Mediakix Accused Of Not Paying Influencers

Several influencers who have worked on ad campaigns with the marketing agency Mediakix, which has in the past boasted several established and powerful brands and creators as clients, said they have not been paid the thousands of dollars the are owed for their work.Mediakix, founded a decade ago in Venice, California, is a “leading influencer marketing agency,” saying on its website it has worked with brands like LG, Old Navy, and Sony Pictures. A spokesperson for Stitcher confirmed this to BuzzFeed News.“They're just pocketing all the money from these big brands, but no one’s saying anything about it,” Malleo said.Two more influencers, who asked not to be named, told BuzzFeed News they were struggling to get paid by Mediakix for campaigns they did with OtterBox. One said they are owed $6,500, and the other said they’re owed $2,500. That influencer declined to share her contract with BuzzFeed News, citing confidentiality agreements in the contract.This was news to OtterBox. A spokesperson for the phone case brand, Kristen Tatti, told BuzzFeed News the company had paid Mediakix for all its campaigns, and it has “proactively and repeated[ly] requested status on payment to these influencers when they alerted us of the issue.” So far, she said, Mediakix has not responded.“We place a lot of value on our relationships with partners and were very surprised to learn that some of our influencers have not been paid,” she said.The third brand in question, Popsa, did not return an inquiry from BuzzFeed News.Both Garcia and Malleo said they wanted to share their experiences in case Mediakix is still signing new contracts for campaigns with other influencers.