Creatd, Inc. - Annual Report: 2019 (Form 10-K)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

☒ ANNUAL REPORT UNDER SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended: December 31, 2019

or

☐ TRANSITION REPORT UNDER SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Commission file number: 000-51872

JERRICK MEDIA HOLDINGS, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

2050 Center Avenue, Suite 640

Fort Lee, NJ 07024

(Address of principal executive offices)

(201) 258-3770

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)

Securities registered under Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act: None

Securities registered under Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act: Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐ No ☒

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ No ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports) and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒

The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates of the registrant on June 28, 2019, based on a closing price of $3.00 was $19 million.  As of March 30, 2020, the registrant had 9,185,187 shares of its common stock, par value $0.001 per share, outstanding.  

Documents Incorporated By Reference: None. 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are “forward-looking” statements, as well as historical information. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot assure you that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements will prove to be correct. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including matters described in the section titled “Risk Factors.” Forward-looking statements include those that use forward-looking terminology, such as the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “project,” “plan,” “will,” “shall,” “should,” and similar expressions, including when used in the negative. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable and achievable, these statements involve risks and uncertainties and we cannot assure you that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether to reflect events or circumstances after the date initially filed or published, to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events or otherwise.

PART I

Item 1. Business.

Overview

Jerrick Media Holdings, Inc. (“JMDA” or “the Company”) is the parent company and creator of the Vocal platform. The Company develops technology-based solutions to solve problems for the creator community, connecting creators with their ideal audiences and with the brands that want to access those audiences. Through a combination of data analysis, design, and development, the Company conceptualizes, creates, and maintains a suite of technology products and provides services that influence a global audience.

Jerrick is committed to identifying and leveraging opportunities within the digital platform and content monetization space. Its technology is built to organically sustain and scale multiple lines of revenue. In addition, the Company has successfully acquired and integrated complimentary technology platforms and media assets into Vocal’s existing infrastructure, and will continue to make targeted acquisitions of public and private companies. The Vocal technology platform, trademark, and related intellectual property are wholly owned and operated by Jerrick. 

Our operations are organized into the following business segments:

Vocal

Vocal is Jerrick’s proprietary flagship technology platform that provides creators with storytelling tools, engaged communities, and opportunities to monetize their content. Vocal’s architecture was engineered to support a scalable and easy-to-update platform that could adapt its capacity to meet the current and growing demand for digital resources and technologies that foster virtual connection and community.

When the Jerrick team first ideated the Vocal platform, we determined that our primary constituents should be creators, and placed them at the center of our mission. We identified their pain points and created a blueprint to solve them.

There are over 4.5 billion internet users; of that, 83% publish some form of content on a monthly basis (blogs, photos, videos, and more), and 3.8 billion of them are active on social media (according to a report published by GlobalWebIndex). In 2020, the internet has become the linchpin of the modern information society, as well as the modern social society. Digital platforms like Vocal exist to help the world find order in a vast ocean of opportunity.

A global crisis like the current COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic only further emphasizes how critical a role digital platforms play in society, as governmental bodies are encouraging social distancing and restricting travel, and employers are widely implementing work-from-home policies. Vocal was born in an environment in which the total addressable market (TAM) for our platform is growing exponentially. With the emerging effects of COVID-19 and other global events, we expect that our TAM will only continue to expand.

Vocal’s proprietary technology was developed with the help of Thinkmill, our Sydney-based development partners. We used Thinkmill’s open-source content management framework, Keystone, as a foundation for our proprietary technology, which enables us to provide rapid updates and cost effective agile development. Together with Thinkmill, our internal product design and quantitative groups are able to quickly distribute product improvements, updates, and new features to improve our users’ experience.

We believe that the Vocal platform and its underlying technology allows us to maintain a capital-light infrastructure. By using cloud service providers, we are able to focus on platform and revenue growth rather than building and maintaining the costly internal infrastructures that have materially affected so many legacy media platforms. Vocal’s technology has been specifically designed and built to scale without a material corresponding increase in operational costs. While our users can embed rich media, such as video, audio, and product links, into their Vocal stories, the rich media content is hosted elsewhere (such as YouTube, Vimeo, Shopify, Spotify, etc.). Thus, our platform can accommodate rich media content of all kinds without bearing the financial or operational costs associated with hosting the rich media itself. 

Maintaining a sustainable and capital light infrastructure is particularly important in tighter capital markets caused by external events that impact liquidity and credit, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic. Our technology is built to scale, while the rate of growth can be modulated through limits on capital expenditure. This creates a predictive environment in which the Company can continually reassess its capital needs and adjust its course when faced with unforeseen developments.

Since its 2016 launch, Vocal has amassed over 565,000 content creators across a wide range of mediums and backgrounds, such as bloggers, journalists, influencers, musicians, artists, podcasters, gamers, entrepreneurs, and more. Vocal creators provide a steady stream of user-generated, which can be monetized through reads, as well as through tips received from audiences. Vocal helps creators fund their creativity and build their personal brand. 

The Vocal content creation process can be broken down into three key steps:

1. Create: Vocal’s storytelling tools make it easy for creators of all kinds to produce beautiful, engaging, rich-media content.

2. Share: Creators share stories on one of Vocal’s 34 genre-specific communities to get discovered and connect with like-minded creators and readers.

3. Earn: Creators can earn money every time their story is read, through participation in Challenges, and through tips received from fans.

Importantly, Jerrick does not see Vocal as a substitute or competitor to segment-specific content platforms, such as Vimeo, YouTube, or SoundCloud. Instead, Vocal is a supplementary tool with which to leverage the vast number of fragmented content creation tools that exist in the digital sphere and to give creators on those platforms the means to monetize. We believe that Vocal is well positioned between the content creation tools and the various distribution channels that creators depend on to publish and amplify their content.  

Vocal employs a number of strategies to collect first-party data around our users’ behavioral activity on the platform. The data is processed and analyzed by our internal business intelligence team with the goal of improving our product, services and users’ experience. Vocal’s growth and marketing strategies make use of these first-party data insights, resulting in a lower creator acquisition cost and reduced subscription churn when targeting third-party networks, such as the big social media platforms. Importantly, we do not sell our users’ information. We utilize data to optimize the success of our creators, and generate revenue when our creators monetize their content and brands reach the right audience. Additionally, unlike traditional publishing platforms, we do not charge the audience for consuming content.

Key User Demographics:

Vocal’s Value for Creators:

Vocal is a proprietary technology platform, built to expand its digital audience through content distribution while providing an environment for creators to be rewarded for their content. We believe that digital audiences have become increasingly wary of traditional display and programmatic advertising tactics–intrusive ads like pop-ups that disrupt the consumer experience. The Company is therefore focused on building a network of user generated content communities that emphasize discovery, creator monetization, and non-interruptive branded storytelling.

In response to what we recognize as the growing shift away from interruptive ads, brand marketing teams actively seek partners like Vocal, that can deliver key performance metrics in an authentic and safe network. By utilizing Vocal’s first-party behavioral data, we can effectively pair content creators with the right brands to produce predictive strategies and successful non-interruptive marketing campaigns.

Trust and safety are paramount to the Vocal ecosystem. We follow best practices when handling personally identifiable information, with guidance from the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). 

Platform Compliance Policies include:

Vocal Users: Stories Published 

Based on our internal data collected over the last four months, there has been a steady increase in creators who are publishing on our platform, which we believe is a result of the introduction of features like Challenges, which further incentivize content submissions and improve the moderation feedback loop.

Figure 1 - # of Users who Published

Vocal Users: Creator Acquisition Cost

As we continue to collect platform data, we are able to further refine our ideal user profile and hone our targeting strategies, such that the Creator Acquisition Cost (CAC) for both ‘Vocal Free’ (i.e. unpaid membership) and Vocal+ (i.e. paid premium membership) naturally declines over time. Having spent over three years executing marketing campaigns to attract Vocal Free users, and refining our strategy, the CAC for Vocal+ subscribers experienced an immediate decline; costs dropped from over $1,100 to approximately $200 in the first 4 months following the launch of Vocal+. Meanwhile, the CAC for Vocal Free creators followed a similarly sharp rate of reduction, dropping from approximately $4.50 down to $2.00 in this same time frame.  

Figure 2 - Vocal+ Creator Acquisition Cost (CAC)

Figure 3 - Vocal Free Creator Acquisition Cost (CAC)

Digital Landscape and Industry

From 2006 through 2016, the online and digital content industry experienced rapid growth. This era resulted in various technology companies within the digital space expanding into some of the largest and most influential companies in the United States and around the world. Even with today’s market dislocation, many of these technology companies remain the industry leaders that will solve for a new era of social distancing.

During this same period of time, countless digital publishing platforms and tools were introduced that enabled creators and their audiences to create, share, and connect. However, hyper-growth in this sector eventually introduced a new series of problems.  The largest issue was that the first wave of media publishing platforms and digital communities were reliant on a single line of revenue: traditional intrusive advertising.

As these companies scaled, so did their costs of operations, which eventually compelled them not only to compromise the integrity of their relationship to users, but to bombard audiences with invasive ads and use some aggressive marketing tactics in order to generate revenues and stay solvent. An intrusive user experience is not a sustainable model. 

Ad technology began experiencing rapidly declining margins and tended to require excessive traffic in order to monetize. Digital content and media asset values have deteriorated rapidly between 2016 and 2018. This compression of margins has, in recent years, led to massive layoffs at those media publishing companies that were dependent on this legacy form of advertising. There is a continued risk of future markdowns in potential asset valuations. 

In designing Vocal, the Jerrick team focused on building a network of communities on a singular platform that would help people discover real stories, from authentic creators. Vocal provides for its users’ needs by always innovating and introducing new features based on two core principles: that creators and brands are our partners, and that we make money when our partners make money.

In the face of this radical disruption in the digital marketing landscape, content distribution is undergoing a significant shift. 

