Top media company Yoola connects China and the West

On the other hand, Mr. Baumel points to the well-developed ecommerce platforms in China and how they offer monetization opportunities that don’t exist in the West: “On some of the leading ecommerce platforms in China, such as Taobao, some of the top revenue-generating stores are KOL stores.”

Founded in 2011, Yoola has cooperated with over 5,000 content creators and rights holders to develop, manage, produce and distribute multi-channel content. Yoola has offices in Los Angeles, Beijing, Haifa, Kiev, St. Petersburg and Moscow.

As a distribution platform, Yoola focuses on globalization of content by partnering with creators to penetrate emerging markets. “We are developing channels in China by leveraging our experienced local team in Beijing along with our network and partnerships with local platforms and networks,”

Baumel said. Yoola has recently launched a food channel in China, SoYummy. The channel premiered on Meipai, Toutiao, Douyin, Weibo and NetEase, already attracting over one million followers on these major platforms.

In July, Yoola took part in the Rise Conference in Hong Kong and was part of a panel about social media and content globalization. According to Baumel, having a format, being creative and authentic and listening to feedback from the audience are how to stand out in the glut of online video content.