Famous Birthdays, the digital media brand known for its vast database of information on internet celebrities and creators, is looking to leverage its unique position in the social media landscape to transform into a one-stop shop for brands and talent agencies looking for their next breakout star.

At the helm of this new strategic push is Zach Ferraro, a veteran of digital media and the creator economy who was brought on board by Famous Birthday founder and CEO, Evan Britton this year to head up the new Famous Birthdays Pro platform. Ferraro believes that what has made Famous Birthdays into a ubiquitous reference tool for fans can also make it invaluable to brands trying to identify the right influencer partners.

“The value in this platform is [our unique] first party data,” Ferraro said, referring to the site’s troves of real-time information on up-and-coming internet talent. “The only platforms with more first party data in this industry are trillion dollar companies.”

Ferraro brings with him over a decade of experience working at the intersection of digital media, education technology, and influencer marketing. He joins Famous Birthdays from Fourthwall, a well-funded startup developing tools to help influencers maximize their earning potential from branded content deals.

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Opportunities for Brands, Agencies, and Talent

For brands and agencies, Ferraro envisions Famous Birthdays Pro as a way to identify exactly the right influencer partners at exactly the right time. The platform would leverage its rich user data to highlight creators on the verge of a breakout moment that strategic marketers could capitalize on.

He also believes Famous Birthdays is uniquely positioned to add value on the talent side, thanks to the brand recognition and industry trust it has accrued over more than a decade of cementing itself into youth culture.

“I want [creators] to see this platform, it’s not just exposure, but…exposure specifically to brands and agencies [that] can bring them a lot of value,” Ferraro said.

This focus on bringing opportunities to burgeoning talent ties directly into Ferraro’s motivation for getting into the influencer space – his passion for the world of online video and the culture of collaboration he believes the internet enables.

“It’s pure creativity. It’s the most disruptable industry that has ever existed because anyone…with a phone can [become] one of the biggest creators in the world,” Ferraro said. “It incentivizes this collaboration.”

Ubiquity Today, Industry Validation Tomorrow

In the near term, Ferraro is focused on getting brands, agencies, and management companies recognizing the value Famous Birthdays can provide and actively putting its data sets to use in their influencer outreach efforts.

But his vision for the future is even bolder – Ferraro wants having an official Famous Birthdays profile to itself become a benchmark validating an influencer’s arrival and opening doors for their career advancement.

“The long term goal is that Famous Birthdays having a profile is validation that opens the doors to opportunities,” Ferraro said.

To get to that end goal, Ferraro plans to intimately understand how current Famous Birthdays Pro users are leveraging the platform, then evolve its offerings based directly on the success stories that emerge.

The ambitious vision outlined by Ferraro builds upon over a decade of work by Famous Birthdays founder Evan Britton. It was Britton who first recognized the potential value in aggregating data about rising social media talent over 13 years ago. Since then, he has quietly built Famous Birthdays into one of the most heavily-trafficked hubs of information on digital creators.

“[Evan Britton] saw value in building this before anyone really recognized it…[the industry] may recognize Famous Birthdays, but they may not know the deeper value here,” Ferraro said, expressing admiration for Britton’s early foresight.

Now, by bringing Ferraro’s expertise in digital media and influencer marketing into the fold, Britton and Famous Birthdays appear ready to fully unlock the potential of the platform they have architected – both for brands hungry for influencer partnerships and for creators looking for their big break.