- Influencer-management firms help content creators grow their brands and businesses.
- The space is filled with new professionals who have quickly made an impact.
- Insider is highlighting 33 rising stars in management who are shaping the creator economy's future.
A big focus for many talent managers in the creator space is helping their clients move beyond their presence on social media: branch out into traditional media, launch physical and digital products, and start their own companies.
"The best managers are not just the ones that procure the highest-grossing brand deals, but the ones that help their creator monetize their personal brand," said Dominick Paielli, cofounder of talent firm Clementine. "Helping them launch Snap shows, start their own brand, equity deals with startups, taking PR seriously, having them appear at events."
Jordan Schwarzenberger, for example, cofounded Arcade Media, a talent firm that exclusively manages the Sidemen — a creator collective with over 240 million combined followers.
In the past two years, Arcade has helped the Sidemen launch a fast-food restaurant, a spirits brand, and a subscription platform for fans.
Amanda Marcovitch, who manages her husband Jon Youshaei, acts more as an operating officer than a talent manager — a model that she thinks will continue to gain traction as creators move beyond the definition of "influencer" to become full-fledged media brands.
"As creators get bigger, they want a dedicated partner who understands the nuances and opportunities of their business," she told Insider.
In our inaugural list of rising stars in influencer management, Insider is highlighting professionals who are making tangible change to make the industry more equitable and transparent, helping creators grow their personal brands, and exploring new ways to professionalize the space.
Insider chose these rising stars based on reader nominations, as well as reporting and conversations with industry professionals. To be considered, managers needed to either be 35 or younger, or have been in the space for fewer than five years.
Here are 33 rising stars in influencer talent management, listed alphabetically by company name:
Harley Jordan and Chase Mitchell, All Influence Mgmt
Jordan, 28, and Mitchell, 27, cofounded All Influence Mgmt in 2021.
Mitchell has a background managing podcasts with Upstarter Pods, a virtual podcast production and management studio. The two met when Jordan, a creator and influencer coach, was recording her own creator-economy podcast "Brand Meet Creator."
All Influence Mgmt, now with 30 clients and four total employees, focuses on creators who position themselves as entrepreneurs and lead with their technical knowledge, like coaches, medical doctors, and service providers.
The firm's approach is to not only help clients partner with brands, but also build a strong personal brand outside of social media.
"We are excited to lock in long-term deals for our roster, but we are over the moon after strategizing big moves for their own personal brands, whether that's self publishing a journal, locking in their first speaking gig, being invited as VIP guests to events, or launching their own workshops," Jordan told Insider.
Clients include: Broadway Husbands, Little Rae of Health, Dr Jenn Anders, and Darci Smith.
Jordan Schwarzenberger, Arcade Media
Schwarzenberger, 25, cofounded Arcade Media, the management company behind the Sidemen, Europe's biggest creators.
Since Arcade was created in 2021, Schwarzenberger and his company have helped the Sidemen launch three businesses: fried-chicken restaurant Sides; alcohol brand XIX Vodka; and the Sidemen membership club, Side+.
In the past year, Arcade also supported the creators in organizing a charity match that raised over $1 million for charity and amassed 2.6 million concurrent streams. They also launched a Christmas charity song, "Christmas Drillings," which topped UK charts around the holidays.
"Unlike horizontally scaled management companies with hundreds of clients, we're focused on an approach of 'less is more,' with only one client," Schwarzenberger told Insider. "The aim is to dig as deeply into their brand as possible, creating as many value-adding, credible ventures and ideas as possible."
Before Arcade, Schwarzenberger worked at Vice and LADbible, before becoming the first chief creative officer at the talent-management firm YMU Group.
Clients include: Sidemen
Gil Kruger, Best Regards Media
Kruger is the founder and solo manager of Best Regards Media.
After working in the entertainment industry as a producer and creative executive for over 15 years, Kruger decided to move into digital-talent management and founded his company in 2023, based on the idea that "the next great media businesses and IP franchises will be generated by creators," he told Insider.
