VicTreeFi Announces Launch of Nillie, the Official Platform for Athletes to Build Their Name, Image and Likeness
Last week we had the chance to meet up with VicTreeFi power couple, Chrissy and Wheeler, to discuss the upcoming launch of their latest project, Nillie. You might recognize them as the couple who are pioneering the world of NIL compliance in Savannah. Which is exactly what they are doing with their new platform Nillie.
Christine “Chrissy” Earl is the Founder of VicTreeFi and Wheeler Flemming is the Program Coordinator and Engineer at VicTreeFi.
What is Nillie? Nillie is a platform that “walks athletes through each step of brand development [to] create [their] own NIL opportunities through merchandise sales.”
The two explained the origin of their brainchild and what inspired them to get it going. They currently have their podcast Name, Image, Likeness where they talk with athletes and other businesses about the world of finance and NIL compliance. Through this process, they found that other companies working in the NIL area were just matching star athletes with big brands.
Chrissy and Wheeler decided they wanted to make it possible for any athlete to “monetize their NIL” and work with whatever brands they wanted to, or monetize on their own.
Thus,Nillie was born. In the six months since the last article about Nillie, Chrissy and Wheeler have poured into this new platform and walked us through the process for their athletes. Once Nillie launches on June 13th, 2022 athletes who want to make a brand for themselves can do so, easily and for free!
Before heading to Nillie, Chrissy says it’s vital for athletes to familiarize themselves with their state’s compliance/legislation for NIL as well as their school’s policies. Once you know what you are and aren’t allowed to do, the fun part begins.
First, go to Nillie and get started on your profile. You’ll need to have an idea of what you want your brand to be, and who you are as an athlete and a person. Upload your profile picture, then write a bio about yourself – what you like, who you are, your athletic history and associations, and what you are looking for in terms of revenue generating opportunities.
Wheeler Flemming
Next, you need to decide how you want to monetize your NIL. Do you want to sell your own merch? Are you looking for brand deals? Don’t know? Chrissy and Wheeler will walk you through every step of building your brand and help you key in on what you want to do.
Of course, you will want to re-focus on your social media by showing your audience what you are all about and engage heavily with your following. “No matter how many followers you have, the thing that brands care about is your engagement. You may have 500 followers but if you are replying to all your comments and actively engaging with your audience, that means more to brands and they will want to work with you.” Chrissy explained.
Chrissy Earl
Approaching the companies you want to work with might be the hardest part, but Chrissy and Wheeler encourage athletes to never stop trying to make those connections with their ideal brand or sponsor. It will pay off.
One of the coolest aspects of their new platform is that athletes can build their own merch within the website. In their demonstration, Chrissy and Wheeler started a collection for one of their athletes and added a new item in less than 5 minutes. ”If you did really well in a game and want to add new merch to celebrate, you can do it before you even leave the building,” Wheeler finished. And to top it off, if you are hitting a creative block or don’t know what to add to your store next, Chrissy and Wheeler will match you up with one of their graphic design interns to work on something unique for you! Each athlete will get their profile on the website that has a shareable link so people will be able to view their profile or their shop.
Another exciting aspect of Nillie is their ambassador program where selected student athletes will be featured on the Nillie landing page to announce the student’s NIL deal with VicTreeFi. These ambassadors are student-athletes from the SCAD, Georgia Southern, University of Montevallo, the University of Alabama at Huntsville, and Graceland University. ! This will allow the ambassadors to monetize their name, image and likeness as well as draw in other athletes to do the same.
Also coming this summer, VicTreeFi/Nillie will be sponsoring recent Savannah graduates who are looking to further their sports careers by walking them through how NIL compliance and Nillie work, the do’s and don’ts of the NIL world and how to set up their presence and brand. Chrissy and Wheeler are so invested in the Savannah community and want to continue building relationships with athletes in our area, saying they just want to “spread the love in Savannah.”
Custom art by Hannah Smith
To tackle this massive project, Chrissy and Wheeler have hired two interns from the area and one full-time staff member as well as their contract graphic designer Hannah Smith. Hannah is a recent SCAD graduate, former lacrosse player and graphic designer. She is their go-to for designing art and fantastic portraits of their athletes for Nillie.
Hannah Smith’s piece for Nillie ambassador Olivia
Chrissy and Wheeler encourage anyone who is interested in NIL compliance, financial literacy and ambassadorship to reach out! You can find their contact information on the websites below.
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To see the official Nillie website click here.
To listen to the Name, Image, Likeness podcast click here or follow on Instagram here.
To learn more about VicTreeFi click here.
To see more of Hannah Smith’s work click here.
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