REACH began as a student organization at the University of Southern California. Today, it operates five distinct divisions spanning from campus chapters to venture investments, while organically responding to creator needs rather than having predetermined expansion plans. The company recently appointed marketing veteran Daniel Yi as its new Chief Marketing Officer.

“I want REACH to grow up,” says Daniel, outlining his vision for the company. “Our company just graduated from college; let’s be more professional, put processes and procedures in place, and make REACH look like a legit brand people want to work with.”

Daniel’s appointment marks a pivotal moment for REACH. He says the organization has now expanded to 100 universities with 5,000 active student members commanding a collective 500 million followers and 1,000 alumni with 800 million followers, the company is turning into what founder Dylan Huey envisions as “a new gen ecosystem” serving content creators, digital marketers, and social media enthusiasts across the U.S. 

While REACH has outgrown its origins as a student group, Dylan emphasizes that these collegiate chapters remain foundational to the company’s identity. “Our student organizations are the core of our business. We are first and foremost a community, not a corporation,” Dylan states. “The focus is on building relationships.”

From this community foundation, REACH has developed four complementary for-profit divisions alongside its Nationals student organization: a marketing agency serving over 200 brands monthly, a talent management division representing 50 creators with 5+ million followers each, a ventures division with equity in 25 seed-stage companies, and a film and TV studio that has executive-produced several short films. The company has grown to a team of over 25 people, with Dylan noting he is “the second youngest full-time employee in the company.”

Daniel’s arrival signals REACH’s transformation to address gaps in how creators build businesses across the other divisions aside from Nationals: Marketing (agency services), Talent (creator representation), Ventures (startup advisory and building), and Studios (film and TV production).

“Everything has grown so organically,” Dylan explains. “I’ve never launched a division just to launch one. It’s always been the right moment. That’s why we’ve been successful, launching divisions as they become profitable.”

Brand Expertise Meets Creator Advocacy

Daniel’s arrival at REACH complements the company’s organic approach to growth and relationship-building. Their connection began when Daniel worked at Fanjoy as VP of Marketing, where they collaborated on photoshoots. Years later, Daniel reached out from his position as CMO at Bob’s Watches to explore potential collaborations.

“Daniel was a random person we found,” Dylan explains. “I thought, let’s figure out something to do together. I also wanted to see if I could turn REACH Merch into a Fanjoy storefront.”

The timing finally aligned with the launch of REACH’s TikTok Live initiative. “Dylan said he might have an opportunity that made the timing right. It was a TikTok Live initiative,” Daniel explains. “I saw huge potential. I told my wife, ‘This is the right time.'”

Daniel brings a crucial brand perspective to REACH, having gained years of experience with major consumer companies, including Disney ABC Television Group, PacSun, Weedmaps, Rastaclat, and Fanjoy. This experience as a brand marketing executive gives him unique insight into both sides of the creator economy equation.

“I know what it’s like to be on the brand side, and I know how often agencies don’t deliver,” Daniel explains. “They sell you the A team but give you the D team. There’s a lot of bait and switch. I want to clean it up.”

The TikTok Live Initiative

Daniel’s immediate focus as CMO will be leading REACH’s partnership with TikTok Live. The company was selected as one of just four agency partners to help implement strategies modeled on TikTok’s Chinese playbook.

The partnership established REACH’s credibility in the creator space, particularly noteworthy because TikTok approached REACH rather than vice versa. “We didn’t apply. They came to us,” Daniel notes. TikTok had previously tried to recruit Dylan multiple times. “TikTok asked Dylan to run a TikTok Live agency at least 20 times, and he always said no. But this was different.”

The TikTok Live initiative adds exclusive benefits for REACH, including a rewards program for creators who hit milestones, one-on-one TikTok support for account issues, and direct training on best practices. “In six weeks, we already have 300 people in the pipeline to join our network,” Daniel reveals.

This initiative aligns with Daniel’s vision to elevate REACH to the status of an established talent agency. “I want REACH to be mentioned alongside CAA, UTA, and Wasserman,” he says. “I want creators to think, I want to be part of that. We don’t have to sell hard. It’s a cool kids club.”

Strategic Partnerships

As Dylan and Daniel share, REACH has already demonstrated tangible results for major brands through its existing divisions. The marketing agency has worked with over 200 brands monthly, including helping Triller achieve significant growth during a critical period.

“We helped Triller during the TikTok ban [in January 2025]. In three days, we got creators to promote them, which helped them reach number three on the App Store and number 15 overall. We drove 1 million downloads in three days,” Dylan shares.

For Amazon Prime Video, REACH organized a creator screening in Los Angeles in just seven days. “We invited 100 creators with a combined 500 million followers. That event alone generated $1 million in earned media value,” Dylan notes.

The company has also demonstrated its ability to create standout events, including a pre-Coachella celebrity gifting suite organized by Dylan and his mother, France Tantiado, in just three weeks. “We brought in 750 influencers, each with over a million followers—1.75 billion followers in total,” Dylan explains. “We got 30 brands, including Revlon, Beyond Meat, and Cupshe, to provide products for creators.”

Creating Protective Infrastructure in an Emerging Industry

Both Dylan and Daniel emphasize that REACH’s mission extends beyond business growth to address fundamental vulnerabilities creators face in the industry. They recognize that, despite its growth, the creator economy lacks the necessary infrastructure to protect individual creators from exploitation.

“Compared to traditional entertainment, it’s still so new,” Dylan notes. “The average creator doesn’t think like an entrepreneur. But every creator is a small business.”

According to them, this gap in business acumen leaves creators vulnerable to unfair deals and exploitation. “Creators ask me daily what to charge, how to manage taxes, what write-offs to use,” Dylan shares. “And I ask, have you even set up an LLC? Most haven’t.”

Daniel views this protective function as central to REACH’s value proposition, particularly as REACH expands beyond its collegiate roots. “We want to build a community that feels safe, a place creators can learn how to build a career in this economy.”

The Future of a Creator Ecosystem

As REACH matures under Daniel’s marketing leadership, the company plans to expand its community model beyond universities. Plans include launching non-collegiate chapters in major cities like Los Angeles, New York, Miami, and Chicago, as well as developing high school chapters to protect younger creators.

“Age doesn’t matter when you’re a creator. I’ve been a creator since I was 14,” Dylan notes. “But young creators often get taken advantage of. We want to make sure they have the resources to navigate this world and think like businesspeople.”

Dylan envisions REACH becoming a comprehensive ecosystem similar to the Recording Academy’s structure. “The Recording Academy has Grammy U and professional chapters. We want to do the same thing.”

Daniel plans to enhance REACH’s service offerings to include performance marketing capabilities. “I know performance: paid social, paid search, affiliates, email, SMS – all services we can provide for REACH Marketing.”

While Daniel and Dylan have ambitious growth plans, they emphasize that REACH will continue to prioritize the community. As Dylan explains: “Our definition of a creator is broader than the industry’s. Anyone creating – whether an actor, musician, or entrepreneur – is a creator. Our slogan is connecting creators. That’s who we are at our core.”

Daniel summarizes their shared vision simply: “If you work with REACH, you’ll leave satisfied. It’s like a restaurant; you eat, you’re happy, and you come back for more.”