Influencer marketing platform #paid, has hired Charlie Locke as its VP of Platform Sales. Locke will take #paid’s existing industry-leading platform and make it accessible for every marketing team and agency around the world to run world-class influencer marketing programs. #paid—whose platform leverages AI to match marketers and content creators for scaled, authentic influencer marketing programs and incredible content creation—will now begin to focus on bringing its influencer platform to brands and agencies so they may run these specialized campaigns independently.

“I’m looking forward to working closely with marketers at brands and agencies to make influencer marketing more transparent, demonstrate proven ROI, and ensure we make the process of running influencer marketing programs as smooth as possible.”

Locke was previously VP of Sales at Flashstock; after its acquisition by Shutterstock he was appointed VP of Enterprise Sales, North America. Prior, he was Regional Manager of Salesforce’s New York and Canada Commercial Business, where he was twice named Manager of the Year. He also founded two independent sales technology companies.

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“I joined #paid because the team has a unique opportunity to disrupt the fast-growing influencer marketing industry as brands are moving their media spend away from traditional channels into social platforms where they are getting much better performance.” said Locke. “I’m looking forward to working closely with marketers at brands and agencies to make influencer marketing more transparent, demonstrate proven ROI, and ensure we make the process of running influencer marketing programs as smooth as possible.”

#paid will open its platform with an offering that focuses on enabling marketers to run world-class influencer marketing programs on their own, harnessing #paid’s technology and curated network of creators. Additionally, #paid will accelerate innovation of its AI-powered matching algorithm, Affinity Score, which uses advanced image-recognition, industry benchmarks, and relationships with valued creators to ensure optimal and authentic recommendations.

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“#paid is focused on helping creators make a living doing what they love. For us, this means allowing more marketers to access the technologies that have made #paid successful—from delivering world-class influencer marketing programs to measuring tangible ROI for our customers,” explained Bryan Gold, #paid’s co-founder and CEO. “We are excited to have Charlie join the #paid team; his background in helping clients adopt transformative technologies will be a great benefit for our customers, creators, and the influencer marketing industry as a whole.”

Since its $9M Series A raise in the spring, #paid has championed its growth across North America with offices in New York and Toronto. The company has added key company hires and is on track for a record year as it prepares for an upcoming launch of the beta version of its nascent platform.

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