According to Statista, every 60 seconds on the internet:

Further, content monetization has become increasingly oriented toward native and creator-based fees. Facebook, Google, and Amazon already capture nearly 70% of digital ad spending, with that number projected to increase (Source: eMarketer). With these changes, and in light of more recent developments – the shift toward remote workforces, the popularization of freelancing, and social distancing recommendations – we believe that digital content creation is at an all-time high. Additionally, we believe that this new era will see these statistics grow rapidly in this new environment of exponentially increasing online activity, resulting in an evaluation of how to support the creation of digital content for creators, readers and audiences. 

At the same time, branded content (a form of native advertising) is on the rise, and experiencing continuing growth year-over-year. 

According to data from Pressboard:

Thus, we believe that brands are actively seeking trustworthy and safe platforms like Vocal to drive engagement through non-interruptive brand storytelling, and deliver key performance metrics that help optimize their marketing efforts. We also believe that our Vocal platform provides a needed alternative for creators to participate within a community-first environment and access sustainable revenue sources. We built Vocal on these transparent core values, which continue to inform how we work with creators, readers, brands, and partners. 

History

Jerrick was founded in 2014 by CEO Jeremy Frommer and became publicly listed in February 2016, at which point the Company was renamed Jerrick Media Holdings, Inc. Jerrick began working with its Australia-based development partners, Thinkmill, in early 2014 to begin building its flagship product. The Vocal technology platform was released to the public in December 2016 with six niche communities in its network and a small group of beta creators.

In late 2018, we introduced our in-house creative studio, Vocal for Brands, which partners with direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands to create engaging and campaign-optimized stories on Vocal that build brand affinity and trust, and drive results 

2019 was marked by a series of important milestones for the Company. First, in July 2019, the Vocal+ premium membership offering was introduced on the Vocal platform. This was followed by the completion of our acquisition and integration of boutique e-commerce marketing agency, Seller’s Choice, in September 2019. Earlier that year, we successfully tendered for the majority of Jerrick’s outstanding warrants, exchanging over 90% of outstanding warrants for common stock.

In January 2020, Vocal’s product team launched the latest feature for creators and brands, called “Creator Challenges.” Challenges (which are either internally run or sponsored by brands) are themed story contests that incentivize content submissions and engage Vocal’s user base by providing creators with the chance to win cash prizes and other rewards. The introduction of creator Challenges, which represents Vocal’s most important product update to date, showcases Jerrick’s unique ability to leverage its powerful network to host unique content experiences that drive success and value for brands, creators, and audiences simultaneously. Moreover, creator Challenges are accretive to Jerrick’s own marketing efforts; Challenges offer further incentivize for new creators to join Vocal and, in particular, to upgrade to Vocal+ (which offers members-only Challenges). As a result, since the launch of creator Challenges, we’ve seen our creator acquisition costs decrease over time.

Competition 

The idea for Vocal came as a response to what Jerrick’s founders recognized as systemic flaws inherent to the digital media industry and its operational infrastructures. Depreciating value of digital media business models built on legacy technology platforms created a unique opportunity for development of a creator-centric platform that could appeal to a global community and, at the same time, be capable of acquiring undervalued complimentary technology assets.

Jerrick founders built the Vocal platform upon the general thesis that a closed and safe ecosystem utilizing first-party data to increase efficiencies could create a sustainable and defensible business model. Vocal was strategically developed to provide value for content creators, readers, and brands, and to serve as a home for the ever-increasing amount of digital content being produced and the libraries of digital assets lying dormant.

Since 2016, the ‘creator era,’ the industry has been marked by the proliferation of democratized and transparent platforms. The digital space now encompasses an online global audience of over 4.5 billion internet users and over 1.7 billion websites. The “read, write and execute” web, or Web 3.0, is a data-driven and more intelligent web that can adjust its output according to the particular needs and habits of the individual user, fostering more intelligent creation, greater personalization and, ultimately, a more satisfied end user.

In this context, legacy sites and platforms are becoming increasingly threatened by factors like fragmented content creation tools, excessive traffic and marketing dollars required to monetize content, and compressing margins for traditional digital advertising. This has led to a qualitative deterioration of online content. In addition, it means that companies operating on these models will continue to struggle with limited paths to scalable profitability.

There is limited competition that provides the specific type of resources and platform that Vocal provides the creative community. In addition, there are a limited number of digital media companies like Vocal that charge only creators and brands for publishing content, as opposed to charging the audience for accessing content. Jerrick’s management team believes that the primary competition for Vocal are other platforms that can draw attention or time from the creative community in general. These platforms can vary in scope, size, and genre. Simply put, platforms compete for the attention of the digital consumer.

Vocal’s Competitive Strengths

Digital platforms must differentiate themselves by providing executable solutions and fulfilling users’ empirical needs. Our focus on rewarding the creator for their content, partnering with them on distribution, and providing opportunities for monetization, is one of the key differentiating factors between Vocal and legacy publishing platforms.

Product Revenues

Our continually expanding network of approximately 565,000 content creators using the Vocal platform drives our primary source of revenue. Quality content submissions from creators attracts audiences and brands, the other primary stakeholders who exist within Vocal’s ecosystem. The continuous interactions between creators, audiences, and brands propel a virtuous cycle of transactions and represents an important element of Vocal’s scale and success.

The Company has designed several revenue touch-points throughout the Vocal ecosystem, ensuring a balanced portfolio of revenue streams, sustainable infrastructures, and compounding scalability.

Revenues are primarily generated through:

Creator Subscriptions:

Vocal+ is a premium subscription membership for Vocal users. Vocal+ members pay a membership fee for premium features, including receiving increased earnings for their content, reduced platform processing fees for tips received, a Vocal+ badge on their creator page, access to additional features on the Vocal Platform, and participation in exclusive programs. Creators may sign up for a Vocal+ membership when they create an account, or they can upgrade an existing Vocal Free account to a Vocal+ account at any time. The current cost of a Vocal+ membership is either $9.99 per month or $99 annually.

Brand Agency:

Our in-house creative studio, Vocal for Brands, focuses on non-interruption based advertising and engaging brand storytelling. Vocal for Brands pairs brands with active creators in the Vocal network to produce bespoke branded content campaigns, brand-sponsored creator Challenges, and other types of branded experiences on the Vocal platform that build brand engagement, trust, and drive results. With the introduction of Challenges, brands can tap into Vocal’s network of approximately 565,000 content creators and encourage them to interact with, learn about and promote their brand while benefiting from Vocal’s brand-safe, moderated, and curated environment. Brand-sponsored Challenges effectively yield a collection of crowdsourced branded content for brands and help them reach a wider audience.

Vocal’s first-party data enables our team to create highly targeted and segmented audiences for Vocal for Brands campaigns, and help the brand reach their ideal audience. Brands can access story performance data, engagement data, behavioral data, and sentiment data, all of which is used to further optimize the campaign’s success.

Fees range from $5,000 to $45,000 for bespoke Vocal for Brands campaigns, depending on duration and other key factors.

Marketing + Consulting Services:

Seller’s Choice, LLC (“Seller’s Choice”), which we acquired in September 2019, is a digital marketing solution provider dedicated to the interests, growth, and profitability of e-commerce brands. Utilizing their integrative next-gen marketing platform, Seller’s Choice focuses cohesively in the four key factors of online sellers – sell-through, differentiation, community and compliance – to help e-commerce businesses establish their brand identity and realize profitable and sustainable growth while maximizing customer engagement and retention.   

Through Jerrick’s acquisition of Seller’s Choice, the Company has further expanded its reach into the direct-to-consumer marketplace, while enabling Seller’s Choice’s clientele to leverage Vocal for Brand’s unique brand storytelling capabilities.

Platform Processing Fees and Microtransactions:

Creators and their audiences have the ability to send and receive tips, or microtransactions, on Vocal. Each tip sent on Vocal generates revenue for the Company in the form of platform processing fees. For Vocal Free creators, we retain a 7% platform processing fee for every tip exchanged. For Vocal+ creators, we retain a 2.9% platform processing fee.

We use the Stripe platform to process tips and payouts to creators on Vocal. Additional features such as gated premium content, recurring tips, affiliate marketing features for brands, and incentivization fees for new creator referrals are currently in development.

Affiliate sales:

We also generate revenue through our affiliate marketing relationships, which pay us a percentage of purchases made on our platform. Affiliate partnerships include Amazon, Skimlinks, Tune, and more.

E-commerce:

Our e-commerce strategy involves revitalizing archival imagery and media content in dormant legacy portfolios. Our curation and data capabilities have helped us create scalable and definable value for our internal collection of media assets through financing, trademarking, licensing, and production opportunities.

Growth Strategy

We intend to continue to grow by focusing on the following key areas:

Customers

There are three primary categories of stakeholders/customers that interact within Vocal’s ecosystem: creators, brands, and readers.

Creators

Vocal provides a large stage for creators and artists to connect with fans and find new audiences. In addition to enabling access to millions of monthly visitors, we provide creators with a full suite of tools and services for content creation, discovery, distribution, and monetization, including: 

Brands

Vocal for Brands leverages Vocal to produce branded stories and Challenges that build affinity and trust, while generating sales and awareness. The key value propositions for brands include:

Readers

We are focused on enabling the discovery and curation of stories for our readers through a range of products and services:

Corporate Information

We were originally incorporated under the laws of the State of Nevada on December 30, 1999 under the name LILM, Inc. The Company changed its name on December 3, 2013 to Great Plains Holdings, Inc.

On February 5, 2016 (the “Merger Closing Date”), we entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”) with GPH Merger Sub, Inc., a Nevada corporation and our wholly-owned subsidiary (“Merger Sub”), and Jerrick Ventures, Inc., a privately-held Nevada corporation headquartered in New Jersey (“Jerrick”), pursuant to which the Merger Sub was merged with and into Jerrick, with Jerrick surviving as our wholly-owned subsidiary (the “Merger”). Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, we acquired, through a reverse triangular merger, all of the outstanding capital stock of Jerrick in exchange for issuing Jerrick’s shareholders (the “Jerrick Shareholders”), pro-rata, a total of 28,500,000 shares of our common stock. Additionally, we assumed 33,415 shares of Jerrick’s Series A Convertible Preferred Stock (the “Jerrick Series A Preferred”) and 8,064 shares of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock (the “Jerrick Series B Preferred”).