He has a roster of nine exclusive clients who fall into two main categories: the "creator-entertainer" and the "creator-educator."
In just a few months as a manager, Kruger has helped one of his clients sell out their ad inventory for YouTube through Q3, supported another in launching a paid community, and advised a third one on evaluating and ultimately accepting outside investment in their content.
Kruger believes creators are the future of media.
"One day, a YouTuber will win an Academy Award, and I want to be part of their producing team," he said.
Clients include: Dodford, Wholesome Simon, Ryan Ng, and Eli Stone.
Bella Koenig and Tikiyah "Kai" Ivey, CFG
CFG is a talent-management firm for YouTube creators and Instagram stars, focused on diversity and equity, managing influencers from all backgrounds.
As senior coordinator, Ivey, 23, works on the company's weekly internal newsletter featuring platform news, trends, and client features; client event planning and facilitating; and executing brand campaigns.
Ivey is based in Virginia and has worked in influencer marketing for almost three years. Her background is in traditional PR.
Koenig, 23, serves as senior influencer coordinator. With only one year in talent management, Koenig already manages six clients spanning various content niches. Her recent projects include organizing NYFW events for talent, and she works out of New York City.
Ivey's clients include: Jamilla and Que, Beverly Coleman, Ricaela Bernard, Kaila Ford, Irishcel Beilin, and Christine Cruz.
Koenig's clients include: Mallory Hudson, Sierra Boudreaux, Monica Veloz, Tiffany Laibhen, Tolani Eweje, and Bianca Renee.
Dominick Paielli and Nic Campanile, The Clementine Group
Paielli and Campanile started The Clementine Group, a talent-management and influencer-marketing firm, in 2020, at the age of 19.
The two were sent home from college due to the pandemic, and ended up dropping out in 2021 to pursue talent management full time.
Clementine focuses on management with a select group of creators — their roster counts 35 clients — while also running music and brand campaigns. With their focus on music marketing on TikTok, they've helped songs like Toosi's "Favorite Song" and Peezy's "2 Million Up" go viral on the platform.
Campanile leveraged his background as a software developer to build an internal tech platform that helps the company run its campaigns by automating and organizing data, sending pitches, and allowing creators and brand clients to view all active campaigns and payments through a custom portal login. Brands also have access to a private marketplace to shop and request creators for campaigns.
The tech has sped up the pace of work significantly, and Clementine experienced 500% growth between 2021 and 2022, Paielli said. The company also launched a commercialized version of their software for managers and agencies, CreatorCore, in early 2023.
Clients include: Baylen Dupree, Eric Suerez, Rhegan Coursey, and Montana and Ryan.
Andrew Dinh, Clique-Now
Dinh, based in Los Angeles, is the director of talent at Clique-Now, a talent-management and production company devoted to building careers for digital talent and CEOs with a focus on AAPI representation.
Dinh works with clients day-to-day on landing projects and partnerships with companies like Sony, Dolby, Pantene, Bumble, and Nintendo.
He also helped sign the company's first LGBTQ+ client, and has focused on building out that division, as well as leading the company's junior management division.
Dinh, 35, previously led influencer-marketing campaigns with 5ive Talent such as #LearnOnTikTok, as well as hosting webinars and workshops. He has worked in digital-talent management for over four years. Coming from a teaching and consulting background of 10 years, he continues to apply that skillset to support his clients.
Clients include: Leenda Dong, Feed Meimei, Philip Lemoine, Sam Li, and Level4alpha.
Cameron and Nilou Ajdari, Currents
The Ajdaris, a husband and wife duo, started Currents in 2018 to represent a few creators with the aim of helping them expand or launch their YouTube businesses.
Nilou, who has a background in music management and digital-talent management, recruited Cameron as a cofounder, and they quickly expanded their management model to prioritize short-form-video creators with the explosion of TikTok.
The company primarily represents talent in the comedy, family, and technology verticals. Their boutique approach focuses on supporting creators in building personal brands and sustainable businesses that go beyond social media — they've helped their clients publish books, launch podcasts, and start apparel brands.
