The Power Brokers of the Creator Economy: The Reps Who Made 2026 Happen
The creator economy has become the entertainment industry’s most disruptive force, reshaping politics, film, fashion, and even the way we consume celebrity itself. Creators like Hasan Piker aren’t just streaming; they’re swaying elections. Markiplier isn’t just making YouTube videos; he’s reinventing independent film. And Hailey Bieber isn’t just an influencer; she’s selling out denim collections at Gap. But for all the attention lavished on the faces in front of the camera, none of it would be possible without the dealmakers behind them. The most powerful representatives in the digital space are the ones who negotiate the contracts, build the brands, and quietly steer these empires into existence. In 2026, they moved more money, landed more projects, and made more history than ever before.
Here are the most powerful reps in the creator economy — and everything they accomplished this year.
UTA / DBA: Building Empires at Scale
Ali Berman, Raina Penchansky, Oren Rosenbaum, and Hilary Williams run UTA Creators and Digital Brand Architects, home to a staggering roster that includes Markiplier, Kareem Rahma, Colin and Samir, and Olandria Carthen. This year, the team put its clients at the center of the streaming wars, populating Netflix’s new video podcast slate with projects like The Rotten Files With Stephanie Soo. They brokered the now-infamous MrBeast–James Patterson novel collaboration, expanded Emma Chamberlain’s Chamberlain Coffee into a new Abbot Kinney flagship, and helped Alix Earle land the Netflix series Earle Meets World. It’s the kind of year that demonstrates just how deep the bench at UTA truly is.
Gersh: From Broadway to the Doctor’s Office
At Gersh, Keith Bielory, Melissa DeMarco, and Jade Sherman continue to push digital talent into the mainstream entertainment spotlight. Their reality-star clients Ariana Madix, Whitney Leavitt, and Mark Ballas helped power record-breaking runs for Broadway’s Chicago, proving that social media fame can translate to legitimate box office success. Meanwhile, online health expert Doctor Mike surpassed 30 million followers with the team’s guidance, and Eli Rallo turned her online voice into a New York Times best-selling book. Gersh is clearly no longer just a talent agency; it’s a full-service gateway from the internet to the cultural mainstream.
Sixteenth: Sports, British Stars, and Big Money
At Sixteenth, Alexis Ramos has built the company’s sports division from the ground up, representing top athletes across the NFL, WNBA, and track and field. Skye Petrie brought a massive U.K. roster into the fold, helping British creators like Maddie Borge go global. Payton Booker, meanwhile, secured major partnerships including a $90,000 brand campaign for Charles Brockman III. Sixteenth has quietly become one of the most versatile shops in the creator space, moving easily between athletics, international talent, and high-dollar brand work.
Manatt: From Alan’s Universe to Logan Paul
Christopher Chatham and Ellie Heisler at Manatt Phelps & Phillips had a banner year. Alan Chikin Chow, host of Alan’s Universe, now boasts more than 100 million YouTube subscribers, and the team expanded his reach with distribution deals at the Roku Channel and Tubi. Chatham also represents multiplatform lightning rod Logan Paul, brokering deals for the Impaulsive podcast and for streamer IShowSpeed, who has 61 million YouTube subscribers. Heisler works closely with Jordan and Salish Matter and structured Salish’s groundbreaking collaboration with Chipotle, making her the youngest person ever to launch a digital menu item with the brand.
Palette: Born in the TikTok Boom
Daniel Daks and Josh DeAngelis founded Palette during the 2020 TikTok explosion and have since built a roster spanning comedy, lifestyle, and infotainment. Spanish news creator Carlos Eduardo Espina launched his Creator Cup, which twice sold out Houston Dynamo’s MLS stadium. Roblox star Lana Rae has become a consumer product powerhouse, with her merchandise line generating more than $20 million at retail in just five months. Palette has proven that creators can be more than just personalities; they can be full-blown brands.
Odd Projects: Championing Social Impact
Arjun Das was recruited to Odd Projects by managing partners Brian Sokolik and Nate Ruff, and he’s made a name for himself representing creators who want to change the world. Client Hunter Prosper, a storyteller and interviewer, closed a book deal and launched a series with Barack Obama’s Higher Ground production company. Das also helped Jesus Morales, a video creator telling Latinx stories around Los Angeles, launch a nonprofit that has already earned six figures in donations. It’s a refreshing reminder that creator reps aren’t just about making money — sometimes they’re about making a difference.
