After founding Ipsy four years ago to connect brands with beauty influencers, YouTube make-up guru Michelle Phan is taking the service to a whole new level with the launch of Open Studios.
Ipsy began as a monthly beauty product sample delivery service, and now generates more than $US150 million in annual revenue and boasts over a million subscribers. Last Friday, Ipsy announced its exciting new Open Studios venture, developed to help other beauty entrepreneurs follow Phan’s path.
Members will be given access to Ipsy’s studio space, audio and lighting equipment, and editing suite at its Santa Monica, California offices free of charge. Participants will also have access to mobile apps and other digital tools, as well as free mentoring with Phan and Ipsy staff. They will also be able to attend industry events.
“When I first started, there really was no beauty guru community. I didn’t have the right production resources. I had to learn how to edit. I didn’t even have beauty products. I had to go out and buy them myself because beauty brands didn’t even know what a beauty guru was,” Phan tells Fortune.
“I’ve built the roadmap for the past eight years for any beauty creator. It’s something I had to build out, and now I want to go into the next stage of my career and mentor other creators and pave a new road.”
And it seems up-and-coming beauty vloggers are keen to jump on Phan’s offer, with the Open Studios program receiving more than 1,000 applications within hours of its launch. The Ipsy team will be looking at all submissions to choose the correct candidates.
Phan is also set to benefit from the program. Ipsy CEO and founder Marcelo Camberos reveals, “Those [the beauty entrepreneurs] are the people creating the next generation of beauty brands. If we can provide a platform for all these beauty creators as they’re growing up and getting more famous, it builds an affinity between us and them.”
Image: Instagram.com/michellephan