"The expansion of creators into traditional media will continue to push the envelope of what it means to be an influencer versus a celebrity," Cameron told Insider.
Clients include: Alex and Jon Bouffard, The Cordle Family, Krystal Lora, and Tank Sinatra.
Amanda Acevedo, G&B Digital Management
Acevedo, 35, joined the talent-management firm G&B Digital Management in 2020, and now serves as senior talent manager and associate director of talent.
Before joining G&B, she was working in luxury fashion sales and corporate recruiting.
Founded in 2015, G&B is a digital talent firm, partnering with influencers in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Dallas, Miami, and other locations.
Acevedo, who lives in New York City, has recently helped her clients land partnerships with Walmart Fashion, Yitty by Lizzo, Amazon Fresh, and Longchamp.
She works with a wide range of creators in fashion, travel, food, family, and DIY.
Clients include: Noelle Downing, Steffy Degreff, Ria Michelle, Sam Ushiro, Courtney Halverson, Lizzie Darden, and Amber Kemp-Gerstel.
Natalie Amos, Gleam Futures
Amos, 25, is a talent manager and podcast lead at UK-based talent-management agency Gleam Futures. Having started as an intern at the company in 2019, she built her way up, and now also manages the podcast roster at the company.
As podcast lead, she helps established talent launch new shows, and also onboards new talent to help them grow their existing shows or produce new ones.
In 2022, Amos' client Gemma Styles won the Podcast of the Year award at The Blogosphere Awards with her podcast Good Influence.
Last year, Amos also helped creators Jake Boys and Fabio Bocca launch Pitstop, an F1-focused podcast. The podcast quickly reached over 2 million downloads, it charted at number one in the Spotify Sports podcast charts, and the hosts were able to interview F1 drivers such as Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc.
Clients include: Gemma Styles, Tanya Burr, Anna Newton, and Grace Victory.
Kayla Vaz, Kensington Grey
Based in Toronto, Vaz has recently worked with clients on meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris, attending the White House Easter Egg Roll, and booking her client TikTok creator Cedoni Francis her first Brand Trip with Disney.
Vaz has worked in influencer-talent management for over two years. She began her professional career working in events, and then transitioned into the communications and social-media space.
Kensington Grey aims to help creatives of color earn better pay and is focused on working with Black creators on every social platform, with an emphasis on lifestyle, parenting, fashion, and beauty.
Clients include: Cheryl Neufville, Lori (@nowitsclean), Sopha Rush, Marche Robinson, and Samo Frais.
Maria Chan, Influence with Impact
Venezuela-born Chan started working in the digital space as a fashion consultant and blogger in 2013. Now 35, she moved to Miami in 2016, and joined the Latina-founded influencer-management firm Influence with Impact in early 2021.
Having been a creator in the past, Chan gained an appreciation for the work of managers, and decided to focus and stay within the talent-management department. Because of her fashion background, Chan mainly manages creators in the fashion, lifestyle, and beauty space, and has a roster of six creators.
Influence with Impact focuses on working with micro and mid-tier influencers — the majority of whom are from underrepresented backgrounds — supporting them in building careers on social media.
Two of Chan's micro-influencer clients have already surpassed six figures in revenue in 2023, she said, breaking the stereotype that only creators with millions of followers can land lucrative business opportunities.
Clients include: Chelsea Henriquez, Aimee Kelly, Kelly Saks, and Emmalynn Cortes.
Stephanie Wahlers, Night
Wahlers, 28, has been working in influencer-talent management for four years. She began her career in esports in 2018, when she joined Night as the company's fourth employee at its Dallas headquarters.
Now based in Los Angeles, Wahlers has gone on to work with some of the biggest gaming and digital creators on YouTube, as well as livestreaming platforms like YouTube Gaming and Twitch. She has worked to expand Night's talent roster across growing verticals like chess, variety gaming, comedy commentary, and pop culture.
She began her role as director of digital in February, and within this position, she works with clients on brand deals, merchandise, and content syndication.
