Welcome to Trade Secrets, TheWrap’s insider guide to making it in Hollywood. In previous installments, we’ve shared industry knowledge of how to get your film on the festival circuit or how to get a show greenlit. But if you’re a creator — a profession that’s overlapping more and more with the traditional systems of Hollywood — what should you be looking for when it comes to representation?
For years, the advice for making it in the entertainment industry was the same: work on your craft, secure an agent and hope for your big break. But the rules are different when it comes to the creator economy. Oftentimes, a creator has already had several viral moments on social media before they even consider hiring an agent or a manager. Creators often aren’t the ones reaching out to these professionals; it’s the other way around.
“You don’t really get an agent. An agent comes to you,” Kaeden Rowland, better known by her over 593,000 TikTok followers as the “Staples Baddie,” told TheWrap.
By the time creators have seen enough success to start thinking about making social media their full-time job, an agent or manager has often already reached out. That dynamic changes the central question around representation. For creators, it’s not “How do you get an agent or a manager?” It’s “How do you know your agent or manager is right for you?”
“You want to hire someone that you would invite to your wedding or that you’d go on vacation with,” Kareem Rahma, the host of “Subway Takes” (1.3 million TikTok followers) and “Keep the Meter Running” told TheWrap, adding that he’s less swayed by which company a prospective representative works for. “I don’t care about the acronym at all. It’s definitely a people business, and if you have a good rep, it doesn’t matter where they work. It’s really about the person.”
For Kane Parsons, whose profile exploded with the box office record-shattering “Backrooms,” the answer may be to not have an agent at all. Though he’s now managed by 3 Arts Entertainment, when James Wan reached out to the teenaged Parsons about turning his YouTube series into a movie, he didn’t have representation. “My inbox is a nightmare right now, so I am considering all options, and I think that conversation will be expanded upon in the near future,” Parsons said on The Town podcast.
Either way, this means a mindset shift as representation for creators differs from more traditional film and TV talent. Creatives such as actors and directors can be slotted into fairly standard, copy-and-paste contracts. But because the creator ecosystem is one that’s fueled by entrepreneurship, there’s really no such thing as a “standard” creator contract. Top agents and managers know that every one of these representation deals should be bespoke so that they can adjust for any career changes a creator may want to make. For example, if your audience is suddenly begging you for a skin care line, you want to be part of a team that can make that pivot happen, not one that is only interested in the type of creator you used to be.
“They should listen to you more than they should talk at you.” — Julian Shapiro-Barnum
But that need for flexibility comes with its own headaches. Because creators are able to do anything from lead their own massive production companies like Dhar Mann or MrBeast to start podcasting empires like Alex Cooper or move into Hollywood like Curry Barker and Parsons, opportunities can be endless. That means creators need to be mindful of exactly what they want to accomplish and which opportunities are the most interesting to them.
That can be especially hard to do when it suddenly seems like the entire world is trying to slide into your DMs.
“There is not a one-size-fits-all model,” Hilary Williams, partner for talent at Digital Brand Architects, told TheWrap. “That is the beauty about the opportunities in this space: If there’s not a success model for you, we’re creating it.”
TheWrap spoke to several knowledgeable individuals to create this how-to guide to creator representation. Here are some key insights:
- Establish your channel and the relationship with your audience before seriously considering representation.
- Understand what you want to accomplish as a creator and don’t be afraid to say no to opportunities.
- Dream big — there’s no set path for a creator, so don’t limit your ambitions to what you think you’re “supposed to do.”
- Above all else, only work with people you trust and you’re sure have your best interest in mind rather than agents or managers who only want to talk about your follower counts.
What’s an agent vs. a manager vs. a publicist?
Before getting into the specifics about representation, a quick vocabulary lesson may be helpful. In the simplest terms, an agent works for a talent agency and has the legal rights to negotiate contracts on behalf of their client. They predominantly procure work for their clients and often work in specific fields like voice-over work, commercials and theatrical.
A manager provides guidance to their clients about career opportunities. Much like agents, they also often help set up opportunities for their clients. However, they’re more focused on their clients’ long-term career strategy.
As for publicists, they help manage public information about their clients such as social media messaging, press requests and official statements.
When to look for representation
One of the biggest creator mistakes that Greg Goodfried, the co-founder, president and COO of CAA’s creators division EQAL, sees is getting representation too soon.
“When you’re a creator in the early stages, there’s a lot of what I would call fool’s gold that comes your way,” Goodfried told TheWrap, referring to the influx of brands and people who want to work with creators immediately after they go viral.
This avalanche of requests can lead to a creator saying yes to an agent, manager or brand deal that isn’t actually good for them in the long term.
“You might be in a position where the person doesn’t exactly know what they’re doing or it’s not really what it seems. Then you might quit your job or do something very extreme because you have representation,” Goodfried said. “Let the career build, and nurture it for a while with your audience until the demand is so big that you really need some help managing it.”
