Subs: The OnlyFans Founder's Bet on the Creator Economy's Next Phase

by Staff Writer

Tim Stokely built OnlyFans into a platform that changed how creators monetize. Now he's back with Subs, a mobile-first subscription platform that combines video hosting, paid memberships, and direct fan interaction in one place. Launched in May 2025, Subs is his answer to what creators told him they actually need: fewer tools, more control, and better economics. Stokely knows the creator economy from the inside. He co-founded OnlyFans in 2016 and led it through explosive growth before stepping down in 2021. That experience taught him where platforms fall short. Creators are scattered across multiple tools. Discoverability is inconsistent.

Revenue models favor platforms over the people making the content. Subs is built to fix that. "There's a clear demand for a subscription platform that gives creators everything they need in one place," Stokely says. "It isn't just for one type of creator, it's for all creators."

The platform is designed to collapse the friction between discovery and monetization. Through its Shows feature, Subs offers a YouTube-style viewing experience, but with the creator's paid profile sitting directly behind the video. One click unlocks exclusive content, messaging, or a video call. That seamless conversion model is what sets it apart. Creators don't need to send audiences somewhere else to subscribe. The revenue opportunity happens where the content lives. Stokely frames the potential clearly: "If Kylie Jenner converted just 0.5% of her Instagram following onto Subs at $10 per month, she'd generate around $20 million per month in income from subscriptions alone."

Beyond subscriptions, Subs offers multiple revenue streams. Creators can earn from 1:1 audio and video calls, collaborate through revenue-sharing features called Collabs, and tap into a two-tier referral program that rewards both creators and agencies for driving growth. The platform gives creators an 80% commission rate, the same structure Stokely established at OnlyFans. Early traction suggests agencies are already using Subs to manage talent at scale, which points to potential for broader adoption across the creator economy.

The platform is entering a high-growth phase. Over the next 12 to 18 months, Stokely's team is focused on expanding features, integrating smarter AI tools, and building deeper workflows for agencies and individual creators. Subs supports all content categories, from podcasters and fitness coaches to musicians and adult creators, with AI-powered moderation and rigorous age and identity verification built in. The infrastructure is designed to let creators build sustainable businesses, not chase fleeting engagement metrics.

Stokely's broader thesis is clear. Creators want to diversify income, improve discoverability, and turn their audience into a long-term asset. The next phase of the creator economy belongs to platforms that support growth, sustainability, and creative freedom without boxing people into predefined categories. Subs is his bet that creators are ready for infrastructure that treats them like business owners, not content suppliers.

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