Upon closing of the Merger on February 5, 2016, the Company changed its business plan to our current plan.

In connection with the Merger, on the Merger Closing Date, we entered into a Spin-Off Agreement with Kent Campbell (the “Spin-Off Agreement”), pursuant to which Mr. Campbell purchased (i) all of our interest in Ashland Holdings, LLC, a Florida limited liability company, and (ii) all of our interest in Lil Marc, Inc., a Utah corporation, in exchange for the cancellation of 781,818 shares of our common stock held by Mr. Campbell. In addition, Mr. Campbell assumed all of our debts, obligations and liabilities, including any existing prior to the Merger, pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Spin-Off Agreement.

 Effective February 28, 2016, we entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Statutory Merger Agreement”), pursuant to which we became the parent company of Jerrick Ventures, LLC, our wholly-owned operating subsidiary (the “Statutory Merger”).

Finally, on February 28, 2016, we changed our name to Jerrick Media Holdings, Inc. to better reflect our new business strategy.

Our corporate headquarters are located at 2050 Center Ave, Suite 640, Fort Lee, NJ 07024. As of March 30, 2020, we had 25 full-time employees. We consider our relation with our employees to be good.

Item 1A. Risk Factors.

You should carefully consider the risks described below, as well as general economic and business risks and the other information in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The occurrence of any of the events or circumstances described below or other adverse events could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition and could cause the trading price of our common stock to decline. Additional risks or uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also harm our business.

Risks Related to our Business

The Company is a development stage business and subject to the many risks associated with new businesses.

Our current line of business has a limited operating history and our business is subject to all of the risks inherent in the establishment of a new business enterprise. Our likelihood of success must be considered in light of the problems, expenses, difficulties, complications and delays frequently encountered in connection with development and expansion of a new business enterprise. We have incurred losses and may continue to operate at a net loss for at least the next several years as we execute our business plan. We had a net loss of approximately $8.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, and a working capital deficit and accumulated deficit of approximately $10.7 million and approximately $44.6 million, respectively.

Our financial situation creates doubt whether we will continue as a going concern.

There can be no assurances that we will be able to achieve a level of revenues adequate to generate sufficient cash flow from operations or obtain funding from this offering or additional financing through private placements, public offerings and/or bank financing necessary to support our working capital requirements. To the extent that funds generated from any private placements, public offerings and/or bank financing are insufficient, we will have to raise additional working capital and no assurance can be given that additional financing will be available, or if available, will be on acceptable terms. These conditions raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. If adequate working capital is not available, we may be forced to discontinue operations, which would cause investors to lose their entire investment.

Based on the report from our independent auditors dated March 30, 2020, management stated that our financial statements for the period ended December 31, 2019, were prepared assuming that we would continue as a going concern, which contemplates the realization of assets and the satisfaction of liabilities in the normal course of business. The accompanying financial statements do not include any adjustments relating to the recovery of the recorded assets or the classification of the liabilities that might be necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern. 

We are not profitable and may never be profitable.

Since inception through the present, we have been dependent on raising capital to support our working capital needs. During this same period, we have recorded net accumulated losses and are yet to achieve profitability. Our ability to achieve profitability depends upon many factors, including our ability to develop and commercialize our websites. There can be no assurance that we will ever achieve any significant revenues or profitable operations. 

Our operating expenses exceed our revenues and will likely continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

We are in an early stage of our development and we have not generated sufficient revenues to offset our operating expenses. Our operating expenses will likely continue to exceed our operating income for the foreseeable future, until such time as we are able to monetize our brands and generate substantial revenues, particularly as we undertake payment of the increased costs of operating as a public company.

We have assumed a significant amount of debt and our operations may not be able to generate sufficient cash flows to meet our debt obligations, which could reduce our financial flexibility and adversely impact our operations.

Currently the Company has considerable obligations under notes, related party notes and lines of credit outstanding with various debtors. Our ability to make payments on such indebtedness will depend on our ability to generate cash flow. The Company may not generate sufficient cash flow from operations to enable us to repay this indebtedness and to fund other liquidity needs, including capital expenditure requirements. Such indebtedness could affect our operations in several ways, including the following:

A high level of indebtedness increases the risk that we may default on our debt obligations. We may not be able to generate sufficient cash flows to pay the principal or interest on our debt. If we cannot service or refinance our indebtedness, we may have to take actions such as selling significant assets, seeking additional equity financing (which will result in additional dilution to stockholders) or reducing or delaying capital expenditures, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our operations and financial condition. If we do not have sufficient funds and are otherwise unable to arrange financing, our assets may be foreclosed upon which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We will need additional capital, which may be difficult to raise as a result of our limited operating history or any number of other reasons.

We expect that we will have adequate financing for the next 6 months. However, in the event that we exceed our expected growth, we would need to raise additional capital. There is no assurance that additional equity or debt financing will be available to us when needed, on acceptable terms, or even at all. Our limited operating history makes investor evaluation and an estimation of our future performance substantially more difficult. As a result, investors may be unwilling to invest in us or such investment may be offered on terms or conditions that are not acceptable. In the event that we are not able to secure financing, we may have to scale back our growth plans or cease operations.

We face intense competition. If we do not provide digital content that is useful to users, we may not remain competitive, and our potential revenues and operating results could be adversely affected.

Our business is rapidly evolving and intensely competitive, and is subject to changing technologies, shifting user needs, and frequent introductions of new products and services. Our ability to compete successfully depends heavily on providing digital content that is useful and enjoyable for our users and delivering our content through innovative technologies in the marketplace.

We face competition from others in the digital content creation industry and media companies. Our current and potential competitors range from large and established companies to emerging start-ups. Established companies have longer operating histories and more established relationships with customers and users, and they can use their experience and resources in ways that could affect our competitive position, including by making acquisitions, investing aggressively in research and development, aggressively initiating intellectual property claims (whether or not meritorious) and competing aggressively for advertisers and websites. Emerging start-ups may be able to innovate and provide products and services faster than we can.

Additionally, our operating results would suffer if our digital content is not appropriately timed with market opportunities, or if our digital content is not effectively brought to market. As technology continues to develop, our competitors may be able to offer user experiences that are, or that are seen to be, substantially similar to or better than, ours. This may force us to compete in different ways and expend significant resources in order to remain competitive. If our competitors are more successful than we are in developing compelling content or in attracting and retaining users and advertisers, our revenues and operating results could be adversely affected.

If we fail to retain existing users or add new users, or if our users decrease their level of engagement with our products, our revenue, financial results, and business may be significantly harmed.

The size of our user base and our user’s level of engagement are critical to our success. Our financial performance will be significantly determined by our success in adding, retaining, and engaging active users of our products, particularly Vocal. We anticipate that our active user growth rate will generally decline over time as the size of our active user base increases, and it is possible that the size of our active user base may fluctuate or decline in one or more markets, particularly in markets where we have achieved higher penetration rates. If people do not perceive Vocal to be useful, reliable, and trustworthy, we may not be able to attract or retain users or otherwise maintain or increase the frequency and duration of their engagement. A number of other content management systems and publishing platforms that achieved early popularity have since seen their active user bases or levels of engagement decline, in some cases precipitously. There is no guarantee that we will not experience a similar erosion of our active user base or engagement levels. Our user engagement patterns have changed over time, and user engagement can be difficult to measure, particularly as we introduce new and different products and services. Any number of factors could potentially negatively affect user retention, growth, and engagement, including if:

If we are unable to maintain or increase our user base and user engagement, our revenue and financial results may be adversely affected. Any decrease in user retention, growth, or engagement could render our products less attractive to users, marketers, and developers, which is likely to have a material and adverse impact on our revenue, business, financial condition, and results of operations. If our active user growth rate continues to slow, we will become increasingly dependent on our ability to maintain or increase levels of user engagement and monetization in order to drive revenue growth. 

We face competition from traditional media companies, and we may not be included in the advertising budgets of large advertisers, which could harm our operating results.

In addition to internet companies, we face competition from companies that offer traditional media advertising opportunities. Most large advertisers have set advertising budgets, a very small portion of which is allocated to Internet advertising. We expect that large advertisers will continue to focus most of their advertising efforts on traditional media. If we fail to convince these companies to spend a portion of their advertising budgets with us, or if our existing advertisers reduce the amount they spend on our programs, our operating results would be harmed.

Acquisitions may disrupt growth.

We may pursue strategic acquisitions in the future. Risks in acquisition transactions include difficulties in the integration of acquired businesses into our operations and control environment, difficulties in assimilating and retaining employees and intermediaries, difficulties in retaining the existing clients of the acquired entities, assumed or unforeseen liabilities that arise in connection with the acquired businesses, the failure of counterparties to satisfy any obligations to indemnify us against liabilities arising from the acquired businesses, and unfavorable market conditions that could negatively impact our growth expectations for the acquired businesses. Fully integrating an acquired company or business into our operations may take a significant amount of time. We cannot assure you that we will be successful in overcoming these risks or any other problems encountered with acquisitions and other strategic transactions. These risks may prevent us from realizing the expected benefits from acquisitions and could result in the failure to realize the full economic value of a strategic transaction or the impairment of goodwill and/or intangible assets recognized at the time of an acquisition. These risks could be heightened if we complete a large acquisition or multiple acquisitions within a short period of time.  

Our business depends on strong brands and relationships, and if we are not able to maintain our relationships and enhance our brands, our ability to expand our base of users, advertisers and affiliates will be impaired and our business and operating results could be harmed.

