not just a novel idea. In a world where spinning up an influencer, we learn what it took to capture mindshare, the pushback they’ve received, what a “scalable influencer” means, and what they think is to come. Resources:‘Lil Miquela on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lilmiquela/‘Lil Miquela on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWeHb_SrtJbrT8VD-_QQpRAFind Trevor on Twitter: https://twitter.com/whatdotcd?lang=enFind Isaac on Twitter: https://twitter.com/izykbenjaminFind Brud on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brud.fyiIsaac’s new avatar company: https://www.avataros.com/ Timestamps:00:00 - Introduction02:18 - The key insight04:05 - A new breed of influencers06:25 - Miquela’s aesthetic09:30 - Early signs of success13:01 - Narrative and fan engagement16:45 - The technology18:14 - Expanding past Miquela22:34 - Traction and generative AI26:45 - A new reality31:55 - Early pushback33:38 - Misunderstanding reality36:23 - Fear of new technologies37:47 - New technological unlocks41:13 - Scalable influencersStay Updated: Find a16z on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16zFind a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16zSubscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithioPlease note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.