WME: Record-Setting Podcast Deals
Ben Davis and Jad Dayeh co-head WME’s digital department and closed a reported $100 million first-of-its-kind pact for Jay Shetty and his On Purpose podcast, giving Netflix and Spotify joint exclusive rights. That kind of deal would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. The duo also helped reality stars Paige DeSorbo and Hannah Berner secure major brand partnerships, including Hannah’s multiyear ambassadorship with Lululemon. WME is flexing its muscles in the digital space like never before.
Entertainment 360: A New Digital Powerhouse
Alexandra Devlin joined Entertainment 360 this year to help the company build a bigger piece of the digital pie. She arrived with an impressive track record from WME, where she brokered Paige DeSorbo’s Super Bowl commercial with Kinder Bueno and negotiated finance guru Vivian Tu’s SoFi Bank ambassadorship. Her move signals just how seriously traditional management companies are taking the creator economy.
Greenberg Glusker: The Lawyers Behind the Machine
Matt Dysart and Eric Perlmutter-Gumbiner at Greenberg Glusker serve as corporate and strategic advisers to the firms that power the creator ecosystem. Perlmutter-Gumbiner works with Palette Media, Jake Rosen Entertainment, Get Engaged Media, Underscore Talent Agency, Made by All, and Dhar Mann Studios. Dysart represents Slow Ventures, Kynetic Content, UnderCurrent, Palette Media, and Creator Society. They may not be on the red carpet, but they are the legal backbone of the digital talent world.
Parker: Fashion, Beauty, and Family
Parker Management started 2026 by acquiring Estate Five, expanding its portfolio of creators across fashion and beauty. New signings include Alex Bennett, Abigail Erb, and Dan and Samantha Matthews, joining a deep bench of lifestyle, family, home, and Bachelor Nation talent. The firm secured campaigns with Google Pixel, Abercrombie & Fitch, Tuckernuck, and Lincoln. Parker is proving that lifestyle creators can command the same brand dollars as traditional celebrities.
Select: Hollywood Meets the Creator Economy
Lisa Filipelli, Brittany Maxwell, and Caroline Nardilla continue to push Select to the intersection of Hollywood and digital. They delivered new seasons of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and launched franchise expansion TSLOMW: Orange County, both populated with Select clients. They also launched Select Sports, a division reimagining athlete representation for the social media era, landing Super Bowl campaigns with Meta x Oakley glasses and Toyota for athletes Sky Brown and Oksana Masters.
Underscore Talent: AI, Netflix, and Emmy Nominations
At Underscore Talent, Mallory Llewellyn landed four clients on Netflix’s Calabasas Confidential, serving as consulting producer on the series. Kyle Stevens helped Kareem Rahma turn SubwayTakes into an Emmy-nominated series and launched Rahma’s second show, Keep the Meter Running. Dylan Flinn has become the go-to manager for top AI creators, landing one of the first celebrity likeness deals with HiggsfieldAI and securing a studio development deal for AI content creator Chloe vs History. The future is here, and Underscore is managing it.
CAA: The Mega-Agency Goes All In
CAA’s creator division, led by Arleta Fowler, Andrew Graham, Brent Weinstein, and Sophie Wiener, has signed some of the biggest creators in the world, including Rhett + Link, Valkyrae, Stokes Twins, Deestroying, Rebecca Zamolo, Nara Smith, Jack Goldburg, Reckless Ben, Max “Career Ladder” Klymenko, and Reece Feldman. In June, the agency and Integrated Media Co. launched a $250 million venture called Compound Creative Holdings, aimed at acquiring, operating, and growing companies in the creator economy. CAA is not just representing creators anymore; it’s building the infrastructure around them.
Loaded: Kings of Livestreaming
Brandon Freytag and Yoni Ginsberg have spent nearly a decade building careers and brokering livestreaming’s biggest deals. Loaded represents the largest share of Twitch livestreamers by watch time, including TheBurntPeanut, Cinna, Maya Higa, and Shroud. Recent deals with Google, EA, Epic Games, and Tencent have kept the company at the top of the gaming world. Their “Protect the Peanut” campaign with Battlefield became one of EA’s most successful creator campaigns ever.
Jackoway Austen: Science, Comedy, and Netflix
Representing Mark Rober, the former NASA engineer with nearly 82 million YouTube subscribers, and late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, Andy Galker and Eric Weissler are used to big deals. This year, they closed the deal that put Rober’s CrunchLabs and Kimmel’s Kimmelot into business together on Netflix’s upcoming competition series Schooled. Rober will host and executive produce the show, which pits teams of students against each other in a gauntlet of creative science challenges.
