24 Sep The Shift Crawl: Exclusive Insights From Founder Brooke Berry
The Rise of Creators & Brands IRL
According to Forbes, more than 95% of Gen Z and Millennials are interested in turning their online interactions and passions into real-world experiences. Attending these IRL events has led 84% of attendees to form new friendships, while 45% say such experiences have strengthened their “sense of self.” Brooke Berry’s latest initiative, The Shift Crawl, is at the forefront of this trend, redefining experiential marketing and community-building within the creator economy.
The Shift Crawl: Brooke Berry’s Mission, Creator Strategy, and More!
Our team at The Influencer Marketing Factory held an exclusive interview with Brooke Berry to learn more about the latest with The Shift Crawl and the mission driving her viral venture. The following is a complete account of Brooke Berry’s insights on her community-driven vision and what’s next in the creator economy.
IMF: What inspired you to create Shift Crawl, and what gaps in the social or creator landscape were you hoping to fill with it?
Brooke Berry: Post-COVID, I’ve been thinking a lot about just in-person. I think everybody’s trying to figure out the algorithm online, and I’m just trying to figure out the algorithm in person. I host a lot of events, I go to a lot of events, and I realized that people want to make friends; there’s just no structure outside of nightlife, and so that’s what I’m really trying to solve for. I think about people like my brother, who is neurodivergent and in his 30s, and it’s hard for him to make friends. We’ve got to spend so much money. We went to Comic-Con this year, hoping to make friends, but what do you do? You just kind of walk the halls of Comic-Con and have a conversation for 30 seconds, and that’s it…I’ve also been thinking about this idea that creators and celebrities want to give back. There’s just no forum to really structure for them to really do it in a scalable way, so I’ve been thinking about a lot of things.
And then I would say, literally June 21st—I have it marked, I have the day marked—outbirthed Shift Crawl in my brain…I was, like, what is it I’m missing? It’s right there. People, creators, celebrities, and public figures should go to work and treat that work as meet-and-greets and events where the block can roll up. And I think about it this way: people don’t go to the Krusty Krab for the Krabby Patty. They go because SpongeBob is behind the grill. Like, imagine if SpongeBob invited all of Bikini Bottom to roll up during his shift. So, you know, outspart the idea of Shift Crawl.
IMF: How do you choose which venues and creators who participate in each crawl, and how has your experience been building those relationships?
Brooke Berry: I think for me, in building a proof of concept, these first few Shift Crawls I’m planning are so key. I can give you some insight into the ones I have coming up that haven’t been announced yet. For me, the goal is to start with what the creator is passionate about and build the Shift Crawl around that.
We have a Shift Crawl with Chloe Veitch. She’s the first co-hosted Shift Crawl…at Trejo’s Tacos. Chloe’s from the UK, and she’s new to the States and California. We love our Mexican food out here, and she also loves pets, so it was amazing that we got a local rescue to come to set up a pet adoption for people who want to bring home some pets. So that was an organic integration.
Chloe herself is just a doll. Like, I’ve been out with her when fans meet her, and she’ll spend many minutes talking to them, so a forum like this, where she actually gets to know her fans, is perfect. She has a podcast called Big Sister. It’s just so perfect because she can actually be a big sister in real life.
And then you have Jeremiah Brown—big, big book reader. Who would have thought? I can’t tell the last time I’ve read a book, candidly, but he loves to read books, and he has this online book club. He does these live book readings on Twitch, and I literally go, “What if we brought your book club together in person?” And so we’re doing it at The Last Bookstore downtown.
I’m also choosing the venues very specifically as well. I think it’s important to explore options, talk to people who are kind of down to play, and be a little entrepreneurial in that—take a gamble on something brand new. And then, again, it just has to be unique. So when Jeremiah said he was down, The Last Bookstore was the first and only thing that came to mind. And he had never set foot in that place. I don’t know if you guys have, but it truly is one for its wonders. It’s one for the books—no pun intended.
And then I have my [next] Shift Crawl coming up—my tattoo artist is working a shift where he’s going to tattoo me live in front of, like, 150 to 200 people. So again, starting with something organic, and I might as well get some new ink. My tattooist is young, 19 years old, up-and-coming. Let me give him the spotlight a little bit, let me have this immersive experience where people can see his work, and hopefully, we can generate some work for him. I’m doing it at a local bar called St. Felix out in Hollywood. Shout out, John!