Wahlers also worked to onboard GothamChess, who is the most-subscribed chess streamer on YouTube with 3.8 million subscribers, to Night's growing roster.
Clients include: Chad Chad, GothamChess, Izzzyzzz, Top5Gaming, and ModernGurlz.
Parker Oks and David Rosemon, Nine Four Entertainment
Oks, 29, launched Nine Four Entertainment in 2022, working with content creators on talent management and business development. He serves as CEO of the company.
He has been in the creator and entertainment industry for over six years. Based in Las Vegas, his previous experience includes working with actors and creators at Brillstein Entertainment Partners and Daylight Holdings.
Rosemon, 28, has worked in the influencer industry for five years. Based in LA, he works as COO and talent manager.
Within their roles, they've focused their management business on launching physical products and other ventures with their clients including Habit (Drink Habit), a tea company with Canadian influencers Eamon and Bec; the "Brain Leak" podcast featuring Ethan Nestor and Jacksepticeye; and the chicken wing ghost kitchen concept "Wing SZN" with their client YouTuber ZIAS!.
Clients include: Berleezy, Eamon and Bec, Jacksfilms, Ethan Nestor, and Jennelle Eliana.
Briana Wilson, NYLA Influencers
Briana Wilson founded her talent-management company, NYLA Influencers, after spending years in traditional entertainment and working on the brand side of the creator business, primarily in influencer marketing.
She said she saw BIPOC creators being undervalued for their work and earning less than they deserved and wanted to help them scale their personal brand and brand-partnership positioning strategies to land bigger and better deals.
"There have been times in my life when I've felt ostracized, that I was not worth what I got," Wilson told Insider. "I wanted to work with people who feel like they need that, who want to be advocated for, and people, specifically women, who feel like they've been undervalued or underrepresented throughout their career."
Wilson established the company in 2018, and managed five influencers between then and 2022. She focused on building their personal brands and social-media presences during this time, generating over $5 million in revenue, Wilson said.
In 2023, NYLA is scaling its roster for the first time. In the past month alone, the company signed 8 creators exclusively, with plans to scale it to 30-40 creators by the end of the year.
Clients include: Raven Elyse, Maya Galore, Jo Placencio, and Yanique Duke.
Benji Sudmann, One Day Entertainment
Sudmann, 28, is head of business development for One Day Entertainment, a firm that manages YouTube star Airrack.
Sudmann, who is from New Zealand and Germany, relocated to Los Angeles two years ago to work with creators including Airrack, Yes Theory, and The Cheeky Boyos.
He's helped various creators build long-term partnerships with brands including Pizza Hut, PepsiCo, Shopify, Headspace, and SoFi.
He's also played a key role in scaling various YouTube channels from one to two employees, to fully-fledged media companies.
Now, Sudmann's main focus is on helping Airrack launch and scale businesses adjacent to his brands, like his second channel, Pizzafy, and "World's Largest Pizza" event in partnership with Pizza Hut.
Clients include: Airrack
Shaina Suk and Erin Convey, Outshine Talent
Convey, 26, has been working in talent management for three years at Outshine Talent within the sports, beauty, fashion, and lifestyle verticals. She is currently managing ten clients, the majority of whom have macro followings.
Based in New York, Convey has helped her clients land deals with Amazon Prime Video, Draft Kings, Verizon, and Dunkin'.
Suk, 30, has an array of digital-media and influencer-relations experience, specifically in the beauty, entertainment, and lifestyle categories. Before joining Outshine Talent in 2022, she led influencer relations on the brand side at FORMA Brands, specifically for Morphe, Morphe 2, and Bad Habit Beauty. Prior to that, she led talent partnerships at Murad Skincare.
At Outshine, Suk has helped her clients land brand partnerships with Sony, Amazon Freevee, DirecTV, Living Proof, amd Clinique.
Clients include: Carson Roney, Cristian Dennis, Jony Sios, Franklin Jonas, Tati Bruening and Meg Nunes.
