PopShorts vs IMA: Which to Pick in 2026
A West Coast video boutique against a European giant. PopShorts makes social video for entertainment and consumer brands. IMA is Europe's largest influencer agency, now inside Monks under S4 Capital. Small and creative versus big and resourced. Here is which fits, plus a software route.
Which one is right for you
Three buyers, three picks. Find the column that sounds like your team.
Choose PopShorts if
- You want US video-led social campaigns
- You work in entertainment or consumer brands
- You want a creative in-house production team
Choose IMA if
- You want Europe's largest influencer agency
- You want global creative and production attached
- You run multi-market campaigns at scale
Choose Flinque if
- You want to find and vet creators yourself with no sales call
- You want flat published pricing you can start free
- You want to run discovery in-house, not hire an agency
PopShorts vs IMA vs Flinque
Fourteen factors across all three, from agency type to real minimums. Flinque is the flat-price software option on the right.
| Factor | PopShorts | IMA | Best valueFlinque |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Brands wanting US video-led campaigns | Brands wanting Europe's largest agency | Teams running discovery in-house |
| Agency type | Social and video activation boutique | Full-service agency, part of Monks | Self-serve software, not an agency |
| Engagement model | Managed, project based | Managed, retainer or project | Flat monthly subscription |
| Typical minimum | Undisclosed, mid-market | Undisclosed, enterprise level | Free, then $49/mo |
| Published pricing | No | No | $0 to $150/mo, public |
| Creator network | Small in-house team, CreatorIQ tech | Network of around 40,000 influencers | 10M+ verified, 200 data points each |
| Platforms covered | Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, X | Multi-platform, global | Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, X |
| Services | Video activation and creator campaigns | Influencer strategy plus global production | Discovery, vetting and audience data |
| Campaign management | fully managed | fully managed | You run it, software assists |
| Content and usage rights | Per campaign | Per campaign | You negotiate directly with creators |
| Paid amplification | Part of campaigns | Part of integrated campaigns | Run your own whitelisting |
| Measurement and reporting | Data-first, award-winning work | Daily dashboards and reporting | Audience and fake-follower data built in |
| Team and locations | Newport Beach, founded 2013 | Amsterdam, founded 2010 | Software with support included |
| Time to launch | After scoping | After scoping | Shortlist in minutes on the free plan |
How we compared: Engagement models and minimums come from each agency's own site plus public reporting and client reviews, cross-checked and dated June 2026. Where an agency hides its pricing we say undisclosed rather than guess a number. The verdicts are ours, not the agencies'.
What each agency actually does
What is PopShorts
PopShorts is the creative boutique in this pairing. Founded in Newport Beach in 2013 by Adam Gausepohl, Bryant Laitipaya and Alexander Conroy, it built a name on social video activation, pairing in-house production with influencer distribution for entertainment and consumer brands. The client list leans Hollywood and big-brand: Disney, NBC, ABC, Sony, Hulu, Lionsgate, plus Geico, Chase and Nordstrom. It has been a four-time Shorty Award finalist and an ADDY winner, running data-first with CreatorIQ as its tech layer.
Crucially it is small and unfunded, a boutique that trades scale for craft and senior attention, working across Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube and X. Pricing is not published and the work is project-based and managed. Set against IMA, PopShorts is the nimble US creative shop with strong video chops, not a continental machine. IMA plays the opposite role, covered next. Brands that would sooner run their own creator search have a third option.
What PopShorts does well
- Strong social video and production craft
- Marquee entertainment and consumer clients
- Award-recognised, data-first approach
- Senior, boutique-level attention
Where it falls short
- Small and unfunded, limited scale
- No public pricing
- US-centric, not multi-market
- Managed only, no self-serve search
What is IMA
IMA is the heavyweight across the table. The Amsterdam agency dates to 2010, built by Emilie Tabor and Maddie Raedts with Anneke Schogt taking the CEO seat in 2016. It grew into what it calls the biggest full-service influencer agency in Europe, carrying a team near 85 and a creator roster it pegs around 40,000. Pernod Ricard, Under Armour, Heineken and Booking.com count among its brands. The structural detail that defines it: S4 Capital absorbed IMA into MediaMonks in 2019. The group later took the Monks name in 2024.
Hiring IMA today means reaching into a sizeable influencer operation wired through a worldwide digital group, with global creative and production stacked behind the reach. Daily dashboards steer the optimisation, rates stay private and the work sits at enterprise scale. Where PopShorts is a lean creative boutique, IMA is broad and resourced through a holding company. Brands that would sooner handle discovery themselves have a third option.
What IMA does well
- Europe's largest influencer agency
- Network of around 40,000 creators
- Global production via Monks
- Data-led campaign optimisation
Where it falls short
- Enterprise scale, not for small budgets
- No public pricing
- Now part of a large group
- Managed only, no self-serve search
Head to head
PopShorts and IMA are a boutique and a giant. PopShorts is a small unfunded US shop with sharp social-video craft and a marquee entertainment client list. IMA is the biggest influencer agency in Europe, sitting inside Monks under S4 Capital, its 40,000-creator network backed by global production. One trades scale for craft and senior attention. The other brings a holding company's resources. Your scale and geography mostly decide this.
There is a route around both. Flinque is software: 10M verified creators across four platforms, each with a fake-follower score, at one published price. You run the search in-house, no project scoping and no enterprise retainer.
Which should you actually pick
Forget the pitch decks for a second. Match the partner to the situation you are in.
You want US video-led campaigns
You want creative social video from a boutique with strong production and entertainment clients. PopShorts works that lane.
→ Pick PopShortsYou want broad scale and production
You want Europe's largest influencer agency with global creative and production attached. IMA, now part of Monks, fits.
→ Pick IMAYou want to run discovery yourself
No scoping call, no retainer. You want to search 10M verified creators with a fake-follower check on each. Start free on Flinque and pay $49 only if you keep using it.
→ Pick FlinqueYou are new to influencer marketing
PopShorts is a boutique and IMA works enterprise budgets. Flinque free plan lets you find and vet verified creators with no card, then scales at a flat $49 a month.
→ Start with FlinqueFlinque: verified discovery at a flat price
If both feel like too much retainer and too little control, Flinque does one job and does it well. Find and vet real creators yourself, fast, then run the campaign in-house. No pitch deck, no monthly retainer, no discovery call to learn the price.
- 10M+ verified creators
- 4 platforms: IG, YouTube, TikTok, X
- 200 data points per creator
- 12 search filters
- Fake-follower check on every profile
- Free, $49, $150, published
See Flinque in action
Short walkthroughs on pricing, discovery and vetting from the Flinque team.
What Are Influencer Networks? Why Most Brands Pick the Wrong Creators
Influencer Discovery Platforms That We Made Easy and Affordable
Common questions about PopShorts and IMA
What is the difference between PopShorts and IMA?
Who are PopShorts' clients?
Is IMA still independent?
Which is better for video campaigns?
How big is IMA?
Do they publish pricing?
Can either help me find creators myself?
Is there a software alternative to both?
Written & reviewed by Flinque Research Team
Influencer Marketing Research · View team →
Our research team specialises in influencer marketing strategy, creator analytics and platform comparisons. Details on this page were verified against agency sites, public reporting and client review platforms in June 2026.
Disclaimer: Information here is collected from publicly available sources, third-party review sites and vendor pages. Pricing and features change, so confirm current details with each provider before buying. This content is for informational purposes only.
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