IMF: How does Shift Crawl fit into the evolving conversation about creator monetization and sustainable income streams? Why is the “shift” model effective?
Brooke Berry: I think it solves for two things. One, the reality is not everybody is going to become a MrBeast. That’s just the truth, but it doesn’t mean that their influence doesn’t have an impact. And this idea of, like, I know people with—you know, I only have shy of 100,000 followers, but I can fill a room with 300 people easily. I know moms who could rally 100 other PTA moms, and I know kids outside a grocery store selling 500 Girl Scout cookies.
So this is a new revenue stream specifically for emerging creators. So, of course, you’ll see the Jeremiah Browns, the Chloe Veitches, but this is a pipeline for the people that won’t always get the big flashy brand deals to be able to generate and actually create impact for the local community.
So there are a lot of different ways, I think, in the future that this can be monetized. Of course, what does that look like for brands to come and sponsor Shift Crawls? If Jeremiah were to do a Shift Crawl, I’d say, like a Taco Bell, or maybe a brand that pairs with a local business to really help support and give back.
So I think, again, this is a way for celebrities and brands to give back in a way that’s meaningful for both the community and gets the creator paid—and just makes it a really full experience.
IMF: What’s next for Shift Crawl, and what is your ultimate goal with this exciting IRL initiative?
Brooke Berry: So I am developing a reality show, more to come on that, but I just think there’s a show here. There’s so much IP. I’m building a universe, a world. I’m creating new prototypes. When I think back on one of my favorite reality shows in history, it’s actually MTV’s The Challenge.
I’m 35, guys. I’ve been watching MTV’s The Challenge since I was 18, and it’s funny because I work with some of these people today…I’m going to create that same universe for Shift Crawl that both happens on TV and online, but then it’s also paired with this real-life experience where you can come and see. So a lot is happening there, all fingers crossed.
In terms of some Shift Crawls I have coming up…you’re the first to hear it. I’m planning these huge Shift Crawl takeovers, where I will continue to do some individual strategic ones. I have some really cool ones coming up, but I’m going to do Shift Crawl takeovers where…I have over 50 Netflix reality stars who are going to work a shift together.
And I’ve had big conversations with some big venues…I think it is the perfect pair and perfect venue, and fans are going to go nuts. Some of these people have not been in a room since they shot the show together. So, like, again, you’re seeing this story play out in real life, and it’s going to be the biggest Netflix reunion that fans have ever had the opportunity to be immersed in. It’s the biggest unintentional party Netflix is throwing.
I’m going to attempt to get together the biggest OG YouTuber reunion the world has seen since the early days of VidCon. I’m like, it’s a big bet, but I’m going to try to go after the JC Kalins, the Jacob Sartoruses, you know. I am planning to get about 15 to 20 OG Viners and YouTubers together to work a Shift Crawl.
IMF: This is such an emerging topic with everyone trying to do in-real-life events. Is there anything else you’d like to share about Shift Crawl?
Brooke Berry: I’m really glad you brought that up. I kid you not, I saw nothing of this sort last year. This year, for some reason, I’m seeing a lot more examples. I see Raising Cane’s putting Snoop Dogg behind the counter. I saw Kelsey, one of my Snap Stars on the Snap side, do a brand deal with Chipotle where she goes into Chipotle and her boyfriend Joey from The Bachelor is behind the counter.
So people are circling this idea and tinkering with it, but I’m the first to come and formalize it. And in time, it’s all going to be Shift Crawl. In five years, people will say, “Remember when Snoop Dogg worked a Shift Crawl at Raising Cane’s?” It’s a term that doesn’t exist yet. So people are tinkering with it, but Shift Crawl is the first to formalize and scale it.
This is going to revolutionize influencer marketing as we know it. Any person with a venue has now become a stage. Starting with food and beverage, it doesn’t end there. This can happen on airlines; any airline can stick a creator on there to work a flight as a flight attendant for an hour to Vegas. So this will expand into a lot of different influencer marketing arenas. Food and beverage is the low-hanging fruit that I can do now, today.