Natalie Anastasia, Portrait Management
Natalie Anastasia is the director of talent at Portrait Management, where she represents a roster of digital creators including makeup and beauty influencer Leilani Green and family creators The McFarlands.
Anastasia began working in talent management at Whalar in Los Angeles, later moving to New York City and spearheading Portrait's expansion in the East Coast.
After moving, Anastasia said she noticed a lack of diversity in the NYC fashion influencer scene and prioritized signing and investing in creators such as Samira Ahmed, Isa Sung, and Dev Apollon.
Anastasia is responsible for negotiating the first year-long ambassador program with The Home Depot on behalf of The McFarlands, which was the first partnership of its kind for the brand.
Anastasia's guidance has also propelled Leilani Green's career from simple song promotions on TikTok to partnering with brands like YSL Beauty, Sephora Collection, Real Techniques, Kosas, and Pat McGrath, among others.
Clients include: Leilani Green, The McFarlands, Samira Ahmed, and Isa Sung.
Madeline McFerren, Range Digital
McFerren is an associate manager at Range Digital, the digital department of the management firm Range Media Partners.
This is McFerren's first job out of college, which she landed in 2020 after becoming passionate about the creator space as a teenager.
"When I was a senior in high school, I remember binge-watching Emma Chamberlain videos with my sister on a Sunday afternoon and realized I was super passionate about the way a creator lets you into their entire world, if it means getting to escape your own for a bit," she told Insider.
In 2022, McFerren signed creator Yesly Dimate and helped grow her following from 300,000 to 3.7 million followers on TikTok while helping her build a six-figure business in under six months. She also helped Dimate branch out of social media and land her first role in an indie feature film.
McFerren comanages lifestyle creator Victoria Paris, and has closed deals for her working with brands like Nike, Urban Outfitters, and Anthropologie. She's also produced actor Owen Thiele's live Spotify podcast "I'm in Hell," while helping clients across the Range Digital roster.
Clients include: Yesly Dimate, Victoria Paris, Owen Thiele, and Dylan Bleue.
Vanan Nguyen, Rare Global
Nguyen started as an assistant at Rare Global seven years ago, and has since moved up to managing talent.
Since joining the company in 2016 as its first employee, she has helped grow Rare's digital fashion and beauty talent, and expand its brands.
Nguyen, 30, manages talent business strategy and oversees brand partnerships.
She has executed campaigns for client collaborations and product lines, including: Chloe Morello's beauty line, Sireni Beauty, and Jenn Im's direct-to-consumer fashion line Eggie.
Clients include: Ellen V Lora, Jessica Vu, Sandy Bang, Jenn Im, Chloe Morello, and Christen Dominique.
Diana Vazquez and Matt Teng, Select
Vazquez, 29, has a focus on representing diverse talent, especially in the Latinx and AAPI spaces, and helping them navigate the digital side of entertainment through content strategy and brand partnerships.
As a bilingual Latina, she has helped her Spanish-speaking talent break into the US market, and has worked with her clients on landing brand deals with companies like ThredUP, Indeed, and Best Buy.
Prior to Select, she worked in CAA's commercial endorsements department, Untitled Entertainment, live events for ESPN, and on documentaries for Showtime.
Teng, 28, is passionate about representing AAPI and queer talent, and has previous experience managing talent from RuPaul's "Drag Race" to BuzzFeed creators.
Prior to moving to LA and becoming a talent manager, he studied economics at NYU, and worked at Hulu where he specialized in sponsorships and emerging ad products.
In his three years at Select, he's helped clients land projects with P&G for AAPI Heritage Month campaign, Steve Madden, and Liquid I.V.'s mocktail line.
Vazquez's clients include: Albert Muzquiz, Bailee Henderson, Genesis Lagos, Hannah Elise, and Heyitsfeiii.
Teng's clients include: Andrew Zhan, Angie Yoo, Brandt Czerniski, Caitlin Lam, Casey Aonso, and Cedric Pham.
