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Leading talent managers and agents help their influencer clients land brand deals, score TV and movie roles, and launch products.
From the biggest stars on TikTok, like Charli D'Amelio, to collab groups like The Crib Around the Corner, top creators often have a team helping craft their brand.
In our second annual power list, we recognized some of the top managers and agents who are guiding the careers of TikTok stars in 2021.
So who are these leading professionals?
Barbara Jones is the CEO of Outshine Talent, which manages the D'Amelio family, Cristian Dennis, and Frankie Jonas.
Select Management Group manages TikTok duos like Chris & Ian (5.5 million followers) and Nick & Sienna (14 million followers).
Keith Dorsey founded Young Guns Entertainment, a firm that manages two Atlanta-based content houses, Collab Crib and Valid Crib.
"Our goal is for our creators to be creators and focus on what they do best, and we can handle the vetting, the legal, and the negotiating along with an agent," Jones told Insider.
Key takeaway: Top managers and agents can help TikTok influencers expand beyond the platform and take their careers to a new level.
Wave House, a UK-based influencer collab house, debuted on TikTok last fall. Then in December, it vanished.
Now the group, which has 4 million TikTok followers, is back for "season two."
Sydney Bradley wrote that Wave House is taking cues from reality TV and wants to be the "Love Island" of TikTok:
Between December and March, Wave House cofounders scouted new talent to join their crew for season two.
Wave House is one of a few TikTok collab houses to choose a seasonal development model as it seeks to build a sustainable business.
Influencer-marketing agency Yoke Network completely funds the house, paying rent for the properties and getting the group brand deals.
"It's like your favorite TV shows," cofounder Eloise Fouladgar said of the seasonal model. "When the season ends, you're like, 'Well, I can't wait for the season to come out.'"
New social-media stars are emerging from the audio-only app Clubhouse, like the viral "NYU Girls Roasting Tech Guys" room.
The "club" now has over 12,000 followers, and Sydney Bradley spoke with members about how they make money:
They have worked with several brands, including Slice (a pizza delivery company), Recess (a CBD beverage brand), Starface (a skincare brand), and Lolli (a cryptocurrency company).
The NYU Girls use Spore, a new service that helps Clubhouse creators build a website and chat room for their community. In Spore, they make money from tips and a banner ad that can include an affiliate link to a brand.
The group is also part of Clubhouse's direct tipping program, which is in beta.