Maintaining and enhancing our brands’ profiles may require us to make substantial investments and these investments may not be successful. If we fail to promote and maintain the brands’ profiles, or if we incur excessive expenses in this effort, our business and operating results could be harmed. We anticipate that, as our market becomes increasingly competitive, maintaining and enhancing our brands’ profiles may become increasingly difficult  and expensive. Maintaining and enhancing our brands will depend largely on our ability to be a technology leader and to continue to provide attractive products and services, which we may not do successfully.

We depend on our key management personnel and the loss of their services could adversely affect our business.

We place substantial reliance upon the efforts and abilities of Jeremy Frommer, our Chief Executive Officer, and our other executive officers and directors. Though no individual is indispensable, the loss of the services of these executive officers could have a material adverse effect on our business, operations, revenues or prospects. We do not currently maintain key man life insurance on the lives of these individuals.  

We have not adopted various corporate governance measures, and, as a result, stockholders may have limited protections against interested director transactions, conflicts of interest and similar matters.

Federal legislation, including the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, has resulted in the adoption of various corporate governance measures designed to promote the integrity of corporate management and the securities markets. Because our securities are not yet listed on a national securities exchange, we are not required to adopt these corporate governance measures and have not done so voluntarily in order to avoid incurring the additional costs associated with such measures. Among these measures is the establishment of independent committees of the Board of Directors. However, to the extent a public market develops for our securities, such legislation will require us to make changes to our current corporate governance practices. Those changes may be costly and time-consuming. Furthermore, the absence of the governance measures referred to above with respect to our Company may leave our shareholders with more limited protection in connection with interested director transactions, conflicts of interest and similar matters.

If we are unable to protect our intellectual property, the value of our brands and other intangible assets may be diminished, and our business may be adversely affected.

We rely and expect to continue to rely on a combination of confidentiality, assignment, and license agreements with our employees, consultants, and third parties with whom we have relationships, as well as trademark, copyright, patent, trade secret, and domain name protection laws, to protect our proprietary rights. In the United States and internationally, we have filed various applications for protection of certain aspects of our intellectual property, and we currently hold a number of registered trademarks and issued patents in multiple jurisdictions and have acquired patents and patent applications from third parties.  Third parties may knowingly or unknowingly infringe our proprietary rights, third parties may challenge proprietary rights held by us, and pending and future trademark and patent applications may not be approved. In addition, effective intellectual property protection may not be available in every country in which we operate or intend to operate our business. In any or all of these cases, we may be required to expend significant time and expense in order to prevent infringement or to enforce our rights. Although we have generally taken measures to protect our proprietary rights, there can be no assurance that others will not offer products or concepts that are substantially similar to ours and compete with our business. In addition, we regularly contribute software source code under open source licenses and have made other technology we developed available under other open licenses, and we include open source software in our products. If the protection of our proprietary rights is inadequate to prevent unauthorized use or appropriation by third parties, the value of our brands and other intangible assets may be diminished and competitors may be able to more effectively mimic our products, services, and methods of operations. Any of these events could have an adverse effect on our business and financial results. 

We are subject to payment processing risk.

We accept payments using a variety of different payment methods, including credit and debit cards and direct debit. We rely on third parties to process payments. Acceptance and processing of these payment methods are subject to certain certifications, rules and regulations. To the extent there are disruptions in our or third-party payment processing systems, material changes in the payment ecosystem, failure to recertify and/or changes to rules or regulations concerning payment processing, we could be subject to fines and/or civil liability, or lose our ability to accept credit and debit card payments, which would harm our reputation and adversely impact our results of operations. 

We are subject to risk as it relates to software that we license from third parties.

We license software from third parties, much of which is integral to our systems and our business. The licenses are generally terminable if we breach our obligations under the license agreements. If any of these relationships were terminated or if any of these parties were to cease doing business or cease to support the applications we currently utilize, we may be forced to spend significant time and money to replace the licensed software. 

Failures or reduced accessibility of third-party software on which we rely could impair the availability of our platform and applications and adversely affect our business.

We license software from third parties for integration into our Vocal platform, including open source software. These licenses might not continue to be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all. While we are not substantially dependent upon any third-party software, the loss of the right to use all or a significant portion of our third-party software required for the development, maintenance and delivery of our applications could result in delays in the provision of our applications until we develop or identify, obtain and integrate equivalent technology, which could harm our business.

Any errors or defects in the hardware or software we use could result in errors, interruptions, cyber incidents or a failure of our applications. Any significant interruption in the availability of all or a significant portion of such software could have an adverse impact on our business unless and until we can replace the functionality provided by these applications at a similar cost. Furthermore, this software may not be available on commercially reasonable terms, or at all. The loss of the right to use all or a significant portion of this software could limit access to our platform and applications. Additionally, we rely upon third parties’ abilities to enhance their current applications, develop new applications on a timely and cost-effective basis and respond to emerging industry standards and other technological changes. We may be unable to effect changes to such third-party technologies, which may prevent us from rapidly responding to evolving customer requirements. We also may be unable to replace the functionality provided by the third-party software currently offered in conjunction with our applications in the event that such software becomes obsolete or incompatible with future versions of our platform and applications or is otherwise not adequately maintained or updated. 

We need to manage growth in operations to maximize our potential growth and achieve our expected revenues and our failure to manage growth will cause a disruption of our operations, resulting in the failure to generate revenue.

In order to maximize potential growth in our current and potential markets, we believe that we must expand our marketing operations. This expansion will place a significant strain on our management and our operational, accounting, and information systems. We expect that we will need to continue to improve our financial controls, operating procedures, and management information systems. We will also need to effectively train, motivate, and manage our employees. Our failure to manage our growth could disrupt our operations and ultimately prevent us from generating the revenues we expect.

In order to achieve the general strategies of our company we need to maintain and search for hard-working employees who have innovative initiatives, while at the same time, keep a close eye on any and all expanding opportunities in our marketplace.

We plan to generate a significant portion of our revenues from advertising and affiliate sales relationships, and a reduction in spending by or loss of advertisers and general decrease in online spending could adversely harm our business.

We plan to generate a substantial portion of our revenues from advertisers. Our advertisers may be able to terminate prospective contracts with us at any time. Advertisers will not continue to do business with us if their investment in advertising with us does not generate sales leads, and ultimately customers, or if we do not deliver their advertisements in an appropriate and effective manner. If we are unable to remain competitive and provide value to our advertisers, they may stop placing ads with us, which would adversely affect our revenues and business. In addition, expenditures by advertisers tend to be cyclical, reflecting overall economic conditions and budgeting and buying patterns. Adverse macroeconomic conditions can also have a material negative impact on the demand for advertising and cause our advertisers to reduce the amounts they spend on advertising, which could adversely affect our revenues and business.

Security breaches could harm our business.

Security breaches have become more prevalent in the technology industry. We believe that we take reasonable steps to protect the security, integrity and confidentiality of the information we collect, use, store and disclose, but there is no guarantee that inadvertent (e.g., software bugs or other technical malfunctions, employee error or malfeasance, or other factors) or unauthorized data access or use will not occur despite our efforts. Although we have not experienced any material security breaches to date, we may in the future experience attempts to disable our systems or to breach the security of our systems. Techniques used to obtain unauthorized access to personal information, confidential information and/or the systems on which such information are stored and/or to sabotage systems change frequently and generally are not recognized until launched against a target. As a result, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or to implement adequate preventative measures.

If an actual or perceived security breach occurs, the market perception of our security measures could be harmed, and we could lose sales and customers and/or suffer other negative consequences to our business. A security breach could adversely affect the digital content experience and cause the loss or corruption of data, which could harm our business, financial condition and operating results. Any failure to maintain the security of our infrastructure could result in loss of personal information and/or other confidential information, damage to our reputation and customer relationships, early termination of our contracts and other business losses, indemnification of our customers, financial penalties, litigation, regulatory investigations and other significant liabilities. In the event of a major third-party security incident, we may incur losses in excess of their insurance coverage.

Moreover, if a high profile security breach occurs with respect to us or another digital entertainment company, our customers and potential customers may lose trust in the security of our business model generally, which could adversely impact our ability to retain existing customers or attract new ones.

The laws and regulations concerning data privacy and data security are continually evolving; our or our platform providers’ actual or perceived failure to comply with these laws and regulations could harm our business.

Customers view our content online, using third-party platforms and networks and on mobile devices. We collect and store significant amounts of information about our customers—both personally identifying and non-personally identifying information. We are subject to laws from a variety of jurisdictions regarding privacy and the protection of this player information. For example, the European Union (EU) has traditionally taken a broader view than the United States and certain other jurisdictions as to what is considered personal information and has imposed greater obligations under data privacy regulations. The U.S. Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) also regulates the collection, use and disclosure of personal information from children under 13 years of age. While none of our content is directed at children under 13 years of age, if COPPA were to apply to us, failure to comply with COPPA may increase our costs, subject us to expensive and distracting government investigations and could result in substantial fines.

Data privacy protection laws are rapidly changing and likely will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. The U.S. government, including the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Commerce, is continuing to review the need for greater regulation over the collection of personal information and information about consumer behavior on the Internet and on mobile devices and the EU has proposed reforms to its existing data protection legal framework. Various government and consumer agencies worldwide have also called for new regulation and changes in industry practices. In addition, in some cases, we are dependent upon our platform providers to solicit, collect and provide us with information regarding our players that is necessary for compliance with these various types of regulations.

Customer interaction with our content is subject to our privacy policy and terms of service. If we fail to comply with our posted privacy policy or terms of service or if we fail to comply with existing privacy-related or data protection laws and regulations, it could result in proceedings or litigation against us by governmental authorities or others, which could result in fines or judgments against us, damage our reputation, impact our financial condition and harm our business. If regulators, the media or consumers raise any concerns about our privacy and data protection or consumer protection practices, even if unfounded, this could also result in fines or judgments against us, damage our reputation, and negatively impact our financial condition and damage our business.

