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Inside the big business of the creator economy, with the agents making it happen

United Talent Agency’s Creators division is evolving the traditional talent agency model by helping influencers build sustainable, multi-faceted businesses that extend beyond simple brand deals into physical product lines.

Key Points

  • Co-heads Ali Berman and Raina Penchansky manage a diverse roster of top-tier creators, including Charli D’Amelio, Kai Cenat, and Emma Chamberlain.
  • The division focuses on "decentralizing" talent management by providing infrastructure for creators to launch their own media companies, events, and consumer products.
  • UTA emphasizes a "platform-agnostic" strategy, encouraging clients to diversify their presence across multiple channels to mitigate risks from algorithm changes.
  • The agency utilizes a "magic and logic" approach, combining data-driven analytics with human intuition to identify emerging talent and vet potential brand partnerships.
  • Despite the rise of AI, the agency maintains that human-led storytelling and community building remain the most valuable assets for long-term creator success.

Why it Matters

By shifting from transactional representation to long-term business development, UTA is professionalizing the creator economy and helping influencers transition from digital content creators to owners of independent media brands. This structural shift allows creators to build enterprise value that is less dependent on the volatile distribution models of social media platforms.
The Verge Published by Nilay Patel
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