Meet Skoutli, the startup helping content creators find the perfect shoot location

The challenge that brands and content creators face is the pressure to create new compelling content, faster and more cost effectively.

In an era where online content is being created at an incredible rate, producers now find it increasingly difficult to make content that cuts through the noise.

One problem that needs to be solved for every campaign is the location. Finding the perfect pool or bathroom for a creative vision is difficult, even more so when considering price, availability and tight deadlines.

Skoutli aims to help creators produce content on location, by providing a platform where they can find and book places for their next shoot, quickly and easily.

Skoutli co-founder and CEO Caroline Lepron says she discovered this unsolved problem whilst running her previous business, a marketplace of commercial kitchens.

Producers were asking to book kitchens for photo shoots and cooking shows, because there was no easy way to do it otherwise. But it wasn’t just kitchens that creators were searching for.

“I began to notice it all around me. People were posting on social media, hoping to find someone who had a terrace with a view.” she said.

“Others would book a whole house for a night, even though they only needed the swimming pool for a bikini shoot for 3 hours. I realised content creators were desperate for a solution.”

With her experience in marketplace businesses, Lepron knew firsthand how hard it can be to create one from scratch.

“Marketplaces always face a chicken and egg problem in the early days, because you need both sides to create value,” she said.

“But I knew this was a problem worth solving, because my early customers were so relieved to have found a solution. We have grown quickly, despite travel restrictions and lockdowns, because producers love how easy we make it for them.”

Lepron said they are constantly looking for new locations for creators who have an amazing variety of requests.

“Last week we were looking for a rooftop carpark for a fashion shoot, an interrogation room for a short movie and a backyard with a hills hoist clothes line for an advertisement!” she said.

Creators can see value in properties that owners might have otherwise overlooked, she adds

“The typical suburban red brick house is in great demand, our producers often need to shoot in a location that’s familiar and relatable. An owner might be embarrassed about their ‘ugly’ pink bathroom, but really it could be the perfect location for our creators to use!”

Skoutli was built with Antler, a global VC which enables and invests in founders building early-stage startups, and the experience played an important role in helping Lepron and her co-founder Jason McDermott shape the business.

“The great thing about Antler is they help you to pause and reflect on your goals, then help you put in place the right team and plan to achieve them,” she said.

“They help with introductions, shape your pitch to investors and make sure your business fundamentals are sound. They know that their support can help your business grow rapidly and they want to make sure you’re ready for that growth.”

Lepron believes Skoutli will become a major player in the location space in the coming years, as the business continues to grow.

Her vision is to offer locations all around the world enabling millions of people to participate in the creative industry by enabling them to access locations that they would have never thought possible before.

“I believe millions of people will benefit from listing their homes, cars and boats on Skoutli,” she said.

“They will be able to use the extra money they earned by hosting shoots, to pay for their next vacation, start their dream project or help pay their bills. And they can also see their home on TV. I believe Skoutli has the potential to help people, all around the world.”