In the area of information security and data protection, many jurisdictions have passed laws requiring notification when there is a security breach for personal data or requiring the adoption of minimum information security standards that are often vaguely defined and difficult to implement. Our security measures and standards may not be sufficient to protect personal information and we cannot guarantee that our security measures will prevent security breaches. A security breach that compromises personal information could harm our reputation and result in a loss of confidence in our products and ultimately in a loss of customers, which could adversely affect our business and impact our financial condition. This could also subject us to liability under applicable security breach-related laws and regulations and could result in additional compliance costs, costs related to regulatory inquiries and investigations, and an inability to conduct our business.

Changes to federal, state or international laws or regulations applicable to our company could adversely affect our business.

Our business is subject to a variety of federal, state and international laws and regulations, including those with respect privacy, data, and other laws. These laws and regulations, and the interpretation or application of these laws and regulations, could change. In addition, new laws or regulations affecting our business could be enacted. These laws and regulations are frequently costly to comply with and may divert a significant portion of management’s attention. If we fail to comply with these applicable laws or regulations, we could be subject to significant liabilities which could adversely affect our business. 

If any of our relationships with internet search websites terminate, if such websites’ methodologies are modified or if we are outbid by competitors, traffic to our websites could decline.

We depend in part on various internet search websites, such as Google.com, Bing.com, Yahoo.com and other websites to direct a significant amount of traffic to our websites. Search websites typically provide two types of search results, algorithmic and purchased listings. Algorithmic listings generally are determined and displayed as a result of a set of unpublished formulas designed by search engine companies in their discretion. Purchased listings generally are displayed if particular word searches are performed on a search engine. We rely on both algorithmic and purchased search results, as well as advertising on other internet websites, to direct a substantial share of visitors to our websites and to direct traffic to the advertiser customers we serve. If these internet search websites modify or terminate their relationship with us or we are outbid by our competitors for purchased listings, meaning that our competitors pay a higher price to be listed above us in a list of search results, traffic to our websites could decline. Such a decline in traffic could affect our ability to generate advertising revenue and could reduce the desirability of advertising on our websites.

Our business involves risks of liability claims arising from our media content, which could adversely affect our ability to generate revenue and could increase our operating expenses.

As a distributor of media content, we face potential liability for defamation, invasion of privacy, negligence, copyright or trademark infringement, obscenity, violation of rights of publicity and/or obscenity laws and other claims based on the nature and content of the materials distributed. These types of claims have been brought, sometimes successfully, against broadcasters, publishers, online services and other disseminators of media content. Any imposition of liability that is not covered by insurance or is in excess of our insurance coverage could have a material adverse effect on us. In addition, measures to reduce our exposure to liability in connection with content available through our internet websites could require us to take steps that would substantially limit the attractiveness of our internet websites and/or their availability in certain geographic areas, which could adversely affect our ability to generate revenue and could increase our operating expenses.

Intellectual property litigation could expose us to significant costs and liabilities and thus negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may be subject to claims of infringement of third party patents and trademarks and other violations of third party intellectual property rights. Intellectual property disputes are generally time-consuming and expensive to litigate or settle, and the outcome of such disputes is uncertain and difficult to predict. The existence of such disputes may require us to set-aside substantial reserves, and has the potential to significantly affect our overall financial standing. To the extent that claims against us are successful, they may subject us to substantial liability, and we may have to pay substantial monetary damages, change aspects of our business model, and/or discontinue any of our services or practices that are found to be in violation of another party’s rights. Such outcomes may severely restrict or hinder ongoing business operations and impact the value of our business. Successful claims against us could also result in us having to seek a license to continue our practices. Under such conditions, a license may or may not be offered or otherwise made available to us. If a license is made available to us, the cost of the license may significantly increase our operating burden and expenses, potentially resulting in a negative effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Although we have been and are currently involved in multiple areas of commerce, internet services, and high technology where there is a substantial risk of future patent litigation, we have not obtained insurance for patent infringement losses. If we are unsuccessful at resolving pending and future patent litigation in a reasonable and affordable manner, it could disrupt our business and operations, including by negatively impacting areas of commerce or putting us at a competitive disadvantage.

If we are unable to obtain or maintain key website addresses, our ability to operate and grow our business may be impaired.

Our website addresses, or domain names, are critical to our business. We currently own more than 415 domain names. However, the regulation of domain names is subject to change, and it may be difficult for us to prevent third parties from acquiring domain names that are similar to ours, that infringe our trademarks or that otherwise decrease the value of our brands. If we are unable to obtain or maintain key domain names for the various areas of our business, our ability to operate and grow our business may be impaired.

We may have difficulty scaling and adapting our existing network infrastructure to accommodate increased traffic and technology advances or changing business requirements, which could cause us to incur significant expenses and lead to the loss of users and advertisers.

To be successful, our network infrastructure has to perform well and be reliable. The greater the user traffic and the greater the complexity of our products and services, the more computer power we will need. We could incur substantial costs if we need to modify our websites or our infrastructure to adapt to technological changes. If we do not maintain our network infrastructure successfully, or if we experience inefficiencies and operational failures, the quality of our products and services and our users’ experience could decline. Maintaining an efficient and technologically advanced network infrastructure is particularly critical to our business because of the pictorial nature of the products and services provided on our websites. A decline in quality could damage our reputation and lead us to lose current and potential users and advertisers. Cost increases, loss of traffic or failure to accommodate new technologies or changing business requirements could harm our operating results and financial condition.

Operating a network open to all internet users may result in legal consequences.

Our Terms and Conditions clearly state that our network and services are only to be used by users who are over 13 years old. Although we will terminate accounts that are known to be held by persons age 13 or younger, it is impractical to independently verify that all activity occurring on our network fits into this description. As such, we run the risk of federal and state law enforcement prosecution.

Risks Related To Our Common Stock 

The price of our common stock may be subject to wide fluctuations.

Even though we have our shares quoted on the OTCQB Venture Market, a consistently active trading market for our common stock may not exist. You may not be able to sell your shares quickly or at the current market price if trading in our stock is not active.  You may lose all or a part of your investment.  The market price of our Common Stock may be highly volatile and subject to wide fluctuations in response to a variety of factors and risks, many of which are beyond our control.  In addition to the risks noted elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, some of the other factors affecting our stock price may include:

For these reasons, comparing our operating results on a period-to-period basis may not be meaningful, and you should not rely on past results as an indication of future performance. In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a public company’s securities, securities class action litigation has often been instituted against the public company.  Regardless of its outcome, this type of litigation could result in substantial costs to us and a likely diversion of our management’s attention. You may not receive a positive return on your investment when you sell your shares and you may lose the entire amount of your investment.

We may, in the future, issue additional shares of common stock, which would reduce investors’ percent of ownership and dilute our share value

Our articles of incorporation authorize the issuance of 15,000,000 shares of common stock, and 20,000,000 shares of preferred stock. Currently the Company has no shares of preferred stock outstanding. Additionally, as of March 30, 2020, there are outstanding (i) warrants to purchase 887,964 shares of our common; and (ii) options exercisable into 911,500 shares of our common stock. 

In addition, the Company has convertible notes outstanding that are convertible into 724,751shares of the Company’s common stock. Assuming all of the Company’s currently outstanding warrants and options be exercised and all convertible notes be converted, the Company would have to issue an additional 2,502,185 shares of common stock representing 25.9% of our current issued and outstanding common stock. The future issuance of this common stock would result in substantial dilution in the percentage of our common stock held by our then existing shareholders. We may value any Common Stock issued in the future on an arbitrary basis. The issuance of common stock for future services or acquisitions or other corporate actions may have the effect of diluting the value of the shares held by our investors, and might have an adverse effect on any trading market for our common stock. 

Our common shares are subject to the “penny stock” rules of the SEC and the trading market in our securities is limited, which makes transactions in our stock cumbersome and may reduce the value of an investment in our stock.

SEC Rule 15g-9 establishes the definition of a “penny stock,” in pertinent part, as any equity security that has a market price of less than $5.00 per share or with an exercise price of less than $5.00 per share, subject to certain exceptions.

For any transaction involving a penny stock, unless exempt, the rules require:

In order to approve a person’s account for transactions in penny stocks, the broker or dealer must: (a) obtain financial information and investment experience objectives of the person; and (b) make a reasonable determination that the transactions in penny stocks are suitable for that person and the person has sufficient knowledge and experience in financial matters to be capable of evaluating the risks of transactions in penny stocks.

The broker or dealer must also deliver, prior to any transaction in a penny stock, a disclosure schedule prescribed by the Commission relating to the penny stock market, which, in highlight form: (a) sets forth the basis on which the broker or dealer made the suitability determination, and (b) that the broker or dealer received a signed, written agreement from the investor prior to the transaction. Generally, brokers may be less willing to execute transactions in securities subject to the “penny stock” rules. This may make it more difficult for investors to dispose of our Common shares and cause a decline in the market value of our stock.

Disclosure also has to be made about the risks of investing in penny stocks in both public offerings and in secondary trading and about the commissions payable to both the broker-dealer and the registered representative, current quotations for the securities and the rights and remedies available to an investor in cases of fraud in penny stock transactions. Finally, monthly statements have to be sent disclosing recent price information for the penny stock held in the account and information on the limited market in penny stocks.

Liability of directors for breach of duty is limited under Nevada law.

Nevada law provides that directors must discharge their duties as a director in good faith and with a view to the interests of the corporation. Under Nevada law, directors owe a fiduciary duty to the corporation, which is generally comprised of the duty of care and duty of loyalty to the corporation. Except under limited circumstances set forth in NRS 78.138(7), or unless the articles of incorporation or an amendment thereto provide for greater individual liability (which ours does not provide), a director or officer is not individually liable to the corporation or its stockholders or creditors for any damages as a result of any act or failure to act in his or her capacity as a director or officer unless it is proven that the director’s or officer’s act or failure to act constituted a breach of his or her fiduciary duties as a director or officer, and the breach of those duties involved intentional misconduct, fraud or a knowing violation of law. Our stockholders’ ability to recover damages for fiduciary breaches may be reduced by this statute.

We do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future and, as such, capital appreciation, if any, of our common stock will be your sole source of gain for the foreseeable future.