THE·TEAM: Golf, Gymnastics, and Going Viral on Purpose
Marcela Woessner at THE·TEAM inked gymnast and Instagram star Livvy Dunne’s partnership with Miller Lite and turned an embarrassing viral moment into a partnership with deodorant brand Secret. The company also acquired Provisions, a leading golf creator agency founded by Joe Gilliland and Josh Morgan. The two developed the Creator Classic, a tournament where 12 of YouTube’s top golf creators compete, and built Your Golf Tour, a YouTube series featuring the sport’s biggest names.
Yorn Levine: From Alix Earle to Hailey Bieber
Alix Earle has evolved from creator to entrepreneur under Kevin Yorn and Todd Rubenstein, who helped launch her skin care brand Reale Actives and negotiated her Netflix series Earle Meets World. Yorn advised Hailey Bieber on her 2026 Gap collection, long live the baggy jeans renaissance. Rubenstein also represents Charli D’Amelio. And Ryan Goodell has chef Nick DiGiovanni, who served as Fox Sports’ official chef for the FIFA World Cup this year.
Night: Streamer University and Eight-Figure Sales
Night has had another blockbuster year, acquiring IRL marketing firm Experiential Supply Co. John Nelson brokered deals for Twitch star Kai Cenat’s record-breaking Streamer University with partners including Red Bull, Dell, and Fortnite. Eric Huntzinger expanded progressive influencer Hasan Piker’s merch line amid skyrocketing fame and brokered YouTubers Sam & Colby’s Netflix partnership. Michael Gordon oversaw the eight-figure sale of true-crime YouTube channel Dr. Insanity to an investment company.
Weintraub Tobin: The Empire Behind Call Her Daddy
Shaun Gordon has guided Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy from a buzzy podcast into an aspiring media empire, including the Unwell Network, film slate, live events, touring, and a distribution relationship with SiriusXM. In the past year, Unwell raised its first outside capital at a reported $500 million pre-money valuation. Jessica Marlow represents Claudia and Jackie Oshry of The Toast, Remi Parsons, and Chris Olsen, one of TikTok’s most recognized comedic voices and author of the memoir I Think My Therapist Hates Me.
Loeb & Loeb: Athletes, Gamers, and Denim
Melanie Howard advises Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his wife Brittany on endorsements and business ventures. She also counsels gamer Andre Rebelo, Karl Jacobs, and Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams. On the other side of the table, she represented Gap in the Hailey Bieber collaboration. Loose denim forever.
Fixated: A Thousand Creators Strong
Acquiring Studio71 gave Fixated a combined global network of more than 1,000 creators. The company operates a 25,000-person clipper network and racks up 3 billion monthly impressions on its owned social pages. Derek Howe brokered deals for children’s gaming expert Mackenzie Turner with Disney and Nickelodeon and led the creation of her Roblox experience, which hit 100 million visits in its first 30 days.
Brillstein: True Crime, Politics, and Tana Mongeau
Seth Jacobs helped the true-crime show Morbid sell out Radio City Music Hall on a live tour and launched Unbiased Politics, a daily video show with lawyer influencer Jordan Berman. Brittny Turner helped YouTube star Tana Mongeau launch her podcast Brand Safe and secured partnerships with SeatGeek, DraftKings, Skims, and Celsius.
Goodman Genow: Bretman Rock and Noah Beck
Will Jacobson closed deals for beauty vlogger Bretman Rock to front a global campaign for Kate Spade New York and make him the face of K-beauty brand Dr. Groot in the U.S. Matt Rosen’s client Noah Beck is starring in the Tubi rom-com franchise Sideline: The QB and Me, with Rosen ironing out deals for the second and upcoming third film, plus helping him get cast on Fox’s Baywatch reboot.
Outshine Talent: Baseball Stars and Disney Channel
Outshine Talent has built out its sports business significantly, representing internet-famous baseball stars like the Savannah Bananas’ Kyle “KJ” Jackson and RobertAnthony Cruz, who launched a custom product line with Under Armour. Barbara Jones also helped comedian Tyler Gaca develop a horror film and comedy creator Lala Sadii secure a Disney Channel scripted project.
