The talent management industry is undergoing significant transformations, driven by the rapid growth of the creator economy and evolving digital platforms. According to a report by LTK, over 90% of brands plan to boost creator budgets in 2025, highlighting the increasing importance of influencers in marketing strategies.
This surge highlights the need for talent managers to adapt, offering comprehensive services beyond traditional deal negotiations to include brand development and diversified revenue streams.
Industry leaders are responding to these shifts by adopting innovative approaches. As we approach 2025, the talent management sector is poised for further evolution, strongly emphasizing authenticity, strategic partnerships, and technological adaptation.
The following insights from industry experts provide a comprehensive overview of the current trends and future directions in talent management.
Social media creators are becoming personality brands. That is a shift from the past years, when talent management in this space was all about securing advertising deals. Today, the need of social media creators is how to expand their brand power beyond brand collaborations, setting up production including podcasts, making licensing deals and building their own brands and businesses.
I’m predicting major disruptions to the talent management space. Lots of agencies are playing fast and loose with the rules around licensing (yes, you’re supposed to be licensed), and besides that creators are more and more savvy when it comes to what they should expect out of their representation.
Gone are the days where you can take 20% just to ‘negotiate’ someone’s inbox. Creators want real value and they’re definitely not seeing it from many firms, especially the larger firms with 100+ talent, where talent are finding out that the attention to their business just isn’t there. Creators want to control their own business and save that 1/5th of their income, especially with the current economic outlook. I expect a lot of small agencies to go under, and for the biggest players to lose a lot of their clients once Creators see that there are better options for self-management and ditch the middlemen. There will always be room for top performing managers to succeed, but for the clowns trying to do their best Ari Gold impression, collecting a paycheck on the backs of Creators’ hard work while giving nothing in return, their days are numbered.
I predict the talent management space will continue in an upward trajectory as we head into 2025. Influencer marketing is a 20 billion+ industry and shows no signs of slowing down. As more creators grow on the platforms the more opportunities they will have and the more help they will need managing said opportunities.
More creators than ever will have talent managers and the threshold of following count will continue to decrease as talent managers increasingly take on mid tier and macro creators.
Many more creators will start needing new kinds of managers to help them launch physical goods brands, as the barrier to starting a creator brand decreases and the number who join the ranks increases.
Talent managers are becoming creators in their own right, building a presence amongst the not just the brand community but the influencer marketing platforms to ensure they are on their radar
Talent managers will need to build increasingly robust profiles of their rosters as brands look to work with creators who meet very specific criteria (have kids of certain ages, have allergies, eat vegan, etc).
The talent management space is saturated right now, but the most skilled and innovative talent managers will stand out—and their clients will ultimately have the greatest success.
In 2025, I expect a major contraction and consolidation within the creator management space leading to integration into the larger media ecosystem. The rapid growth of the creator economy has led to oversaturation, but recent moves like Night’s acquisition of Bottle Rocket Management and even Influential’s acquisition by Publicis Groupe signal that major players are looking to dominate through scale and specialization.
I predict that the next 12 months will reward companies that prioritize long-term talent development, build teams around top tier creators and prove out the model with data.
I believe the digital talent management space will start to barbell in 2025 and beyond, with a necessity to focus on either inbox management and streamlined brand deals at scale or boutique custom strategy and non-brand deal focused support. Large firms that don’t become brand deal engines will get squeezed by either SaaS platforms that solve inbox management or boutique talent management firms that only manage 1-5 talent per manager, really focusing on creators and their careers. For those that want to focus on inbox management/brand deals, ROI focused technology will be key to winning. For those that focus on high touch service talent management, taking bets on the right creators that have explosive growth will be the key to their survival.
My prediction for the talent management space is that more and more influencers will be seeking management that is more hands on and bringing them consistent work. I do think a lot of management companies will ensure that talent is exclusive with them if they are going to work with them as well and drop talent who are not bringing in consecutive money as well and just taking up room on their rosters.
As we approach 2025, I predict the traditional talent management model will crumble under its own weight. Agencies and managers are no longer the gatekeepers they once were…. fans are. Platforms like LuxyList are proving that creators don’t need middlemen to connect meaningfully with their audience or monetize their craft. The creator economy is shifting power directly into the hands of the talent, and those who don’t adapt will be left behind. It’s not just about managing talent anymore; it’s about empowering them to control their own narratives and income streams in ways the industry isn’t ready for.
The rapid growth of MetaStars reflects the incredible creativity and impact of our TikTok creators. By fostering authentic connections and empowering influencers with the tools to succeed, we’ve built a network that’s not just expanding—it’s transforming how brands and creators collaborate in the digital age. This is just the beginning, and we’re excited to continue driving innovation at the intersection of content, community, and commerce.
