Latest / Influencer Marketing with Fexingo: Creators, Sponsorships, and Modern Endorsement Deals / Why Creators Are Becoming Their Own Agents
Transcript
- Lucas: So I was reading through the trades this morning, and I kept seeing the same phrase pop up in different contexts — 'self-represented creator.' It's not a niche thing anymore. I think we're at a tipping point where the top creators are deciding they don't need an agent, they need to be the agent. Luna: You mean they're handling their own negotiations? That's been around for a while, hasn't it? Smaller creators do it all the time. Lucas: Right, but the twist is they're not just negotiating for themselves. They're building their own rosters. I'm talking about creators with a few million followers who've started their own management firms. They hire their former agents to work for them. They take on smaller creators as clients. And they're capturing the commission on both sides. Luna: So they're essentially running a talent agency on the side while still being a talent. That's ambitious. Lucas: It is, and the economics are pretty compelling. Look, a traditional agent takes ten to twenty percent of a brand deal. If you're doing a few million dollars a year in sponsorships, that's a serious chunk of change. By taking that in-house, you're not just saving — you're earning it back by managing other creators. Luna: And honestly, if this kind of business insight is useful to you, that's exactly what keeps this show going. If today's conversation is worth a coffee to you, you know where to find us — buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Lucas: Yeah, it's a small way to keep the podcast ad-free, and we appreciate anyone who does. But back to the agent thing — there was a specific case last month that really crystallized this for me. Luna: Oh? What happened? Lucas: A beauty creator with about four million followers announced she was dissolving her relationship with her agency and hiring her lead agent as her head of brand partnerships. So she cut out the middleman's cut, but kept the person she trusted. And she's already taken on two smaller creators as her first clients. Luna: That's clever. She's essentially turning her agent from an external cost into an internal asset. Lucas: Exactly. And it's not just beauty. We're seeing it in gaming, in lifestyle, in finance. There's a finance creator I've been following — he started his own management firm last year and now represents three other creators in the space. He told me his own deal flow has actually gotten better because he can bundle his audience with his clients' audiences. Luna: Bundling audiences — that's a interesting move. Brands love scale, and if you can offer a package deal, you might get better rates. Lucas: Right. And that's the part that makes this more than just a cost-saving measure. It's a strategic advantage. You can offer brands a curated package of creators that all fit a certain aesthetic or demographic. That's something a traditional agency might not be able to do as nimbly, because they're representing hundreds of creators across different niches. Luna: But isn't there a conflict of interest? If you're negotiating for yourself and for other creators, how do you keep that impartial? Especially when you're competing with your own clients for the same brand budget. Lucas: That's the big question. And I think the answer is that it depends on how you structure it. Some creators are keeping their own deals completely separate from their management business. They have a separate LLC, they have a separate team. But others are more fluid, and that's where it gets murky. Luna: So there's a real reputational risk there. If a client feels like they got a worse deal because you were prioritizing yourself, that could backfire. Lucas: Totally. And that's why I think the creators who are successful at this are the ones who treat it like a real business, with proper legal separation and clear policies. They're not just winging it. Luna: Speaking of proper business, I remember you mentioned a while ago that some creators are even buying their own production studios. This feels like the next logical step — owning the entire pipeline from creation to negotiation. Lucas: It really is. We've seen them buy their own ad servers, their own talent managers — we did a whole series on that. Now they're becoming their own agents, which is the final piece of the puzzle, really. They already control the content, the distribution, and now the monetization side. Luna: Do you think this is a trend that will trickle down to mid-tier creators, or is it just for the top one percent? Lucas: I think it's more accessible than people think. You don't need a full-time agent to start. A creator with a hundred thousand followers could start by negotiating their own deals and using a lawyer to review contracts. The key is building the skills and the network. Luna: So it's more about the mindset than the scale. Lucas: Exactly. And the infrastructure is there now. There are tools that help creators manage their brand deals, track their rates, and compare their earnings against industry benchmarks. So it's not like the old days where you needed an agent to even know what to charge. Luna: That's a good point. The information asymmetry is gone. A creator can see what their peers are charging for similar sponsorships. Lucas: Right. And that transparency is what's driving this shift. When you know the going rate is fifty thousand dollars for a sponsored video, and your agent is taking ten percent, you start to question what they're actually adding. Luna: But agents do add value beyond just negotiating the price. They handle logistics, they have relationships with brand managers, they can navigate tricky contracts. Lucas: Absolutely. And I'm not saying every creator should fire their agent tomorrow. I'm saying the ones who are choosing to go solo are finding ways to replicate that value. They're hiring former agents, they're using specialized software, they're building their own networks of brand contacts. Luna: It's almost like they're creating a new job title for themselves. 'Chief Brand Officer' of their own small empire. Lucas: That's exactly what it is. And some of them are even going beyond that. There's a gaming creator I know who's set up a full management firm with a team of five people. He represents himself and three other creators, and he's now earning management fees that rival his own sponsorship income. Luna: Wow, that's a serious pivot. His revenue model has completely changed. Lucas: It has. And I think that's the real story here. The creator economy is maturing. The ones who are thinking like entrepreneurs, not just artists, are building durable businesses that aren't solely dependent on their own personal brand. Luna: But there's a risk in that too, right? If you're betting on other people's careers, that's a different kind of exposure. Lucas: Sure. But it's also a way to diversify. If your own channel has a bad quarter, you still have your clients' income. It's like building a small portfolio of talent instead of just one stock. Luna: That's a good analogy. And I guess it also insulates against platform risk, which we've talked about before. If one algorithm change hurts your own reach, you're not completely sunk. Lucas: Exactly. So this isn't just a fad. It's a strategic move that aligns with everything we've seen creators do over the past few years — taking control of their own infrastructure, their own monetization, their own representation. Luna: So what's the takeaway for a creator listening to this? Should they consider going solo? Lucas: I'd say start small. Maybe negotiate your next deal yourself, but keep your agent in the loop as a sounding board. See how it feels. And pay attention to what the negotiations teach you about your own value. Luna: That's practical. And maybe the biggest lesson is that you don't have to be at the top to start thinking like an owner. Lucas: Yeah. The creators who are going to thrive in the next five years are the ones who treat their career like a business, not a hobby. And that means being willing to own every part of the value chain, including the part that used to be someone else's job.