Hansen Jacobson: The Markiplier Story
Mark Fischbach, better known as Markiplier, pushed fans to call theaters to screen his self-funded $3 million Iron Lung. It has since netted $50 million worldwide, with Adam Kaller and Ryan Pastorek by his side as his options exploded. They also represent SmartLess, Crooked Media, The Bulwark, Smosh, Mythical Entertainment, Emma Chamberlain, Liza Koshy, Lilly Singh, and Valkyrae. Lauren Partipilo Schwartz helped seal Hannah Berner and Paige DeSorbo’s Giggly Squad multiyear deal with SiriusXM and negotiated for RHOSLC’s Bronwyn Newport to appear on the upcoming season of The Traitors.
Smooth Media: The Knowledge Creator Wave
Founded by former Morning Brew executives, Smooth Media has become one of the fastest-growing management firms representing knowledge creators. It has executed campaigns for Anthropic, Notion, Microsoft, Ramp, Canva, and Google. The firm partnered with Colin and Samir to build The Publish Press, and creator Cat Goetze took an equity stake in the company as a strategic adviser.
Gang Tyre: Ms. Rachel’s World
Annie Lee and Cheryl Snow represent kids creator Ms. Rachel, who gained 10 billion views worldwide. They negotiated her hit Netflix series Ms. Rachel and her debut album, I’m So Happy. They also represent former Mormon Wives star Whitney Leavitt, whose run as Roxie Hart in Chicago grossed more than $8 million in its first six weeks.
Reed Smith: Beauty and Navy Veteran Power
Eric Marder helped 23-year-old Brooke Monk launch Doting Beauty while handling all her legal and endorsement work. He also represents social media star and U.S. Navy veteran Bella Poarch, who has 91.6 million TikTok followers.
3 Arts: Horror, Romance, and Luxury Hair
Dunia McNeily closed a podcast deal for horror creator Heidi Wong and put scripted adaptations of Tinx’s best-selling books The Shift and Hotter in the Hamptons into development at Amazon and Hulu. She also secured a major partnership with Kérastase for tastemaker Stassi Schroeder.
Range Media Partners: $100 Million in Deals
As co-head of digital at Range, Eman Redwan oversees 25 executives who closed more than $100 million in deals this year. Mariam Rastegar Ross brokered Chris Appleton’s seven-figure deal with Schwarzkopf, while Worthy Patterson developed influencer Beca Michie into a top fashion creator with seven figures in deals.
Made by All: Creators as Hollywood Owners
Leanne Perice launched a studio this year aimed at turning creators into Hollywood talent and owners of original IP. She works with comedy heavyweights Adam W, Hannah Stocking, and Josh Peck, and has fostered partnerships with Kevin Hart, Tom Holland, and Jennifer Lopez.
Rakugo Media: The AI Creator Gold Rush
RKM surpassed $50 million in gross partnership revenue in 2026, representing AI and tech creators like Carterpcs, Rowan Cheung, Natalie Fratto, and Austin Nasso. Jake Williams and Douglas Pinsky sold Roberto Nickson’s Life With Claude series to Anthropic and negotiated millions in partnerships with OpenAI, Google, Meta, Nvidia, AMD, and SpaceXAI.
Greenberg Traurig: From TikTok to Disney
Paige Kaplan Randolph advised Lala Sadii through the development of Lala IRL, a live-action scripted Disney Channel and Disney+ series inspired by her rise as a social media star. Randolph’s other clients include Olympic power couple Tara and Hunter Woodhall, best-selling author Erin McGoff, and The Lipstick Lesbians, who partnered with Clinique, Marc Jacobs Beauty, Tatcha, NYX, Morphe, Estée Lauder, Fenty, Milk, and Goop.
Sloane Offer: Colin & Samir and Ryan Trahan
Jonathan Sauer represents Colin & Samir, whose interviews have featured everyone from Mark Zuckerberg to MrBeast. He negotiated their partnerships with Google Gemini, Adobe, and LinkedIn. He also represents Ryan Trahan, known for his charity fundraisers and viral challenges like the Penny Series.
Weinstein Senior: MrBeast and Dhar Mann’s Empires
Tara Senior and Todd Weinstein serve as lead counsel to MrBeast, the first individual creator to hit 500 million YouTube subscribers. They structured the deals behind Amazon Prime Video’s Beast Games seasons two and three, each budgeted at more than $100 million. They also serve as lead counsel to Dhar Mann Studios, the largest scripted creator-led studio in the business, pulling nearly 300 million views a week while Mann retains full creative ownership.
The creator economy may be built on viral moments, but the lasting empires are built in boardrooms, on contracts, and through the tireless work of the representatives fighting for their clients. These are the power brokers who make the world go round — and in 2026, they made it spin faster than ever.