I feel like 2025 will be another breakout year for the creator space as a whole. We’re going to continue seeing brands putting an emphasis on the creator space for their marketing spend and we’re going to start to see much more utilization of creators in what would’ve been considered more traditional marketing avenues, such as recent TV campaigns.
We’re excited for these greater opportunities and what should be an interesting new year!
In 2025, we anticipate a shift toward greater specialisation within the influencer marketing space, particularly for talent management agencies like us at Sintillate Talent. Niche markets and data-driven strategies will be at the forefront of decision-making. As AI rapidly evolves, its impact on the industry remains uncertain, whether it proves beneficial or disruptive, adaptation will be essential for both agencies and creators. Authentic content will continue to be a cornerstone, with audiences valuing genuine storytelling and meaningful endorsements. At the same time, we hope to see stronger regulation and transparency from platforms, enabling more effective campaign management. While ‘always-on’ marketing will sustain the focus on long-term brand-influencer partnerships, agility and innovation will be the keys to thriving in this dynamic landscape.
As we head into 2025, I believe the talent management space will see a significant shift towards a more creator-centric model. With the rise of self-managed creators and advancements in AI tools, the traditional talent management structure will need to evolve.
Talent managers will increasingly serve as strategic partners rather than just facilitators, focusing on long-term brand alignment and creator equity. Agencies that prioritize transparency, collaboration, and tools that simplify workflow will gain a competitive edge.
Additionally, I predict a stronger emphasis on inclusivity and diversity, with brands seeking authentic voices that align with their values. The integration of data-driven decision-making will also become more critical, with success measured not only by traditional metrics like ROI but also by audience engagement, brand trust, and cultural impact.
Ultimately, the future of talent management lies in balancing human relationships with technological innovation to empower creators and drive meaningful results for brands.
At MarketPryce, we don’t work with agents right now, though I hope that changes heading into 2025. The reason we don’t is the huge gap in goals between agents and brands—especially small to medium-sized businesses. Most agents want the most money for their clients with the least amount of work, while most brands want exactly the opposite.
That said, I predict that the great talent managers will continue to improve empathizing with brands heading into 2025. With access to more knowledge, talent managers will be able to more truly understand their marketing goals (and constraints), and focus on building long-term relationships and deals. One-off, transactional deals are becoming less and less effective over time, and the shift toward long term collabs and relationships > transactions will be key to success in this space.
One of the most significant trends shaping 2025 in the talent management space is AI’s growing influence on the creator and influencer industry. While much attention has been on AI’s ability to produce content across formats—including video, with tools like LTX Studio or OpenAI’s Sora—these tools continue to rapidly advance. What started as drafting and prototyping tools in 2024 will likely evolve in 2025 to deliver polished, high-quality content that meets professional standards. A crucial aspect of this shift will be the increased focus on brand safety, both in terms of each model’s outputs as well as influencer and creator accounts themselves. With the development of more accurate content detection tools, SafeCollab as an example, brands will be more vigilant about ensuring their collaborations align with their values and standards. This trend will also encourage influencers to actively use such tools to review their posts and past content to maintain their desired online presence and reputation.
One big trend is that I think we will see a continued rise in mergers and acquisitions in the creator economy in 2025. There have already been more significant acquisitions by influencer marketing firms, but we can expect a particular increase in talent agencies buying one another. The main reason being that the industry is old enough now to see founders looking to move on. There are also enough larger talent agencies who have the funds to buy talent and staff through agency acquisitions. These acquisitions also indicate more of a strategic shift towards specialisms and particular genres. Putting all of this into context, 2024 already saw Night buying tech specialist Bottle Rocket, Whalar rebranding with Sixteenth’s reputation, and Underscore acquire-hiring STEM agency End Card/Concurrent.
In 2025, the talent management space will see a major shift toward personalized, data-driven strategies that empower creators to maximize their value across multiple platforms. At MOGL, we predict the rise of AI-powered tools and first-party data reporting requirements will drive more successful, authentic connections between creators and brands.
At Billion Dollar Boy, we don’t offer talent management as a service within our agency as we very quickly realized that it poses a conflict of interest. Managing talent can impact impartial recommendations for our client campaigns, and focusing on a narrow pool of talent can limit the diversity of creators, impacting campaign effectiveness.
Instead, we close the gap with talent (and their agents) by establishing a dedicated Talent Partnerships team whose role it is to build and nurture these relationships. Additionally, our FiveTwoNine business unit, a membership community for key stakeholders in the creator economy to network and collaborate, also enhances our proximity to creators and talent agencies, which helps us to identify a diverse range of top talent for clients and to support talent from various agencies.
Our Talent Partnerships team is one of the first of its kind in the industry, so I anticipate other influencer agencies will grow their team and adopt similar roles over the next year. These strong relationships with creators and talent agencies not only help us match creators with campaigns, but ultimately enhance content quality and campaign effectiveness. We work to build lasting relationships through face-to-face meetups, like ‘lunch and learns’, knowledge-sharing sessions, talent agency mixers and networking breakfasts, as well as our dedicated FiveTwoNine events and workshops.
