Patrick Janelle Named Chairman of American Influencer Council

Patrick Janelle, whose Instagram handle is @aguynamedpatrick which has amassed some 417,000 followers on Instagram, has been named chairman of the board of the American Influencer Council. He succeeds Chriselle Lim, who is taking time to expand her child-focused educational start-up.

Lim will remain active as founding member of the AIC, which was founded by Qianna Smith Bruneteau.

Janelle is also a founding member of the AIC and has been Consumer Transparency chair. His highly stylized images of fashion, food, lifestyle and travel on Instagram led to his winning the inaugural CFDA Instagrammer award in 2014.

“I am honored to carry on the important work that Chriselle started since the launch of the AIC. The influence marketing industry is where I found my outlet as a creative individual, where I cultivated my community and found my calling as a digital media entrepreneur. Social media platforms are always evolving, and so we, as career creators, must stay informed of our trade, laws, and growth opportunities. Trade services and business development resourced are invaluable,” said Janelle.

As chairman, Janelle is committed to establishing an industry blueprint that puts a clear definition on career influencing. The AIC looks to engage the creator community in a dialogue to draft this document through a creator town hall series that will launch in 2021.

One of Janelle’s top priorities will be the development of a Creator Code of Conduct linked to professional ethics standards. Providing mentorship on self-advocating, creating a career path, and developing business acumen will be priorities for the Learning and Development committee. The L&D committee is now co-chaired by Summer Albarcha and photographer Erick Hercules, creator of the #WeLevitate movement. Both recently joined the AIC as founding members.

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