How Jilly Hendrix Uses the Entertainment Business to Become an Entrepreneur and Investor

The road to entrepreneurship is not linear. Jillian Levin, known on the Internet as Jilly Hendrix, was a comedian, DJ, viral meme creator, and brand consultant before she invested in startups and became a founder. The current founder and CEO and 8x investor in low ABV spirits company BODY balances irony with an uncannily wise move, drawing on a decade of fundamentals as a cultural trends watcher and content creator .

At 21, Southern California native Hendrix landed a job at Los Angeles-based talent agency CAA and aspired to break into the entertainment industry. “I was filing in a closet,” Hendricks says, “and pretty quickly they realized I was really good at filing, so I was put in as second assistant.” Knowing the business, Hendrix went on to teach himself DJing by watching YouTube videos and quickly became a celebrity DJ in Los Angeles and New York. “Through agency and DJing, I learned first-hand the business side of entertainment,” says Hendrix, “I really love that you can DJ and create a party atmosphere.”

DJing at clubs as an entertainer and promoter, Hendrix fit into an early influencer rotation, along with her childhood mates Lauren “Lo” Bosworth and Lauren Conrad from MTV Laguna Beach. Connecting with emerging and established cultural brands as a DJ and influencer, Hendrix was quickly promoted into talent roles and then a brand consultant, working with brands like Chandon, Sweetgreen, Bumble, Hinge, Outdoor Voices and more. “I seem to have spent my entire life building relationships with fashion leaders and brands,” says Hendricks.

It seemed only natural for Hendrix to partner with emerging direct-to-consumer startups looking for a digital strategy and unique culture [meme] content to tell their stories. Knowing the ins and outs of the startup ecosystem from both a financial and a founder’s perspective, Hendrix has gone from accepting $100 checks for brands to securing over $25,000 in projects as an advisor. “Some of the memes I make help start-up brands grow, and it’s through this work that I’ve gained a super understanding of early-stage startups and how to target consumers online.”

As an advisor, a deep understanding of the startup ecosystem prompted Hendrix to start investing. “I went from idea to business,” says Hendrix, “I was always helping to grow clients and wanted to get to the next level—the next level was part of the cake.” After building his own consulting firm, Hendrix has qualify as a qualified investor, the simple but critical steps required to invest in a company. Hendrix went on to found Jilly Ventures and invested in 8 companies including gia, the cult classic non-alcoholic aperitif brand, Great Jones, an Instagram aesthetic cookware brand, and Fanhouse, a creator platform that rivals OnlyFans and Patreon. With checks as low as $10,000, Hendrix’s investments are strategically placed across a diverse portfolio including the food and beverage industry, the creator economy, and women’s health and wellness.

During the pandemic, Hendricks saw an opportunity in the $100+ billion beverage market to create a low ABV spirits company to kickstart BODY. “If it wasn’t BODY, it would be a fund,” Hendrix laughs. BODY launches in late 2022 as the trend towards alcohol alternatives and low-alcohol products becomes mainstream continues to rise. Premium vodka is 10 times distilled and has 25% less alcohol than standard 80 proof vodka – an ideal concoction for the health conscious and low alcohol content – Curious.

Building on a decade-long strong relationship, in less than a year, Hendrix’s BODY has now stocked more than 50 New York locations, including the luxurious Oman Hotel on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, the city of chefs Jeremiah Stone and Fabian von Hauske Michelin-starred restaurant Wildair in the centre, chef Ignacio Matos LODI apertivo bar and café in Rockefeller Center, and Pebble Bar, Flower Shop and American Bar in Greenwich Village.The company announced today that the Next Century Spirits is a technology-based spirits company with a nationwide distribution network, making BODY an official Next Century Brand Group customer and part of the portfolio.

To date, BODY has raised over $1,000,000 in a seed round led by Curate Capital, with participation from Parade CEO Cami Tellez, Love Wellness CEO and Founder Lauren Bosworth, Y7’s Sarah Levy, and others. An official seed round will be announced in early 2023. “I love connecting people and helping brands, and I’d do it for every brand that exists if I could,” Hendricks said. “Everyone should be successful – there are so many amazing products out there. There’s room for everyone.”