Amanda Hennessy, Settebello Entertainment
At Settebello Entertainment, Hennessy works with actors, writers, directors, hosts, production companies, and content creators to build careers within Hollywood's traditional and emerging ecosystems.
She serves as vice president for the boutique firm, which acts as a talent- and literary-management firm focusing on creators and filmmakers in both digital and traditional media.
Hennessy, 30, is based in Los Angeles, and aside from day-to-day business ventures, she recently has been working with her client YouTube and TikTok creator Adrian Bliss on preparing for the play he wrote, which he will preform this summer at the performance arts festival, The Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Clients include: Adrian Bliss, Arden Rose, Connor Franta, Alix Traeger, and Natalie Joy.
Thomas Johnston, Shifted Digital
Johnston, 22, founded Toronto-based talent management firm Shifted Digital in 2021. Now with a roster of 12 creators, he has built one of the leading digital-talent-management firms in Canada.
Johnston's approach to talent management goes beyond finding and executing brand deals — he helps his talent build strategies, develop their branding, and create internal teams.
Johnston has helped his clients land partnerships with Amazon, Apple, L'Oréal, Lego, Mazda, Netflix, Starbucks, Universal Music, and Warner Bros., among other brands.
His aim with his work is to get Canadian creators more recognition, something that he still sees as lacking and that has pushed a lot of creators to move to the US to increase their chances of building a career on social media.
"I am fueled by getting Canada and the Canadian talent market on the map for this space," Johnston told Insider.
Clients include: Alex Yoannou, Arasteh Gatchpazian, Ben Grosskopf, and Morgann Book.
Madison Roy and Victoria Doran, Society 18
Roy, 24, started in the influencer-marketing industry at Society 18 in January of 2021 as an intern. Over the past two years, she has gained experience in talent management, campaign management, and influencer relations. She now manages a roster of 15 creators and works with brands and agencies across various social channels.
Based in Boston, Roy has helped her clients on Society 18's Coachella Creator House, Hermela Lamps' Dyson Press Trip, and Charlize Glass' Autotrader Commercial.
Doran has worked with her talent on landing partnerships with Dior, Garnier, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Amazon The Drop. Doran, 30, has more than a year's experience at Society 18.
Roy's clients include: Charlize Glass, Jake Miller, Lisa Ramos, Yasmine Simone, and Hermela Lamps.
Doran's clients include: Aysha Sow, Crystal Suggs, Franchelli Rodriguez, Janibell Rosanne, and Jessica Lewis.
Delaney Anderson, Team Sofia Franklyn
Anderson, 27, has played a role in the success of Sofia Franklyn's solo podcast, "Sofia with an F."
Anderson's career in media began as a radio host, but her passion for content strategy led her to transition behind-the-scenes, where she discovered her true passion in the creator management space.
In 2021, she began working with Franklyn as her social-media manager, but soon became her business manager. She now oversees all aspects of the business like podcast booking, marketing efforts, brand deals, hiring, YouTube monetization, budgeting, and overall brand direction.
Based in Las Vegas, Anderson worked to spearhead Franklyn's YouTube channel; landed Franklyn a deal with Snapchat's buzzy new Creator Program; and has helped book guests including Amber Rose, Yung Gravy, Jay Cutler, and Lala Kent for the "Sofia with an F" podcast.
Clients include: Sofia Franklyn
Amanda Marcovitch, Youshaei Studios
Marcovitch got her start in talent management "the same way Kris Jenner did," she said: by managing her husband's Jon Youshaei's career.
Youshaei quit his job in 2021 after eight years working at social-media companies like YouTube and Instagram to become a full-time content creator.
Marcovitch joined him as his manager, applying the skills and knowledge she learned while working in corporate America leading operations for Fortune 500 companies in tech and real estate.
In the past year, Marcovitch brought in, negotiated, and signed over six-figures in partnerships with blue-chip brands like American Express, Microsoft, Hubspot, Fiverr, Google, GoPuff and more, helping him triple his income. She aims to bring in eight figures in revenue in the next five years.
Clients include: Jon Youshaei
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