Cult Creative, a Malaysian all-in-one platform for creators and brands, seeks to address a critical challenge in Southeast Asia’s content creation industry: the disconnect between brands and content creators. Since its founding in 2020 by Shermaine Wong, CEO, and Lina Esa, CMO, the platform has built a community of over 13,000 creators while processing nearly US$160,000 in creator payments in just the past year.

Building from Industry Experience

Drawing from over a decade of experience in branding, communications, and marketing for luxury brands like Cartier, H&M, and Disney, Shermaine identified an opportunity to enhance brand-creator collaborations. 

“Traditional advertising is declining, and it’s exciting to see influencers emerge as the modern storytellers of our time,” Shermaine explains. “They’re building strong connections, especially with Gen Z and millennial audiences, who crave diverse experiences.”

The venture quickly gained momentum, securing over RM500,000 (~$111k) in seed funding from The Hive Southeast Asia. Lina contributes valuable insights from her law, media, and communications background. 

“My editorial experience is key to our platform’s success as we tackle inefficiencies and challenge stereotypes in the creative industry,” Lina shares. Together, they’ve developed a platform that addresses what Shermaine describes as “a clear gap where brands, agencies, and creators often struggle to work together effectively.”

Lina Esa & Shermaine Wong

Transforming Creator Compensation

Shermaine notes that the content creation industry has historically struggled with payment delays, with many platforms requiring up to three months for processing. She recognized this challenge as a significant barrier to creator growth and campaign effectiveness. 

“In contrast to comparable companies, which often take 60 to 90 days to process payments, Cult Creative prides itself on prompt compensation for our creators,” Shermaine emphasizes. This commitment shows in the numbers: within the past year, the platform has distributed US$157,514 (RM700,000) to 2,800 creators through partnerships with major brands like Grab, Hotlink, Astro, Farm Fresh, and Marriot Bonvoy Group.

The platform’s payment system extends beyond faster processing. “When it comes to finishing up deliverables, we’ve got you covered!” Shermaine states. “Invoices and agreements are generated automatically, and Cult Creators can expect to be paid within 30 days. This is a significant improvement compared to many competitors who take over 90 days!” 

She adds that the automated system eliminates traditional administrative delays in invoice submissions and payment processing.

Advanced Technology Solutions

Cult Creative combines “the exceptional quality typically associated with traditional agencies alongside the streamlined efficiency of a technology firm,” as Shermaine reveals. The platform features comprehensive tools designed to enhance creator-brand collaboration.

The platform’s foundation is its sophisticated profile system, which Shermaine describes as transformative: “Your social profile is more than just an account; it’s your digital identity! Creators can easily build their media kits by linking their social media profiles, and our platform highlights useful metrics that offer valuable audience insights for brand pitches.”

The platform utilizes advanced data-matching algorithms for discovery. “Our Discovery page curates brand deals that are just right for creators, helping you discover niche campaigns and explore exciting new industries—all focused on delivering the most relevant opportunities,” Shermaine explains. The system analyzes creator profiles and campaign requirements to generate percentage indicators showing match rates between creators and specific campaigns.

Communication efficiency has been enhanced through an integrated chat system. “Switching between DMs, WhatsApp, Telegram, and other platforms can be overwhelming,” Shermaine notes, “so we developed a chat feature to keep your conversations organized by project, minimizing miscommunications and making collaboration a breeze!”

Quality Assurance and Network Growth

With 13k creators across Southeast Asia, Shermaine points out that Cult Creative maintains high standards through sophisticated verification measures. “Our profile feature has been reimagined as a ‘media kit’ for creators,” she explains. “This enables the creator to showcase their engagement rate on their content as well as the top performing ones, which isn’t entirely apparent when viewed directly on the actual platform.”

As Shermaine notes, the platform excels at identifying genuine talent regardless of audience size. “We’ve tapped into creators who – despite not having prominent follower counts – can still deliver quality genuine content that resonates with their audiences,” she shares.

Social Commerce and Future Development

Cult Creative is expanding its capabilities in Southeast Asia’s social commerce sector, responding to significant market opportunities. 

“Cube Asia predicts that social commerce in the region could skyrocket to $125 billion by 2027,” Shermaine shares. “TikTok Shop and Instagram have transformed from just social platforms into powerful spaces where influencers can be prominent sellers, opening the door to a new digital frontier.”

These market shifts are driving new feature development at Cult Creative. “As we plan our upcoming features, we’re thrilled to be developing creator affiliate vetting and activation options that will empower creators to unleash their potential in selling products and driving business,” Shermaine states.

Innovation and Professional Development

Cult Creative is answering market demands by consistently refining its services. Shermaine reveals that the platform’s comprehensive development roadmap begins with the Creator Academy launch in Q1, which will provide hands-on training for emerging creators. 

Alongside this educational initiative, the platform implements sophisticated AI-powered trend analysis capabilities and develops a comprehensive brand dashboard to enhance user experience. Shermaine believes the introduction of CultPay will bring advanced financial management tools to the ecosystem, while new reporting features will provide deeper performance insights for creators and brands.

Community and Industry Impact

The platform focuses on creating lasting value in the content creation sector through strategic initiatives. “Our community impact includes fostering a diverse ecosystem where brands and creators can connect, collaborate, and grow together,” Shermaine explains. 

The CEO notes that by developing innovative monetization tools, Cult Creative actively contributes to Malaysia‘s GDP by fostering sustainable content creation practices that benefit both creators and brands.

Cult Creative continues to enhance brand-creator collaboration standards, making content creation more efficient and rewarding for all participants. “These platforms wonderfully connect brands with aspiring creators, offering personalized campaign matching and tailored opportunities to help them discover their unique niches,” Shermaine concludes.