We do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. We currently intend to retain all available funds and any future earnings to fund the development and growth of our business. In addition, and any future loan arrangements we enter into may contain, terms prohibiting or limiting the amount of dividends that may be declared or paid on our common stock. As a result, capital appreciation, if any, of our common stock will be your sole source of gain for the foreseeable future.

We may issue additional shares of preferred stock in the future that may adversely impact your rights as holders of our common stock.

Pursuant to our articles of incorporation, the aggregate number of shares of capital stock which we are authorized to issue is 35,000,000 shares, of which 15,000,000 shares are common stock, and 20,000,000 shares are “blank check” preferred stock with such designations, rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by our board of directors. Our board of directors is empowered, without stockholder approval, to issue one or more series of preferred stock with dividend, liquidation, conversion, voting or other rights which could dilute the interest of, or impair the voting power of, our common stockholders. As of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we do not have any preferred stock outstanding.

The issuance of a series of preferred stock could be used as a method of discouraging, delaying or preventing a change in control. For example, it would be possible for our board of directors to issue preferred stock with voting or other rights or preferences that could impede the success of any attempt to change control of our Company. In addition, advanced notice is required prior to stockholder proposals, which might further delay a change of control. Additionally, our board of directors could authorize the issuance of a series of preferred stock that would grant to holders preferred rights to our assets upon liquidation, the right to receive dividends before dividends are declared to holders of our common stock, and the right to the redemption of such preferred shares, together with a premium, prior to the redemption of the common stock. To the extent that we do issue such additional shares of preferred stock, your rights as holders of common stock could be impaired thereby, including, without limitation, dilution of your ownership interests in us.

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.

Not applicable.

Item 2. Properties.

Our corporate headquarters consists of a total of 3,000 square feet and is located at 2050 Center Ave, Suite 640 and Suite 660, Fort Lee, NJ 07024. The current lease term is effective June 5, 2018 through July 5, 2023, with monthly rent of $7,693 for the first year and increases at a rate of 3% for each subsequent year thereafter.

Item 3. Legal Proceedings.

From time to time, we may become involved in various lawsuits and legal proceedings, which arise in the ordinary course of business. Litigation is subject to inherent uncertainties, and an adverse result in these or other matters may arise from time to time that may harm our business. We are currently not aware of any such legal proceedings or claims that will have, individually or in the aggregate, a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or operating results.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.

Not applicable.

PART II

Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.

Market Information

Our common stock is quoted on the OTCQB Venture Market under the symbol “JMDA”. Any over-the-counter market quotations reflect inter-dealer prices, without retail mark-up, mark-down or commission and may not necessarily represent actual transactions.

Holders of Common Equity

As of March 30, 2020, there were approximately 278 stockholders of record. An additional number of stockholders are beneficial holders of our common stock in “street name” through banks, brokers and other financial institutions that are the record holders.  

Dividend Information

We have not paid any cash dividends to our holders of common stock. The declaration of any future cash dividends is at the discretion of our board of directors and depends upon our earnings, if any, our capital requirements and financial position, our general economic conditions, and other pertinent conditions. It is our present intention not to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future, but rather to reinvest earnings, if any, in our business operations.

Securities Authorized for Issuance under Equity Compensation Plans

The following table summarizes information about our equity compensation plans as of December 31, 2019.

Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities

The October 2019 Frommer Loan Agreement

On October 7, 2019, the Company entered into a loan agreement (the “October 2019 Frommer Loan Agreement”) with Jeremy Frommer, whereby the Company issued Frommer a promissory note in the principal amount of $10,000 (the “October 2019 Frommer Note”). As additional consideration for entering in the October 2019 Frommer Loan Agreement, the Company issued Frommer a five-year warrant to purchase 150 shares of the Company’s common stock at a purchase price of $6.00 per share.

October 2019 Warrant Issuance

On October 8, 2019, we issued a five-year warrant to an accredited investor to purchase 30,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at a purchase price of $5.00 per share in consideration for converting outstanding promissory notes.

The November 2019 Convertible Note Offering

During the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company conducted a private placement to accredited investors (the “November 2019 Convertible Note Offering”) of units of the Company’s securities by entering into subscription agreements with accredited investors (the “November 2019 Investors”) for aggregate gross proceeds of $479,500.  

Each unit in the November 2019 Convertible Note Offering consisted of (a) a 10% Convertible Promissory Note, convertible into shares of the Company’s common stock, at a fixed conversion price equal to $4.50 per share; and a warrant to purchase common stock.

Consultant Shares

During the 3 months ended December 31, 2019, the Company issued 14,897 shares to consultants.

The foregoing offers, sales and issuances were exempt from registration under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act and/or Rule 506 of Regulation D thereunder.

Item 6. Selected Financial Data.

We are not required to provide the information required by this Item we are a “smaller reporting company,” as defined in Rule 229.10(f)(1).

Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

The following discussion of our plan of operation and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and related notes to the financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that relate to future events or our future financial performance. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and other factors include, among others, those listed under “Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors” and those included elsewhere in this report. 

Overview

Jerrick Media Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: JMDA). provides technology solutions for content creators, brands and their respective audiences with its flagship digital media platform Vocal. 

We believe that Jerrick’s agile business framework and Vocal’s design and development process provide a sustainable, capital light operational infrastructure. Our technology is built to scale, while the rate of growth can be modulated up or down based on available capital and the relative tightness of the capital markets. 

Vocal is a user-generated long-form digital publishing platform. The platform primarily focuses on providing storytelling tools, monetization features and engaged communities for content creators to get discovered and fund their creativity.

There are over 4.5 billion internet users; of that, 83% publish some form of content on a monthly basis (photos, writing, reviews), and 3.8 billion of them are active on social media (according to data by GlobalWebIndex and Reddit). In 2020, the internet has become the linchpin of the modern information society, as well as the modern social society. We believe digital platforms, such as Vocal, exist to help the world find order in this vast ocean of opportunity.

A global crisis, like the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, only further emphasizes how critical a role digital platforms play in society, as government bodies are encouraging social distancing and restricting travel, and employers are widely implementing work-from-home policies. These factors aside, Vocal exists in an environment where the total addressable market (TAM) of the platform was growing exponentially, and in the current environment, may see even more rapid growth.

The Vocal platform is home to content creators and brands of all shapes and sizes, and attracts audiences across a network of the Company’s 100% owned-and-operated communities. The platform’s unique canvas-style editor supports content creation utilizing a wide range of rich-media assets including streaming content, photos, videos, podcasts, product links, written word, and more. Vocal makes it easy for creators to produce well-constructed, search engine optimized, and engaging content. Additionally, creators can upgrade to Vocal+, and pay a premium subscription fee to access a suite of additional features such as an increased rate of CPM monetization, brand collaborations, rewards, and early access to new features. 

Given Vocal’s built-in monetization capabilities, topic-specific structure, and adaptability to a wide range of uses and industries, we believe that it is the ideal platform to help users adapt to evolving social, professional, and societal realities of a new digital world. Moderation and compliance are more important in a world where ambiguity can systematically damage value. Vocal’s enforcement of community guidelines and content moderation creates a secure environment for users. Vocal provides its stakeholders a trustworthy environment that people look for, especially in periods of uncertainty.

In 2018, the Company launched its in-house creative studio, Vocal for Brands. Vocal for Brands partners brands with authentic, like-minded Vocal creators to produce campaign-optimized branded experiences on the Vocal platform that build affinity, trust, and drive results. Additionally, in 2018, Jerrick converted $13,896,233 in debt and preferred holdings into common stock, eliminating a significant majority of debt from the Company’s balance sheet.

In the third quarter of 2019, Jerrick implemented a $9.99 monthly renewal option for Vocal+ subscribers, in addition to the $99 annual renewal option introduced in May 2019. Additionally, following Jerrick’s acquisition of e-commerce agency Seller’s Choice, LLC (“Seller’s Choice”) in September 2019, the Company successfully integrated Seller’s Choice into its sales team and operations. The acquisition enabled Vocal for Brands to further expand its client base in the direct-to-consumer (DTC) space, while providing an opportunity for the Seller’s Choice team to leverage Vocal for Brand’s unique brand storytelling capabilities as a way to further support its e-commerce clientele. The Vocal platform’s unique underlying architecture generates scalable and sustainable revenues, while at the same time providing an infrastructure for future acquisitions, as it did in regard to the Seller’s Choice acquisition. 

Jerrick’s resources and Vocal’s technology were designed to amplify creator subscriptions as well as convert on direct to consumer brand opportunities. Today’s consumer behavior and online environment is ideal for brand marketing and product awareness, and creators are looking for further monetization opportunities. Both brands and creators, as well as their respective audiences, will continue to grow on Jerrick’s safe and secure platform, Vocal.

Results of Operations

Liquidity and Capital Resources

The following table summarizes total current assets, liabilities and working capital at December 31, 2019 compared to December 31, 2018:

At December 31, 2019, we had a working capital deficit of $10,745,004 as compared to a working capital deficit of $2,563,084 at December 31, 2018, an increase of $8,181,920. The increase is primarily attributable to an increase in notes payable related party, convertible notes payable, and the current portion of operating lease payable. 

Net Cash

Net cash used in operating activities for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, was $5,957,027 and $4,972,814, respectively. The net loss for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 was $8,035,372 and $12,013,542, respectively. This change is primarily attributable to the net loss for the current period offset by share-based payments in the amount of $437,106 to employees and consultants for services rendered, the accretion of debt discount and debt issuance costs of $348,665 due to the incentives given with debentures, and a gain on extinguishment of debt of $162,860 in addition to a change in accounts payable and accrued expenses of $985,715. These increases were offset by a change in accounts receivable and unrecognized tax benefit during the year ended December 31, 2019.

Net cash used in investing activities for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 was $363,288 and $27,605, respectively. This change is attributable to the cash paid for property and equipment and the cash consideration for the acquisition.