However, there is a benefit to connecting with a manager early, especially for creators who are working alone. “Operating alone can sometimes silo you. You’re not getting feedback on your content, you’re not getting exposure to brand deals, you’re not creating a roadmap for a future-approved business, if that’s what you really want to do,” Williams said. “Collaboration is imperative to a creator, even in their earliest stages.”
It’s not just talk. DBA has partnered with several creators when they’re in the early stages of their digital careers.
A creator’s take
That’s also the approach Andrew Bachelor, aka King Bach (24.6 million Instagram followers), advises. Aside from his work as a creator, Bach is also an actor and has starred in movies like “The Babysitter” and “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.” When Bach was trying to make it solely as an actor, he reached out to all the major agencies including CAA, WME and UTA. After he rose to stardom through his social channels, he heard back from those agencies.
But by then, Bach was more secure in the type of artist he wanted to be.
“My advice would be to build up your brand. Whatever it is, be really good at it. If you’re a filmmaker, be the best filmmaker you can be. If you’re an actor, be the best actor you can be and create things that will let other agencies see you in that light,” Bach said. “You have to really be consistent and persistent.”
Understanding what you want to accomplish as a creator
When Jess Lucero, a pop culture reporter with over 430,000 followers on TikTok, was in the early stages of her career, she worked with a couple of agents. At that point, she wasn’t exactly sure what she wanted from both that relationship and from her career as a whole. Now, after six years of off-and-on representation, Lucero is more confident than ever in who she’s working with, partially because she has a clearer understanding of what she wants to accomplish.
“I feel much more confident in my decision and in what I recommend to people,” Lucero told TheWrap.
The clarity Lucero now feels is key for any creator looking to expand. It’s not unusual for creators to be flooded with brand deals and event invitations shortly after a big viral moment. Even if they don’t have a grandiose 15-year plan, that increase in attention requires them to make a lot of decisions very quickly.
- Are you open to brands sponsoring your posts, or is that a hard line for you?
- Do you want to charge for press, or do you see press attention as an elevation tool?
- Do you go to brand events for free, or do you want to get paid for your time?
And those are just some of the small, day-to-day questions creators need to keep in mind. It can all get overwhelming, fast. That’s why representation is so important.
What you can get out of representation
A good agent or manager works with their client to figure out what they do and don’t want in their careers. And because they’re more connected to various industries, those conversations can lead creators down paths they never even imagined. Say you’re someone who wants a more steady revenue stream outside of your posting schedule, but you have little interest in starting your own company. You might prefer something like a brand equity deal for creators or a creative director advisory role for a brand you’re passionate about.
“There’s certainly no one path or one right way,” Goodfried said. “Slow down and focus on the things that you’re truly passionate about, that you think you’re great at and that you think your audience loves as opposed to things that are immediately financially or ego rewarding. Really think about this as a long-term career between you and your audience.”
Accounting for flexibility
The openness of the creator economy can be a bit of a double-edged sword. Sure, there are limitless possibilities, but as creators know all too well, there are constant changes from algorithm updates to new influencer trends. That fast pace also applies to the constantly evolving deals and opportunities available to creators, which means it’s vital for good representation to keep up with the times.
“We’ve really been able to see the breadth of what a creator can be, and that grows and evolves every day,” Williams said. “What I always tell talent is to find a representative who also has a growing curiosity for the space.”
DBA has been representing creators for over 16 years. Being able to quickly adapt, both to the needs of its client as well as the changes and growing opportunities in the industry at large, is a major reason why the company has remained a leader.
EQAL operates in a similar manner, offering clients 360 representation. That means if a client suddenly wants to look into live tours or start a podcast to capitalize on those growth areas, the company can help orchestrate that.
Trust is the biggest requirement of all
Julian Shapiro-Barnum, the host of “Recess Therapy” (3.2 million Instagram followers), “Celebrity Substitute” (330,000 Instagram followers) and his upcoming YouTube late night show “Outside Tonight,” initially imagined having an agent meant someone would sweep him off his feet. Now that he’s more experienced, he values the collaboration he has with his team rather than having someone who’s calling the shots in his career.
“I think good representation has time to talk to you multiple times a week. I talk to my agents every single day, multiple times a day,” Shapiro-Barnum said. “They should listen to you more than they should talk at you.”
What sold both Shapiro-Barnum and Lucero on their current representation was their honesty. Candor around subjects like brand deals and earning potential is crucial, especially for creators who are seriously considering making content creation their full-time job.
“You trust their vision, you believe they grasp the industry’s direction, and you know for certain that they will speak highly of your name in the rooms they’re in,” Lucero said.
Everyone TheWrap spoke to cautioned that creators should be wary of anyone who focuses more on follower counts over their actual goals. They also advised that anyone who represents a creator should be a fan of their work. Rahma took that advice a step further, noting that he’s more willing to work with someone he trusts but who may not be the most skilled at the job rather than someone with a perfect resume but who does not fit his vision.
“Obviously, they have to be able to do their job right, but I think the interpersonal relationship is the most important thing,” Rahma said.
The post What Should Creators Look for in Representation? appeared first on TheWrap.
