Influence Creative Agency (I.CA) Business Plan 2020

Abstract

The year 2020 has been without question, major. A global pandemic, a divided, bi-partisan United States, protests calling for the end of police violence, justice and reparations for the Black community - to say the least, 2020 has been eye opening. This year has shown that there are oppressive power structures intact that have been constructed to favor few at the expense of many. People emboldened by new, digital means of expression are calling for radical change.

Gone are the days a business entity could remain apolitical. Consumers demand a brand to be engaged in the social movements that affect them. Businesses, large and small, are cultural leaders, who in having fiscal power, also have a civic responsibility to cocreate social narratives in tandem with their communities.

Influence Creative Agency (I.CA) is a Queer-led creative agency with an artist collective ethos. It was founded by Jake Frisbie and made possible through the support of gallery and production studio SoMad in the Flatiron District of Manhattan. Influence offers services including but not limited to Brand Development Strategy, Art Direction and Design, Full Photographic and Videographic Production, Full-Event production, Spatial Design and most importantly, Strategic Collaborations. At I.CA, commercial creative projects directly fund sliding scale/discounted projects for political action groups, collectives and marginalized individuals who are doing the work but are otherwise not able to afford our services. Our work with progressive brands makes it so that we are able to remain accessible to our communities within New York City, being that they are the reason we do what we do.

Media affects the way we think. In a survey on the impact of LGBTQ+ representation in media in the United States conducted by Cint in late 2019, it was found that 48% of non-LGBTQ+ respondents who were exposed to media representing LGBTQ+ communities in the preceding three months, were more accepting of gays and lesbians (Cint 2019).

Influence means to cause effect in intangible ways. Influence Creative Agency (I.CA) is moored in the idea that the media we consume has a profound consequence on our perspectives and biases. It is through media and storytelling that we define our identities, experiences, and relationships to one another. As creatives wielding media that is antithetical to violent heteropatriarchal value systems, we will educate, inspire, and create the future that we wish to belong to.

This document serves as a detailed guide of Influence's operational and development plan. It includes information about our history, product and services, our market niche, a marketing and sales strategy, information about our management team, a capital formation plan, pro forma budget and samples of our promotional materials.