From a management company at 17 to a rainforest of apps: Scranton founder Ryan K. Hertel relaunches Socialocca

SCRANTON, Pa., Nov. 2, 2026 —

Ryan K. Hertel, a brand designer, content creator, and product builder based in Scranton, Pennsylvania, has relaunched Socialocca, the company he founded in 2017, as a product studio that builds free and low-cost tools for creators and small businesses.

Known online as heyitskenton, Hertel launched his first management company at 17, working in entertainment and digital media, and has been in business since 2011. He founded Socialocca on May 31, 2017, as a marketing agency, managing social media for businesses, helping plan campaigns for streamers with more than 500,000 followers, and running ad campaigns that reached millions.

After stepping away from the agency for several years, Hertel relaunched Socialocca on May 31, 2026, nine years to the day after he founded it. This time it is a product studio.

"I spent years doing for clients what most creators could never afford," Hertel said. "When I came back, I wanted to build that into tools anyone can use, most of them for free. And I wanted the company to stand for something: human-made work, honesty about AI, and giving small creators a real shot."

What he's building

Socialocca now runs 15 live apps on an illustrated rainforest island at socialocca.com. They include Pudding, which helps creators prove their posts are really theirs as deepfakes spread; Shapeshifter, a color tool with free lessons and no AI; and Watchrr, a free live board of the internet's outages. Hertel also wrote the free 2027 Social Media Playbook, and he runs the studio's branding, website, and analytics services: Brands, Sites, and GROW by Socialocca.

Beyond Socialocca

• Keep 100, his open proposal inviting the world's billionaires to keep $100 million and commit the rest to causes they choose. It asks no one for money.
• DJ Kenton, his wedding and corporate event DJ business in Northeastern Pennsylvania, DJing since 2011.
• Music, including original tracks and remixes as heyitskenton.
• Floating Strength, a free children's storybook he illustrated, featuring Socialocca's rainforest characters.

Availability

Hertel is available for interviews about building free tools for creators, human-led work in the AI era, and relaunching a company. More about him is at heyitskenton.com.

About Socialocca

Socialocca is an independent product studio that builds free and low-cost web apps, digital tools, and creative systems for creators, small businesses, and online-first brands. Founded in 2017 by Ryan K. Hertel and relaunched as a product studio in 2026, it is based in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Its apps live together on an illustrated rainforest island at socialocca.com, and its studio offers branding, custom websites, and a free website checkup through Brands, Sites, and GROW by Socialocca.

Media contact

Ryan K. Hertel, Socialocca
press@socialocca.com
socialocca.com/press

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