Iris: Scaling Creator Operations
This case study explores how Closeloop developed Iris a centralized creator operations platform to replace spreadsheets and disconnected tools by unifying creator data workflows and intelligence into a single source of truth resulting in faster campaign planning reduced manual effort improved decision-making and scalable creator management.
We Are Social
We Are Social is a socially-led creative agency helping global brands engage audiences through insight-driven storytelling. The Australian office, based in Sydney, works with iconic clients such as Audi, Samsung, Netflix, and TikTok.
As their creator-led work expanded, managing over 2,000 creators across spreadsheets and emails became a bottleneck. Closeloop developed Iris to enhance visibility, reduce manual work, and enable data-driven campaign decisions.
Challenge & Objectives
As creator operations scaled, fragmented systems and manual handoffs created costly delays and decision friction.
Disconnected data silos
Establish a single, reliable source of truth that unifies identity, performance, rates and notes.
Repetitive tactical work
Automate and standardize workflows to free strategists for higher-value tasks.
Lost context across handoffs
Persist notes, history and versioned rates so decisions are fast and consistent.
Solution Overview
Closeloop developed a custom-built internal platform called Iris. This tool was designed to align closely with how the teams work, helping them reduce time spent on manual tracking while making creator information easier to access, update, and use in campaigns.
Unified Creator Profiles
Create complete, structured creator records with contacts, platforms, content style, audience insights, and availability—so teams always work from the same source of truth when shortlisting for campaigns.
Project & Performance History
Track every campaign a creator has worked on, including brand, deliverables, and internal feedback, so teams can quickly assess past performance and avoid repeating issues.
Shared, Up-to-Date Creator Data
All teams work from the same current information, reducing duplication and cutting down back-and-forth communication while keeping workflows aligned.
Smart Tagging for Fast Discovery
Tag creators by niche or content type such as fashion, technology, gaming, food, or lifestyle so teams can quickly find the right profiles for specific campaign needs.
Shared Notes & Team Context
Log internal notes and experiences for each creator so teams keep context and make better-informed decisions during planning or negotiations.
Rates & Billing at a Glance
Store and access each creator’s fees and billing history in one place to simplify budgeting and contract planning.
Implementation Approach
A structured, collaborative methodology to ensure technical success and high team adoption.
Resulted in validated pain points and clear success metrics.
Eliminated redundant steps and defined automation targets.
Reduced onboarding friction through intuitive navigation patterns.
Ensured continuous feedback and minimized development rework.
Delivered a high-quality, deduplicated initial dataset for launch.
Achieved high adoption rates and faster time-to-value.
Tech Stack
React.js Frontend
Chosen for building a fast, responsive, and dynamic user interface for real-time data manipulation.
Backend: Laravel PHP
Provides a robust, secure framework with structured APIs to manage global creator data efficiently.
Database: MySQL RDS
Optimized for structured campaign data, enabling quick searches and ensuring high data integrity.
Hosting: AWS Cloud
Ensures scalability, reliability, and 99.9% availability for growing data loads and global teams.
Iris Platform Architecture
Measurable Business Impact
Quantifiable improvements across every dimension of creator operations.
User Research
Across onboarding, handoffs, and pricing workflows, Iris reshaped day-to-day collaboration by deeply understanding how teams actually worked.
User feedback directly influenced Iris’s design. Each team had distinct priorities — and Iris was shaped to support all of them without friction.
Strategy Teams
Needed advanced filtering by niche, audience type, and creator demographics.
Production Teams
Prioritized fast access to rate cards, negotiation history, and collaboration context.
Client Servicing Teams
Required visibility into campaign feedback, approvals, and historical notes.
Outcome
This user-first approach ensured rapid adoption and minimized resistance to change.
Explore the complete journey from problem to results—backed by real data and insights.
Why it Worked?
The Iris platform succeeded because we focused on people first, not technology. Instead of forcing users to adapt to a complicated system, we built something that fit naturally into their daily work. We started small with features that saved time immediately, then gradually added more capabilities as people got comfortable.
We held workshops with the team to build what they actually needed.
People saw quick wins early, which encouraged them to use it more.
We set up clear rules and categories to keep everything organized.
Users trusted the system because the data was accurate and trackable.
People could see exactly how much time they were saving each day.
Lessons & Principles
Key takeaways from engineering a high-scale internal tool for creative teams.
Start with the smallest unit of reusable truth (creator entity) before layering automation.
Normalize taxonomy early—retroactive data cleanup costs escalate exponentially.
Design for change logs; system trust compounds when every update is auditable.
Reduce "write friction" for notes; otherwise, vital institutional knowledge evaporates.
Champion-led rollout beats top-down decree for internal tools every single time.
Client Value & Feedback
Client feedback reflects not just satisfaction with technical execution but appreciation for the strategic partnership and business outcomes achieved.
"Iris has transformed how we manage creators. What once required digging through emails and spreadsheets now takes a few clicks. It's faster, smarter, and enables us to scale creator partnerships without losing context."
