What Character does

Character (legal entity 1180 Media) is a New York-based performance branding agency founded in 2021 by CEO Scott Swanson and Co-Founder Nik Sharma to serve premium direct-to-consumer e-commerce brands spending over $100,000 per month on digital channels. The firm operates at the intersection of performance marketing and brand storytelling, combining three interconnected service modules: creative content production (product-in-use videos, unboxing, reviews), editorial content writing (article deep dives and value-proposition content), and paid media distribution across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Google.

The company's core differentiator is an owned publisher and creator network that produces third-party, voice-driven editorial and UGC content, then amplifies it through structured paid media. Character reports 1M+ monthly views across its publisher network, 10M+ prospecting customers reached, 250K+ new customers acquired for clients, $50M+ in new client revenue generated, and $25M+ in media spend under management. Separately operated ad accounts and full-funnel analytics transparency are positioned as core operational features.

The business operates on professional services fees: a 2-month partnership followed by month-to-month engagements, with most clients going live within 2–3 weeks of signing. Character maintains two sister brands — Sharma Brands, a full-service agency offering brand launches and channel expansion, and HOOX, a landing page conversion solution — which together form a complementary e-commerce growth ecosystem owned within the Sharma portfolio. The firm is privately held and bootstrapped, with no disclosed funding rounds, parent company, or institutional investors.

Name

Character

Legal name

1180 Media

Website

https://character.nyc

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Character is a New York-based performance branding agency founded in 2021 that combines creative content, editorial writing, and paid media distribution through an owned publisher and creator network to serve premium DTC e-commerce brands spending over $100,000 per month on digital channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performance Marketing & Branding Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810), Media Buying Agencies (54183), Media Buying Agencies (541830), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Affiliate & Performance Creator Programs (BPAFAHAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Brand Consulting, Audits & Research (Brand Health, Equity, Competitive) (BPAFAEAJ)

Keywords

• Performance branding agency
• Paid media services
• E-commerce marketing
• Creative content production
• Brand storytelling

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Performance Branding Agency Services: Agency fees for performance branding services including creative content creation, strategic media buys, and distribution across social platforms. Operates on month-to-month basis after initial 2-month partnership period.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Character is a performance branding agency that combines creative content production, editorial content writing, and paid media distribution to help e-commerce brands lower customer acquisition costs and drive incremental revenue. Services span product-in-use videos, product reviews, article-style editorial content, and strategic media buying across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Google, amplified through an in-house publisher and creator network.

Product overview

Character is a performance branding agency that operates at the intersection of performance marketing and branding. The company offers a unified service portfolio centered on 'performance branding' — an art-science approach combining creative content production, editorial content writing, and paid media distribution to help e-commerce brands achieve rapid growth, strong consumer trust, and lower customer acquisition costs. The core offering includes three interconnected service modules: creative content production (product videos, unboxing, reviews), editorial content writing (articles, deep dives, value propositions), and paid media distribution (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Google ads via an owned publisher and creator network). Character also has two sister brands — Sharma Brands (full-service agency for brand launches and scaling) and HOOX (landing page development solution) — which together form a comprehensive e-commerce growth ecosystem.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Performance Branding Services Core agency offering combining creative storytelling with paid media execution for direct-to-consumer e-commerce brands, targeting rapid growth, strong consumer trust, and lower customer acquisition costs.
• Creative Content Production Production of product-in-use videos, product unboxing footage, and product review assets for use in paid advertising and brand storytelling.
• Editorial Content Writing Article-style writing covering product deep dives, value proposition highlights, and urgency-building content designed to educate and inform potential customers.
• Paid Media Distribution Strategic media buying and distribution across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Google, leveraging an in-house publisher and creator network and whitelisted ad handles for long-running creatives.

Quantifiable outcome

• 10M+ prospecting customers reached
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered sister_brand.

• Sharma Brandssister_brandStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister brand under Sharma Brands portfolio. Sharma Brands is a next-level agency helping companies of all sizes, stages, and business models scale with services including brand launches, creative strategy, retention strategy, channel expansion, conversion rate optimization, and repositioning.
• HOOXsister_brandStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister brand providing landing page solution for converting more customers. HOOX increases new customer conversion rate and drives better ROAS with services including ideation, wireframing, copywriting, UI design, development, and launch.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Hawke Media: Full-service DTC and e-commerce marketing agency offering paid media, creative, content, and CRO. Comparable on customer base (premium DTC brands) and bundled performance + brand offering.
• Disruptive Advertising: Performance marketing agency specializing in paid media management, creative, and analytics for e-commerce and lead-gen clients. Comparable on paid media buying core and creative-to-media integration.
• Major Tom: Digital marketing agency providing strategy, media, and creative services to mid-market and enterprise e-commerce and DTC brands. Comparable on integrated creative + paid media offering and target customer.
• Sharma Brands: Sister brand under the same founders (Nik Sharma) offering brand launch, creative strategy, retention, and CRO services to DTC brands. Operates the same customer segment and shares founders, making it the closest comparable on positioning and clientele.
• Common Thread Collective: Performance marketing agency focused on DTC and e-commerce brands, offering paid media, creative, and lifecycle services. Directly comparable on customer segment, service mix (creative + paid media), and outcome-driven positioning.
• Power Digital Marketing: Performance and brand marketing agency serving mid-market and enterprise e-commerce and DTC brands across paid media, SEO, content, and creative. Comparable on integrated performance + creative service model.
• LYFE Marketing: Social media and digital marketing agency serving small and mid-sized e-commerce brands with paid social, content, and influencer services. Comparable on paid social focus and DTC customer base.

Broad incumbents

• SmartSites: Digital marketing agency offering paid media, SEO, web design, and CRO to small and mid-sized businesses including e-commerce. Comparable on paid media buying but broader, less DTC-niche focus.
• Tinuiti: Largest independent performance marketing agency in the US, offering paid media, commerce, and CRM services across major channels. Comparable on paid media buying capability and channel breadth, but serves a much wider portfolio and larger enterprise clients.

Others

• HOOX: Sister brand under Character's founders offering landing page CRO services (ideation, wireframing, copy, UI, dev, launch). Adjacent ecosystem partner rather than competitor — feeds CRO work that complements Character's media buying.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/characternyc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Character