An Interview with Jeff Kohn
Founder, TopFan
What if your biggest fans weren’t just watching… but actually paying, participating, and helping grow your IP in real time?
For years, creators have been told to chase views, subscribers, and algorithms.
Jeff Kohn has built something different, TopFan. A system where ownership, access, and monetization are baked directly into the audience experience.
Not someday. From day one. This is about turning fans into a real business.
For those who aren’t familiar, what is TopFan and what have you built?
TopFan is a white-label technology that lets creators build their own digital platform so they own their audience and monetize them directly. Previously it was only available for large entertainment entities such as Warner Bros, Fox, MGM, Maroon 5, DC Comics and the NFL and the NBA. Now, we’re opening it up to select creators. This includes unscripted, scripted, kids content, micro-dramas and traditional influencers and media companies.
Instead of relying on social platforms where you don’t control distribution or access, we give creators a white-label fan engagement and monetization platform where they can bring their audience, engage them, monetize through a myriad of different offerings and own the fan relationship and data.
It’s really about ownership and control.
When you say white-label, what does that actually mean for a creator?
It means the creator has their own branded fan experience that they own instead of building on someone else’s platform. Creators get their own branded website and mobile iOS/Android app, their own environment, their own ecosystem.
Their fans are now going to the creator’s world. That’s a big shift from a creator being inside someone else’s platform where they don’t have complete control.
So what are creators actually able to offer inside that environment?
Pretty much anything you can imagine. Exclusive content including videos, podcasts, music, digital products like courses, physical merchandise, event ticketing, livestreams, crowdfunding, personalised experiences, brand integrations, and community interaction. You can structure it however you want.
Some creators use membership subscription tiers. Some use a la carte purchases. Some use gamification to access levels tied to behavior or purchases.
It’s flexible depending on how they want to build their business.
You mentioned gamification. How does that work?
Fans can earn points for being loyal You can grant different levels of point earning based on what a fan does. Maybe they subscribe, maybe they buy something, maybe they engage in a certain way with the creator’s content or other fans.
That unlocks different content, different exclusive opportunities, unique experiences, even badges and awards. It creates a sense of progression and belonging.
What problem are you solving that creators might not fully see yet?
They think having followers on a big social network equates to ownership. It doesn’t. They’re renting access. If the algorithm changes or the platform shifts, they lose reach instantly.
We’re solving that by giving them a direct relationship with their audience, which results in meaningful brand equity since they own their platform, the fan relationship, and the data.
How does that change the actual business side of things?
It creates multiple revenue streams. Instead of just ads or brand deals, now you have direct-to-fan subscriptions, content, products, experiences and more.
And it’s recurring for sustainability, building equity and a path towards liquidity. That’s the big difference.
How should creators think about building with TopFan compared to platforms they already know?
There are pieces of it that feel familiar. You can think about things like Substack, Patreon, Cameo, Masterclass, or even Discord.
But those are usually fragmented. One is for newsletters, one is for memberships, one is for community.
What we’re doing is bringing all of those services together into one place that the creator actually owns and controls. So instead of sending your audience to multiple platforms, everything lives under your brand.
So this replaces having to duct-tape together a bunch of different tools?
Exactly. Most creators are struggling trying to stitch together multiple platforms and technologies to try to build a comprehensive business.. And they still don’t own the relationship or fan data.
We’re simplifying that into one environment where everything is already in one place and works really well together, to eliminate overhead and cost for the creator and friction for the fan.
And most importantly, all the rich fan data is captured, organized and owned by the creator to use for marketing their next product and project, without needing to go through the middleman.
What are the actual features or services creators can offer inside TopFan?
Monthly and annual subscriptions for premium episodic video and audio content are a core piece. But beyond that, you have livestreams, merch drops, digital products like e-books and e-courses, private community spaces, event ticketing, and 1-on-1 experiences and coaching.
It’s not just one model. It’s flexible, every feature of the platform-building technology is modular and up to the creator to determine what they want to utilize and offer to their fans.
What have you seen in terms of what actually converts fans into paying supporters?
Connection and access. People want to feel closer. They want to feel like they’re part of something.
When you give them that, they’re willing to pay.
There’s a lot of focus on scale in the creator world. You’re talking more about depth. Why?
Because depth is what drives revenue. You don’t need millions of people. You need a smaller group that’s highly engaged and willing to support.
Less can sometimes be more. Remember, 10,000 engaged fans spending $100/year with you is a million dollar a year business. That’s where the real value is.
Where do creators mess this up the most?
They delay monetization and fan data collection. They think they need a massive audience first. But if you build the relationship and monetization early, it becomes part of the experience.
It’s much easier to grow that way, and you don’t regret not starting earlier.
How should creators think about bringing their audience into something like this?
You have to give them a reason. Exclusive access, behind the scenes, community, something they can’t get anywhere else.
And you have to be consistent. You can’t just show up once and expect it to work.
How does this connect to the bigger shift happening in media right now?
Creators are becoming the platforms. If you own your audience and can keep their attention, you have leverage. You can launch projects, fund ideas, and build IP without needing traditional gatekeepers.
That’s where everything is going.
What are you personally most excited about right now?
Seeing creators realize they don’t have to wait to build equity for themselves. They can build real businesses directly with their audience. That shift is happening now.
New entertainment formats like micro-dramas are something else we’re excited about and a great example of how creators can use this direct-to-fan approach to take back control and build financial sustainability.
Short-form, serialized content that keeps people coming back. You can release episodes, build storylines, and then layer in access and additional monetization. .
Early releases, exclusive scenes, behind-the-scenes, or deeper story elements inside the platform. It becomes more than just content. It becomes an experience.
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Creators who win next won’t be the ones with the most followers. They’ll be the ones who own the relationship. Build the world, bring your audience inside it, and give them a reason to stay. That’s the shift, and why TopFan is passionate in helping creators build platforms for themselves.
