Latest / Influencer Marketing with Fexingo: Creators, Sponsorships, and Modern Endorsement Deals / Why Creators Are Building Their Own Media Agencies
Transcript
- Lucas: So last month, lifestyle creator Maya Chen launched her own media agency. Not for other creators — just for herself. She's now pitching, negotiating, and managing her own brand deals in-house. Luna: That's a big step. Most creators still use traditional agencies for that. What made her go in-house? Lucas: A few things. She wasn't happy with the transparency, the fees were eating into her margins, and she felt like agencies didn't really understand her brand voice. So she hired a small team of three — a strategist, a negotiator, and an account manager — and now they handle everything directly. Luna: Interesting. So we're seeing creators not just buy their own talent managers, but essentially become their own client and agency rolled into one. Lucas: Exactly. And she's not alone. There's a growing cohort of top creators who are building mini media agencies within their own companies. The logic is pretty compelling — if you're generating seven figures in brand deals, paying an agency 20 percent can mean leaving hundreds of thousands of dollars on the table. Luna: But doesn't that require a completely different skill set? Pitching, contract law, negotiation — that's not exactly content creation. Lucas: Right, and that's the trade-off. Maya had to invest in hiring people who know that world. But for someone at her scale, it's almost like building a small business division. She told me the first year wasn't about saving money — it was about learning the ropes. Now she says she's saving around 15 to 20 percent on fees, and she's got full control over which brands she works with. Luna: And control seems to be the real driver here. Not just money, but the ability to shape your own narrative. Lucas: That's the thing. When you have an agency, they're juggling multiple clients. Your brand might get the junior strategist, not the founder. In-house, you know exactly who's working on your brand, and every decision is aligned with your long-term vision. Luna: It sounds like a power shift. But what about the risk? If you're a creator and you're now also running a business, doesn't that take time away from actual creation? Lucas: That's the big question. Maya says she spends about ten hours a week on the agency side, but she's been able to streamline a lot. She uses a CRM, has standardized rate cards, and a clear process for inbound requests. So it's not as chaotic as it sounds. Luna: But for a mid-tier creator, is that realistic? They might not have the volume to justify a full-time team. Lucas: Absolutely. This is mostly a top-tier phenomenon. For creators making under, say, half a million a year from brand deals, the overhead of an in-house team might not make sense. But there are hybrid models — part-time consultants, or software tools that automate the negotiation basics. Luna: So the middle ground is using tech to handle some of the agency's functions without hiring full-time staff. Lucas: Yeah, and that's a whole other trend. There are now platforms that help creators manage their pitches, track campaigns, and even generate rate cards. But the human element — the relationship building, the understanding of brand fit — that's still hard to automate. Luna: Which brings us back to the question of whether agencies will become obsolete. Do you think this is the beginning of the end for traditional influencer agencies? Lucas: I don't think so, at least not entirely. Agencies still provide value for early-stage creators who need guidance, and for those who want to focus purely on content. But for the top 1 percent, in-house is becoming more viable. And that's a shift agencies have to adapt to. Luna: Adapt how? By offering more transparent pricing or better services? Lucas: Both, plus newer models. Some agencies are now acting more like consultants, taking a bigger cut of performance-based deals instead of a flat percentage. Others are offering à la carte services, so creators can pick and choose what they need. It's a more competitive landscape, which is good for creators. Luna: Speaking of competitive landscapes, you know what I appreciate about this show? That we can have these conversations without ads interrupting every two minutes. Lucas: That's deliberate. We keep this podcast ad-free because we think the conversation should speak for itself. If you want to support that choice, you can find us at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's a small gesture that keeps things independent. Luna: Exactly. And it's because of that support that we can dig into trends like this without any sponsor pressure. Lucas: Right. So back to the trend. What's fascinating is that this isn't just about saving money. It's about ownership and autonomy. Creators like Maya are treating their personal brand like a media company, which changes the negotiation dynamics with brands. Luna: How so? Lucas: When you're negotiating for yourself, you have an authenticity that an agency can't replicate. Brands see that you're personally invested in the partnership. Maya told me that some brands actually prefer working with her team because decisions happen faster and the collaboration feels more direct. Luna: That makes sense. But there's also a risk of getting too close to the brand, losing the critical distance that an agency provides. Lucas: That's a real concern. Without an agency to act as a buffer, creators might be more likely to accept deals that aren't the best fit, just because the relationship is closer. It's a classic principal-agent problem, but flipped. Luna: So what's the takeaway for a creator listening right now? Should they rush to build their own agency? Lucas: Not necessarily. The key is to evaluate your own scale and goals. If you're consistently landing multiple brand deals a month and have a clear vision for your brand, it's worth exploring. But if you're still building your audience, an agency might be the better investment. Luna: And what about the agencies themselves? How should they respond to this trend? Lucas: They need to show their value beyond just deal-making. That means offering strategic insights, creative direction, and protection against platform risk. If they can prove they're more than a middleman, they'll still have a place at the table. Luna: It's almost like the influencer marketing world is mirroring what we've seen in other industries — disintermediation and vertical integration. Lucas: Exactly. And in this case, the creators are becoming their own distributors, their own agents, and now their own media agencies. It's a natural evolution of the creator economy, where the most successful players are building mini-empires. Luna: So what should we watch for in the next year? Do you think we'll see more creators following Maya's lead? Lucas: I think we'll see a bifurcation. The top creators will continue to bring more functions in-house, while mid-tier creators will use hybrid models. And we'll likely see new tools and platforms emerge to support this shift, making it easier for even smaller creators to manage their own brand relationships. Luna: That could really democratize the space. Lucas: Potentially. But it also raises the bar for professionalism. As creators become media companies, they'll need to adopt better business practices — from contract management to financial reporting. Luna: It's a lot to take on, but for the ones who do it well, the rewards could be substantial. Lucas: Yeah, and that's the exciting part. We're watching a new class of creative entrepreneurs build sustainable businesses on their own terms. Whether that's good or bad for the industry overall remains to be seen, but it's certainly not boring.