Net cash provided by financing activities for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 was $6,337,947 and $4,889,368. During the year ended December 31, 2019 period, the Company was predominantly financed by issuance of common stock, debt and related party notes of $649,829, $2,722,525 and $4,186,500, respectively to fund operations. These increases were offset by repayment of notes and related party notes of $50,000 and $501,500, respectively.

Summary of Statements of Operations for the Years Ended December 31, 2019 and 2018:

Revenue

Revenue was $453,006 for the year ended December 31, 2019, as compared to $80,898 for the comparable year ended December 31, 2018, an increase of $372,108. The increase in revenue is primarily attributable to the launch and steady growth of Vocal+ paid subscribers, the rising price points for Vocal for Brands campaigns, and the integration of Seller’s Choice into Jerrick following the Company’s successful acquisition of Seller’s Choice in late third quarter. Over $400,000 of the $453,006 was generated in the second half of the year with approximately $300,000 generated in the fourth quarter alone.

Operating Expenses

Operating expenses for the year ended December 31, 2019 were $7,669,984 as compared to $5,767,153 for the year ended December 31, 2018. The increase of $1,902,831 in operating expenses is the result of an increase in general and administrative expenses and consulting fees. The increase to these expenses is mainly related to the acquisition of Seller’s Choice and the implementation of the Company’s future business plans.

Loss from Operations

Loss from operations for the year ended December 31, 2019 was $7,216,978 as compared to $5,686,255 for the year ended December 31, 2018. The increase in the loss from operations is primarily due to increased expenses due to the continued development of the Vocal platform and the acquisition of Seller’s Choice and the implementation of the Company’s future business plans.

Other Expenses

Other expenses for the year ended December 31, 2019 was $818,394 as compared to $6,327,287 for the year ended December 31, 2018. Other expenses during the year ended December 31, 2019 was comprised of interest expense of $612,830 on notes and related party notes, accretion of debt discount and issuance cost of $348,665 due to the incentives given with debentures, a loss on extinguishment of debt of $162,860. These expenses were offset by other income from an Australian tax credit for research and development of $292,387. During the year ended December 31, 2018, other expenses were comprised of interest expense of $923,008 on notes and related party notes and accretion of debt discount and issuance cost of $2,090,286 due to the incentives given with debentures, loss on extinguishment of liabilities of $3,453,137 for the incentives given to amend or convert debt.

Net Loss

Net loss attributable to common shareholder for the year ended December 31, 2019, was $8,035,372, or loss per share of $0.98, as compared to a net loss of $14,204,408, or loss per share of $4.16, for the year ended December 31, 2018.

Inflation did not have a material impact on the Company’s operations for the applicable period. Other than the foregoing, management knows of no trends, demands, or uncertainties that are reasonably likely to have a material impact on the Company’s results of operations.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements 

As of December 31, 2019, we had no off-balance sheet arrangements. 

Critical Accounting Policies

We believe that the following accounting policies are the most critical to aid you in fully understanding and evaluating this “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation.”

Use of Estimates and Assumptions and Critical Accounting Estimates and Assumptions

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the dates of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods.

Critical accounting estimates are estimates for which (a) the nature of the estimate is material due to the levels of subjectivity and judgment necessary to account for highly uncertain matters or the susceptibility of such matters to change and (b) the impact of the estimate on financial condition or operating performance is material. The Company’s critical accounting estimates and assumptions affecting the financial statements were:

These significant accounting estimates or assumptions bear the risk of change due to the fact that there are uncertainties attached to these estimates or assumptions, and certain estimates or assumptions are difficult to measure or value.

Management bases its estimates on historical experience and on various assumptions that are believed to be reasonable in relation to the financial statements taken as a whole under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources.

Management regularly evaluates the key factors and assumptions used to develop the estimates utilizing currently available information, changes in facts and circumstances, historical experience and reasonable assumptions. After such evaluations, if deemed appropriate, those estimates are adjusted accordingly.

Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Principles of consolidation 

The Company consolidates all majority-owned subsidiaries, if any, in which the parent’s power to control exists.

As of December 31, 2019, the Company’s consolidated subsidiaries and/or entities are as follows:

All inter-company balances and transactions have been eliminated.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The Company follows paragraph 825-10-50-10 of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification for disclosures about fair value of its financial instruments and paragraph 820-10-35-37 of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification (“Paragraph 820-10-35-37”) to measure the fair value of its financial instruments. Paragraph 820-10-35-37 establishes a framework for measuring fair value in U.S. GAAP and expands disclosures about fair value measurements. To increase consistency and comparability in fair value measurements and related disclosures, Paragraph 820-10-35-37 establishes a fair value hierarchy which prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value into three (3) broad levels. The fair value hierarchy gives the highest priority to quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs. The three (3) levels of fair value hierarchy defined by Paragraph 820-10-35-37 are described below:

Financial assets are considered Level 3 when their fair values are determined using pricing models, discounted cash flow methodologies or similar techniques and at least one significant model assumption or input is unobservable.

The fair value hierarchy gives the highest priority to quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs. If the inputs used to measure the financial assets and liabilities fall within more than one level described above, the categorization is based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement of the instrument. 

The carrying amount of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities, such as cash, prepaid expenses, accounts payable and accrued liabilities and accrued liquidating damages approximate their fair value because of the short maturity of those instruments. Transactions involving related parties cannot be presumed to be carried out on an arm’s-length basis, as the requisite conditions of competitive, free-market dealings may not exist. Representations about transactions with related parties, if made, shall not imply that the related party transactions were consummated on terms equivalent to those that prevail in arm’s-length transactions unless such representations can be substantiated.

Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all highly liquid investments with a maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents.

The Company minimizes its credit risk associated with cash by periodically evaluating the credit quality of its primary financial institution. The balance at times may exceed federally insured limits.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment are recorded at cost. Expenditures for major additions and betterments are capitalized. Maintenance and repairs are charged to operations as incurred. Depreciation is computed by the straight-line method (after taking into account their respective estimated residual values) over the estimated useful lives of the respective assets as follows:

Upon sale or retirement of property and equipment, the related cost and accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts and any gain or loss is reflected in the consolidated statements of operations.

Leases

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02 “Leases” (Topic 842) which amended guidance for lease arrangements to increase transparency and comparability by providing additional information to users of financial statements regarding an entity’s leasing activities. Subsequent to the issuance of Topic 842, the FASB clarified the guidance through several ASUs; hereinafter the collection of lease guidance is referred to as ASC 842. The revised guidance seeks to achieve this objective by requiring reporting entities to recognize lease assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet for substantially all lease arrangements.

On January 1, 2019, the Company adopted ASC 842 using the modified retrospective approach and recognized a right of use (“ROU”) asset and liability in the condensed consolidated balance sheet in the amount of $ 289,167 related to the operating lease for office and warehouse space. Results for the year ended December 31, 2019 are presented under ASC 842, while prior period amounts were not adjusted and continue to be reported in accordance with the legacy accounting guidance under ASC Topic 840, Leases.

As part of the adoption the Company elected the practical expedients permitted under the transition guidance within the new standard, which among other things, allowed the Company to:

Long-lived Assets Including Goodwill and Other Acquired Intangibles Assets

We evaluate the recoverability of property and equipment and acquired finite-lived intangible assets for possible impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such assets may not be recoverable. The evaluation is performed at the lowest level for which identifiable cash flows are largely independent of the cash flows of other assets and liabilities. Recoverability of these assets is measured by a comparison of the carrying amounts to the future undiscounted cash flows the assets are expected to generate from the use and eventual disposition. If such review indicates that the carrying amount of property and equipment and intangible assets is not recoverable, the carrying amount of such assets is reduced to fair value. We have not recorded any significant impairment charges during the years presented.

We review goodwill for impairment at least annually or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances would more likely than not reduce the fair value of our single reporting unit below its carrying value. As of December 31, 2019, no impairment of goodwill has been identified.

Acquired finite-lived intangible assets are amortized on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the assets. We routinely review the remaining estimated useful lives of property and equipment and finite-lived intangible assets. If we change the estimated useful life assumption for any asset, the remaining unamortized balance is amortized or depreciated over the revised estimated useful life.

Commitments and Contingencies

The Company follows subtopic 450-20 of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification to report accounting for contingencies. Certain conditions may exist as of the date the consolidated financial statements are issued, which may result in a loss to the Company, but which will only be resolved when one or more future events occur or fail to occur. The Company assesses such contingent liabilities, and such assessment inherently involves an exercise of judgment. In assessing loss contingencies related to legal proceedings that are pending against the Company or un-asserted claims that may result in such proceedings, the Company evaluates the perceived merits of any legal proceedings or un-asserted claims as well as the perceived merits of the amount of relief sought or expected to be sought therein.

If the assessment of a contingency indicates that it is probable that a material loss has been incurred and the amount of the liability can be estimated, then the estimated liability would be accrued in the Company’s consolidated financial statements. If the assessment indicates that a potential material loss contingency is not probable but is reasonably possible, or is probable but cannot be estimated, then the nature of the contingent liability, and an estimate of the range of possible losses, if determinable and material, would be disclosed.

Loss contingencies considered remote are generally not disclosed unless they involve guarantees, in which case the guarantees would be disclosed. 

Revenue Recognition

On January 1, 2018, we adopted Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), which supersedes the revenue recognition requirements in Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) Topic 605, Revenue Recognition (Topic 605), using the modified retrospective transition method applied to those contracts which were not completed as of January 1, 2018. Results for reporting periods beginning after January 1, 2018 are presented under Topic 606, while prior period amounts have not been adjusted and continue to be reported in accordance with our historic accounting under Topic 605. The impact of adopting the new revenue standard was not material to our consolidated financial statements and there was no adjustment to beginning retained earnings on January 1, 2018.

Under Topic 606, revenue is recognized when control of the promised goods or services is transferred to our customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration we expect to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services.

