Steven Bartlett, Authentic Brands Form OBSN to Back Creator Ventures

Authentic Brands Group and digital entrepreneur Steven Bartlett are joining forces on OBSN, a new brand development vehicle aimed at deploying up to $400 million into creator-founded companies, consumer product lines, and digital IP over the coming years, according to Variety.

The venture looks to merge Bartlett's digital reach and infrastructure platform Steven.com with Authentic's retail, brand management, and licensing muscle. In addition to investing in talent-led businesses, OBSN plans to provide news, sector analysis, and live events tailored to the influencer ecosystem.

Bartlett, who hosts the widely followed digital series "The Diary of a CEO" and commands more than 5 million Instagram followers, noted that large digital audiences rarely translate into sustainable companies without proper operational backing. "Steven.com understands how to build media and audiences around creators, and Authentic understands how to build and extend brands around the world," Bartlett told Variety, adding that OBSN intends to deploy hundreds of millions of dollars into qualifying businesses.

Authentic president and chief executive Matt Maddox echoed that approach, telling Variety that the venture seeks to capitalize 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 initiative is set to be detailed during an event on Sept. 14 in New York, featuring Bartlett alongside Authentic founder and executive chairman Jamie Salter and Hot Smart Rich founder Maggie Sellers Reum.

For Hollywood Tomorrow, the alliance illustrates how traditional licensing giants are pivoting toward online talent as primary launchpads for consumer goods. As legacy entertainment models struggle with retail conversion, partnerships like OBSN reflect an intensifying effort on Wall Street and Madison Avenue to monetize native digital followings through tangible retail footprints.