# Ian Shepherd

> Ian Shepherd is the London-based co-founder and co-CEO of Electrify, a media business that invests in established creator-founded brands and supplies operational support. A former Disney, Universal Music and Turner Broadcasting executive and founder of The Social Store, he also hosts The Business of Creators podcast and contributes to Forbes.

- **Role:** Co-founder and Co-CEO at Electrify
- **Organizations:** Electrify, The Business of Creators, The Social Store, The Walt Disney Company, Universal Music Group, Turner Broadcasting / WarnerMedia, BT, Deloitte Consulting, Forbes
- **Nationality:** British
- **Education:** Mechanical Engineering, first-class honours, University of Birmingham, London Business School
- **Known for:** Co-founded Electrify in 2021 with Owen Maher and Justin Reizes., Founded The Social Store, supporting creator consumer products and events., Built the Business of Influencers professional network to more than 500 people, according to the podcast description.

## Career timeline

- **Before 2018** — Worked in commercial and strategy roles at businesses including Disney, Universal Music, Turner Broadcasting and BT.
- **2015** — Around this time, his eldest daughter’s interest in YouTube helped spark his interest in creators, according to his Electrify interview.
- **2017** — Established the Business of Influencers network, which later became the foundation for The Business of Creators podcast.
- **2018** — The Social Store Limited was incorporated in April; by September it was behind the Hearts by Tiana retail pop-up in Birmingham.
- **2018** — Selected for License Global’s 40 Under 40.
- **2021** — Co-founded Electrify with Owen Maher and Justin Reizes; The Business of Creators podcast launched that year.
- **2023** — Electrify announced $50 million in MEP Capital-led funding; Capital D became its first institutional equity investor later that year.
- **2024** — Announced The Business of Creators’ move from audio-only to video after more than 50 episodes.
- **2025** — Spoke with Veritasium founder Derek Muller at Web Summit Qatar about building creator businesses.
- **2026** — Continued leading Electrify as it partnered with The Rundown and expanded its formats and distribution work.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Electrify in 2021 with Owen Maher and Justin Reizes.
- Founded The Social Store, supporting creator consumer products and events.
- Built the Business of Influencers professional network to more than 500 people, according to the podcast description.
- Hosts The Business of Creators, which published episode 90 on 12 October 2026.
- Named in License Global’s 2018 40 Under 40 selection.
- Contributes creator economy reporting and analysis to Forbes.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — Hosted Raj Shamani on episode 90 of The Business of Creators, published 12 October.
- **2026-10** — Electrify announced Patrick Walker as Chief Strategy Officer and Al Brown as EVP Creative and Editorial on 14 October.
- **2026-09** — Electrify introduced InGenius, developed by the Veritasium and Electrify teams, on 30 September.
- **2026-09** — Electrify reported bringing more than 130 people together for its ninth company offsite in Lisbon.
- **2026-06** — Electrify announced its partnership with Rowan Cheung’s The Rundown on 9 June.

## Links

- Website: https://bizofcreators.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ishepherd/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/IShepherd
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bizofcreators

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/ian-shepherd
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-22