We determine revenue recognition through the following steps:

Revenue disaggregated by revenue source for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 consists of the following

Branded Content

Revenues from branded content in 2019 increased 78% as compared to the previous year. Onboarding of additional brand clients as well as greater pricing strength contributed to a large part of the gain. The increased pricing strength was attributable to improved features and data analytics. Clients are increasing their spend on Vocal for Brands campaigns with the company’s improved marketing strategies. The continued development of Vocal’s technology translates into a higher value proposition for brands. Revenue recognized from these tactical improvements occurred in the fourth quarter and have created a foundation for scale, future platform improvements, and continued pricing strength. 

Branded content revenue is recognized when the Company fulfills its obligation to create and publish branded articles for clients on the Vocal platform, promote said stories, and meet any required promotional milestones as per the contract with the client. The revenue is recognized over time as the services are performed, with any payments received in advance being deferred until they are earned.

Below are the significant components of a typical agreement pertaining to branded content revenue:  

Creator Subscriptions

Vocal+ is a premium subscription offering. The Company initially offered the subscription to a Founding Member beta group starting in May 2019, utilizing our first-party data from the 450,000+ ‘Vocal Free’ creators we had onboarded onto Vocal up until that point. During the beta period, we analyzed the behaviors and data of the Vocal+ Founding Members, refining the product and ultimately releasing it to the public in September 2019 alongside the Vocal 2.0 re-platform.

Vocal+ subscribers receive access to value-added features such as increased rate of CPM cost per mille (thousand) (“CPM”) monetization, a decreased minimum withdrawal threshold, a discount on platform processing fees, member badges for their profiles, participation in exclusive Challenges with monetary rewards, and early access to new Vocal features.

Subscription revenues stem from both monthly and annual subscriptions, which cost $9.99 per month and $99 per year, respectively, the latter of which is amortized over a twelve-month period. Any customer payments received are recognized over the subscription period, with any payments received in advance being deferred until they are earned.

The continued development of Vocal’s technology and targeting efficiencies translates into a decreasing cost of acquisition per creator, a scalable onboarding process, and an increasing rate of subscription signups. 

Managed Services

Managed Services are provided by Seller’s Choice, and encompass a suite of digital marketing solutions for e-commerce brands. Services offered include listing and storefront optimization on e-commerce platforms like Amazon and Shopify, the setup and ongoing management of clients’ websites, search engine optimization, digital advertising, and other various tactics for sales growth and customer retention. Additionally, Seller’s Choice draws upon Vocal for Brand’s storytelling capabilities to provide Seller’s Choice additional value and maximize their success. The average Seller’s Choice client generates revenues of between $3,500-$5,000 per month. 

Affiliate Sales

Affiliate sales represent the commission the Company receives when a purchase is made through affiliate links placed within content hosted on the Vocal platform. Affiliate revenue is earned on a “click through” basis, upon referring visitors, via said links, to an affiliate’s site and having them complete a specific outcome, most commonly a product purchase.

The Company maintains multiple affiliate relationships, with platforms such as Skimlinks, Amazon, and Tune, to form and maintain thousands of vendor relationships. Each vendor establishes their own commission percentage payout, which typically range from 5-15%. The revenue is recognized upon receipt of commission fees.

Deferred Revenue

Deferred revenue consists of billings and payments from clients in advance of revenue recognition. As of December 31, 2019 and 2018, the Company had deferred revenue of $50,691 and $9,005, respectively. 

Accounts Receivable and Allowances

Accounts receivable are recorded and carried when the Company uploads the articles and reaches the required number of views on the platform. We make estimates for the allowance for doubtful accounts and allowance for unbilled receivables based upon our assessment of various factors, including historical experience, the age of the accounts receivable balances, credit quality of our customers, current economic conditions, and other factors that may affect our ability to collect from customers. During the year ended December 31, 2019 the Company recorded $33,503 as reserve doubtful accounts. As of December 31, 2019 and 2018 the Company has an allowance for doubtful accounts of $33,503 and $0 respectively.     

Stock-Based Compensation

The Company recognizes compensation expense for all equity–based payments granted in accordance with ASC 718 “Compensation – Stock Compensation”. Under fair value recognition provisions, the Company recognizes equity–based compensation net of an estimated forfeiture rate and recognizes compensation cost only for those shares expected to vest over the requisite service period of the award. 

Restricted stock awards are granted at the discretion of the Company. These awards are restricted as to the transfer of ownership and generally vest over the requisite service periods, typically over a five-year period (vesting on a straight–line basis). The fair value of a stock award is equal to the fair market value of a share of Company stock on the grant date. 

The fair value of an option award is estimated on the date of grant using the Black–Scholes option valuation model. The Black–Scholes option valuation model requires the development of assumptions that are inputs into the model. These assumptions are the value of the underlying share, the expected stock volatility, the risk–free interest rate, the expected life of the option, the dividend yield on the underlying stock and the expected forfeiture rate. Expected volatility is benchmarked against similar companies in a similar industry over the expected option life and other appropriate factors. Risk–free interest rates are calculated based on continuously compounded risk–free rates for the appropriate term. The dividend yield is assumed to be zero as the Company has never paid or declared any cash dividends on its Common stock and does not intend to pay dividends on its Common stock in the foreseeable future. The expected forfeiture rate is estimated based on management’s best estimate.  

Determining the appropriate fair value model and calculating the fair value of equity–based payment awards requires the input of the subjective assumptions described above. The assumptions used in calculating the fair value of equity–based payment awards represent management’s best estimates, which involve inherent uncertainties and the application of management’s judgment. As a result, if factors change and the Company uses different assumptions, our equity–based compensation could be materially different in the future. In addition, the Company is required to estimate the expected forfeiture rate and recognize expense only for those shares expected to vest. If the Company’s actual forfeiture rate is materially different from its estimate, the equity–based compensation could be significantly different from what the Company has recorded in the current period.

Loss Per Share

Basic net loss per common share is computed by dividing net loss attributable to common stockholders by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted net loss per common share is determined using the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period, adjusted for the dilutive effect of common stock equivalents. In periods when losses are reported, which is the case for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 presented in these consolidated financial statements, the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding excludes common stock equivalents because their inclusion would be anti-dilutive.

The Company had the following common stock equivalents at December 31, 2019 and 2018:

Reclassifications

Certain prior year amounts in the consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto have been reclassified where necessary to conform to the current year presentation. These reclassifications did not affect the prior period total assets, total liabilities, stockholders’ deficit, net loss or net cash used in operating activities.

Recently Adopted Accounting Guidance

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842).” Under ASU 2016-02, lessees will, among other things, require lessees to recognize a lease liability, which is a lessee’s obligation to make lease payments arising from a lease, measured on a discounted basis; and a right-of-use asset, which is an asset that represents the lessee’s right to use, or control the use of, a specified asset for the lease term. ASU 2016-02 does not significantly change lease accounting requirements applicable to lessors; however, certain changes were made to align, where necessary, lessor accounting with the lessee accounting model and ASC Topic 606, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers.” ASU 2016-02 became effective for us on January 1, 2019 and initially required transition using a modified retrospective approach for leases existing at, or entered into after, the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented in the financial statements. In July 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-11, “Leases (Topic 842) - Targeted Improvements,” which, among other things, provides an additional transition method that would allow entities to not apply the guidance in ASU 2016-02 in the comparative periods presented in the financial statements and instead recognize a cumulative-effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings in the period of adoption. In December 2018, the FASB also issued ASU 2018-20, “Leases (Topic 842) - Narrow-Scope Improvements for Lessors,” which provides for certain policy elections and changes lessor accounting for sales and similar taxes and certain lessor costs. As of January 1, 2019, the Company adopted ASU 2016-02 and has recorded a right-of-use asset and lease liability on the balance sheet for its operating leases. We elected to apply certain practical expedients provided under ASU 2016-02 whereby we will not reassess (i) whether any expired or existing contracts are or contain leases, (ii) the lease classification for any expired or existing leases and (iii) initial direct costs for any existing leases. We also do not expect to apply the recognition requirements of ASU 2016-02 to any short-term leases (as defined by related accounting guidance). We expect to account for lease and non-lease components separately because such amounts are readily determinable under our lease contracts and because we expect this election will result in a lower impact on our balance sheet.

Recent Accounting Guidance Not Yet Adopted

In October 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-16, “Income Taxes (Topic 740): Intra-Entity Transfers of Assets Other than Inventory”, which eliminates the exception that prohibits the recognition of current and deferred income tax effects for intra-entity transfers of assets other than inventory until the asset has been sold to an outside party. The updated guidance is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption of the update is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of the new standard.

Management does not believe that any recently issued, but not yet effective accounting pronouncements, when adopted, will have a material effect on the accompanying consolidated financial statements.

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.

We are not required to provide the information required by this Item we are a “smaller reporting company,” as defined in Rule 229.10(f)(1).

Item 8. Financial Statements. 

Jerrick Media Holdings, Inc.

 Financial Statements as of December 31, 2019 and 2018

Index to the Consolidated Financial Statements

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM  

To the Board of Directors and

Stockholders of Jerrick Media Holdings, Inc.

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying balance sheets of Jerrick Media Holdings, Inc. (the Company) as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, and the related statements of comprehensive income (loss), changes in stockholders' equity (deficit), and cash flows for each of the years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2019, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the financial statements). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2019, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Going Concern

The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in Note 3 to the financial statements, the Company had an accumulated deficit at December 3 1, 2019, and a net loss and net cash used in operating activities for the year then ended. These factors raise substantial doubt about the Company's ability to continue as a going concern. Management's plans in this regard are described in Note 3. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this unceflainty

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company's financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

We have served as the Company's auditor since 2018.

Somerset, New Jersey

March 30, 2020

Jerrick Media Holdings, Inc.

Consolidated Balance Sheets

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements. 

Jerrick Media Holdings, Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

Jerrick Media Holdings, Inc.

Consolidated Statement of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity

For the Years Ended December 31, 2019 and 2018

See accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements

Jerrick Media Holdings, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows