About Us — ViralBrand
About ViralBrand

We didn't wait for this category.
We helped build it.

Since 2004, ViralBrand has pioneered creator-affiliate marketing — building fan-fueled advocacy engines for some of the world's most iconic brands. From among the first influencer events ever produced to becoming the agency of record for TikTok Shop's U.S. launch, we've helped shape every major inflection point in the creator economy.

The most powerful marketing force on earth isn't an ad. It isn't an algorithm.

It's a human being telling another human being: you have to try this.

Word of mouth. Brand advocacy. People raving about your brand because they genuinely love it. That's what builds a viral brand — and it always has.

A viral brand isn't a brand that goes viral. It's a brand owned by its fans. Chick-fil-A, In-N-Out, Disney — these brands didn't get lucky. They're structurally designed to be powered by communities of fans, creators, and advocates who drive awareness, engagement, and sales every month.

That's the ViralBrand Methodology: a brand is built from the grassroots up — community by community — not bought or advertised into existence. We build the engine. Then we run it.

Your sales team just got a whole lot bigger.

★ The Team Behind The System

The People Behind
the Engine.

Rick Schirmer, MBA
Founder & CEO

Disney-trained, Oxford-educated brand strategist. Pioneered creator-affiliate marketing in 2004 at Motive Entertainment — contributing to $2.4B+ in worldwide box office. Founded DBA West and PartnersHub in 2009, acquired by Gloo (now Nasdaq: GLOO). Designed the ViralBrand operating system: the four-engine system, ViralBrand Intelligence™ scoring, and the Creator-Affiliate Program infrastructure that powers every client engagement.

Disney · Pixar · Paramount · Walmart · Chick-fil-A · The Chosen · Samsung · Mercedes-Benz
Rachel McCord
Founder

One of Hollywood's most recognized social media influencers and celebrities — referred to by the Daily Mail as the "Influencer of Influencers." Host of the nationally syndicated television show The McCord List Today and Founder & CEO of The McCord List Media Network — a creator-led media company producing 18 talk shows and creator-hosted programs. Author, producer, host of Bloomberg TV's "Female Founders," and the operator who built one of the most engaged personal brands in lifestyle and fashion.

The McCord List Today · Bloomberg TV · Daily Mail · 18 Creator-Led Shows · Magic Convention · Fashion · Lifestyle
★ Heritage

20+ Years of Firsts.

Long before "influencer marketing" had a name — before TikTok, before Instagram, before the word "creator" meant what it means today — ViralBrand was quietly pioneering the playbook now used across every major brand activation in the world.

2004
Our First Coachella Activation.
Our first Coachella activation — working alongside Goldenvoice and AEG Live to bring grassroots creator-driven experiences to the festival. Two decades before brand houses became a $100M+ category at Coachella, we were already running activations on the ground.
Early Festival Activation
2005
Among the First Influencer Events & Creator PR Boxes.
We designed and executed one of the first influencer events — and sent one of the first creator PR boxes — for The Chronicles of Narnia. Both were nearly unheard of at the time. We helped pioneer both. We also pioneered embeddable video syndication for movie trailers in January 2005 — a month before YouTube was even founded.
Category-Defining
2009
Built One of the First Influencer Platforms.
Founded DBA West and built PartnersHub — one of the first influencer marketing platforms in the industry. Later acquired by Gloo (now Nasdaq: GLOO). We weren't writing about influencer marketing. We were building the infrastructure.
Platform Pioneer
2010
The First Live Social Media Chat in Hollywood History.
We produced the first live social media chat in Hollywood history — with a film director, and then with Angelina Jolie promoting their films. We syndicated the chats across hundreds of blogs, reaching millions of live viewers.
Livestream Pioneer
2013
The Hollywood Influencer Event Scene.
We pioneered the Hollywood influencer event scene — creating the blueprint that later became the cultural infrastructure of Coachella, Cannes, Fashion Week, Super Bowl weekend, and every major brand activation weekend in LA.
Still the Blueprint
2020
We Helped Launch Amazon Live.
When Amazon opened Amazon Live to creators in 2020, we were early — activating creators on the platform and helping pioneer the livestream shopping category in the U.S. Before livestream commerce was a buzzword, we were building it.
Livestream Commerce Pioneer
2022
Agency of Record for TikTok Shop's U.S. Launch.
TikTok hired us as their official partner and agency of record to launch TikTok Shop nationally in America. We activated 20,000+ creators and built the early-adoption engine for what's now a category-defining commerce platform.
Platform-Level Launch
2024
Rewrote the TV Launch Playbook.
We designed a first-of-its-kind go-to-market strategy for The Chosen: launching each new season in movie theaters instead of on television to turn premieres into viral cultural events. The result — The Chosen became the only television show in history to gross nearly $150M at the box office.
Distribution Reinvented
Today
We're Still Ahead.
Two decades later, the discipline we helped pioneer has become a global industry. Platforms still hire us when they need to launch categories. Brands still call us when they want to build something that hasn't been built before.
20+ Years In
★ And Now You

The next chapter of viral brands is being written right now. Let's write yours.

Book A Strategy Call →
"A viral brand is owned by the people who love it. They drive awareness. They drive engagement. They drive sales. They become the most powerful sales force a brand can have — because they're not paid to promote, they're powered to advocate."
RICK SCHIRMER — FOUNDER & CEO, VIRALBRAND
ViralBrand HQ

MBS Media Campus.

One of Hollywood's most iconic production lots. Home to Avatar, The Mandalorian, Beyoncé's Renaissance, and Marvel's biggest productions. This is where we build viral brands.

CREATOR LOUNGE

Private creator space for brand activations, community events, masterminds, and VIP experiences.

PRODUCTION STUDIO

Content production, creator shoots, podcast recording, and campaign asset creation. LED soundstage access.

BRAND OPERATIONS

Strategy, client services, campaign management, and the ViralBrand Intelligence™ engine. Everything runs from here.

1600 ROSECRANS AVE · MANHATTAN BEACH, CA 90266 · MBS MEDIA CAMPUS · SILICON BEACH
LOS ANGELES · HQ LAS VEGAS DETROIT ATLANTA BOULDER · LONDON HONG KONG SEOUL
U.S. + INTERNATIONAL · ONE OPERATING SYSTEM

Build a viral brand.
With us.

Book a strategy call and we'll map the creator-powered growth engine for your brand — and see if we're the right fit.

Book A Strategy Call