When a girl collecting yellow crayons of a specific shade garners millions of views on TikTok, Grace Wethor doesn’t see an outlier—she sees proof of her content strategy thesis.

“Every single brand is a completely different story,” says the 23-year-old founder of GRAE Entertainment, a Los Angeles-based media company bridging the gap between user-generated content and traditional media. “The ideas are limitless. What’s so fun about marketing and media is you can literally do anything to raise awareness.”

Founded in 2020 when Grace was just 18, GRAE addresses a specific market gap: brands seeking authentic audience engagement & creators who understand their audiences intimately, elevating both through production value typically reserved for traditional media.

From Personal Crisis to Strategic Vision

Grace’s approach to content strategy emerged from extraordinary personal circumstances. At 13, she was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. “I was sent home and told to make memories and drink Gatorade because I was passing out multiple times a day,” she recalls.

This diagnosis prompted Grace and her single mother to relocate to Los Angeles, where she began “treating every single day as if it was my last.” The experience catalyzed her interest in media, leading to opportunities with Teen Vogue at 15 and later with Condé Nast.

A pivotal moment came during her TEDx Talk at 15 when she first publicly shared her story. “I realized I wasn’t just telling my story for myself. I was telling it for an audience that could hopefully relate to it, brain tumor or no brain tumor,” Grace explains. “I started getting messages from people saying, ‘No one’s ever said this in this way. I felt so heard when you said this.'”

This realization—that authentic storytelling could forge meaningful connections—directly shaped GRAE’s cross-sector methodology that has become its signature.

Cross-Sector Content Development

Building on this foundation, GRAE employs a methodology that defies traditional agency models offering standardized service packages. “We don’t have a list of services that fits all clientele,” Grace explains. “It’s having a meeting and saying, what’s the craziest thing we can think of within our budget and how can we make it happen?”

The company’s differentiator lies in connecting previously separate elements of the media ecosystem. GRAE facilitates strategic alignments between creators, brands, and nonprofits—developing content that serves multiple objectives simultaneously.

“We’ve created feature films for nonprofits, scripted movies about a cause that help them tell their story and reach a global audience,” Grace explains. “We work with creators on everything from photo shoots to designing concerts to wardrobe, helping them create an overall story that feels authentic but elevated.”

This cross-sector approach has positioned GRAE at the center of a significant transformation in how content is created and consumed.

The Strategic Convergence of Creator and Legacy Media

This integration addresses a market evolution that Grace has identified: the convergence of creator-based and legacy media formats.

“When we started, the trend was still mostly traditional media. During COVID, content trends became very personal, quick content created by creators in their bedrooms,” she notes. “Now, in 2025, I believe it’s becoming a blend of both.”

GRAE develops strategies leveraging both creator authenticity and traditional media production values. Grace points to examples like Emma Chamberlain, who evolved from creating bedroom content to appearing at Louis Vuitton shows and in Vogue.

“When you create that connection that makes you feel like you’re best friends with a creator, but then they’re doing these huge things like being on the cover of Vogue, it creates incredible loyalty where people are literally cheering on these creators like they know them,” Grace explains.

The Niche Strategy and Brand Partnerships

Recognizing this media convergence, GRAE emphasizes embracing niche interests rather than chasing broad appeal. “You could make content about forks, there are people out there that will watch that,” Grace laughs. “The most niche thing—imagine there is an audience for it.”

This approach fundamentally reorients the traditional brand-creator dynamic. Rather than brands dictating terms, Grace advocates for a partnership model respecting the creator’s relationship with their audience.

The key insight GRAE emphasizes: “The brand is now the guest in the creator’s space.”

“This isn’t your brand platform anymore. What works for a brand’s platform may not work for a creator’s,” Grace notes. “If you find an influencer aligned with your brand and trust they know their audience, that authenticity comes through in a way that is undeniable.”

GRAE helps brands navigate this paradigm by identifying creators whose natural style aligns with brand objectives: “If it’s not positioned in a way that feels real, it won’t work. It will be skipped very quickly.”

Strategic Measurement and Long-Term Impact

To ensure these authentic partnerships deliver results, GRAE maintains a strategic approach to measurement, establishing precise objectives first.

“When working on any project, you have to be clear about your goal,” Grace explains. “Some want maximum visibility; others prioritize sales or email sign-ups.”

This addresses a common disconnect: “When content creation started, success was based only on views. Many companies didn’t understand that it doesn’t always have a high conversion rate.”

GRAE evaluates success through metrics aligned with specific client objectives. “You could have a video with 10 million views but one sale—if sales were the goal, that’s not successful. You could get 10,000 views and sell 1,000 items—that would be a successful campaign.”

Beyond metrics, GRAE challenges the industry’s fixation on quick short-form content. Grace advocates for a blend of short and longer professional formats with lasting impact: “A quick TikTok is great, but if you can create a book or movie that people connect with for years and years, that’s where my real passion lies.”

This manifests in projects like GRAE’s partnership with a nonprofit to develop a feature film. “How do we reach people who have never been affected by cancer and get them to engage with it? If they’re watching a movie for entertainment and leave learning something new, we’ve done our job.”

Strategic Integration for the Future

Building on this commitment to lasting content impact, GRAE’s future direction focuses on further integrating traditional media formats with digital approaches.

“My goal for GRAE is more traditional media,” Grace says. “I think as an industry we’ve strayed away from long-form content like films and books. I want to go back.”

The company positions short-form content as entry to a broader content ecosystem: “Short-form content is an incredible opportunity to build an audience loyal enough to stick around for something longer than 30 seconds. Many creators forget they have that power.”

“When you realize that power, the type of content and projects you can put into the world grows substantially,” Grace concludes.