I see significant consolidation ahead in 2025, as smaller, independent management companies face challenges in delivering the high level of execution that larger companies like Select can provide through extensive resources and information sharing.
There’s enormous potential in specific content niches like health or tech that are becoming increasingly profitable. It’s no longer about finding the biggest names or numbers across the entire landscape, it’s about going deep into specific niches and finding the strongest talent within each.
Affiliate revenue and conversion-driven sales models will also continue to grow. We’re seeing that even if a brand is structuring a deal on a flat fee basis, many brands are still asking to see the GMV data for the creator they’re considering.
We’ll also see creators crossing over into traditional spaces at an even faster pace, something we were one of the first to do successfully with our hit Hulu series The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.
2024 has been an incredible year, our best yet, and the creator economy continues to grow at an unprecedented pace. Looking ahead, I’m optimistic that 2025 will build on this success with even more growth and innovation. The trends we’re seeing today point to greater opportunities for creators, brands, and the industry as a whole in the coming year.
David Adler is an entrepreneur and freelance blog post writer who enjoys writing about business, entrepreneurship, travel and the influencer marketing space.
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The talent management industry is undergoing significant transformations, driven by the rapid growth of the creator economy and evolving digital platforms. According to a report by LTK, over 90% of brands plan to boost creator budgets in 2025, highlighting the increasing importance of influencers in marketing strategies.
This surge highlights the need for talent managers to adapt, offering comprehensive services beyond traditional deal negotiations to include brand development and diversified revenue streams.
Industry leaders are responding to these shifts by adopting innovative approaches. As we approach 2025, the talent management sector is poised for further evolution, strongly emphasizing authenticity, strategic partnerships, and technological adaptation.
The following insights from industry experts provide a comprehensive overview of the current trends and future directions in talent management.
Christoph Kastenholz, Co-Founder & CEO at Pulse Advertising, Pulse Advertising
Social media creators are becoming personality brands. That is a shift from the past years, when talent management in this space was all about securing advertising deals. Today, the need of social media creators is how to expand their brand power beyond brand collaborations, setting up production including podcasts, making licensing deals and building their own brands and businesses.
Chris Alexander, Founder, prscnt
I’m predicting major disruptions to the talent management space. Lots of agencies are playing fast and loose with the rules around licensing (yes, you’re supposed to be licensed), and besides that creators are more and more savvy when it comes to what they should expect out of their representation.
Gone are the days where you can take 20% just to ‘negotiate’ someone’s inbox. Creators want real value and they’re definitely not seeing it from many firms, especially the larger firms with 100+ talent, where talent are finding out that the attention to their business just isn’t there. Creators want to control their own business and save that 1/5th of their income, especially with the current economic outlook. I expect a lot of small agencies to go under, and for the biggest players to lose a lot of their clients once Creators see that there are better options for self-management and ditch the middlemen. There will always be room for top performing managers to succeed, but for the clowns trying to do their best Ari Gold impression, collecting a paycheck on the backs of Creators’ hard work while giving nothing in return, their days are numbered.
Jake Rosen, CEO, Jake Rosen Entertainment
I predict the talent management space will continue in an upward trajectory as we head into 2025. Influencer marketing is a 20 billion+ industry and shows no signs of slowing down. As more creators grow on the platforms the more opportunities they will have and the more help they will need managing said opportunities.
Keith Bendes, VP of Strategy, Linqia
More creators than ever will have talent managers and the threshold of following count will continue to decrease as talent managers increasingly take on mid tier and macro creators.
Many more creators will start needing new kinds of managers to help them launch physical goods brands, as the barrier to starting a creator brand decreases and the number who join the ranks increases.
Talent managers are becoming creators in their own right, building a presence amongst the not just the brand community but the influencer marketing platforms to ensure they are on their radar
Talent managers will need to build increasingly robust profiles of their rosters as brands look to work with creators who meet very specific criteria (have kids of certain ages, have allergies, eat vegan, etc).
Ashley Villa, Esq., CEO & Founder, Rare Global
The talent management space is saturated right now, but the most skilled and innovative talent managers will stand out—and their clients will ultimately have the greatest success.
Kamla Pande, Founder, Moondust Management
In 2025, I expect a major contraction and consolidation within the creator management space leading to integration into the larger media ecosystem. The rapid growth of the creator economy has led to oversaturation, but recent moves like Night’s acquisition of Bottle Rocket Management and even Influential’s acquisition by Publicis Groupe signal that major players are looking to dominate through scale and specialization.
I predict that the next 12 months will reward companies that prioritize long-term talent development, build teams around top tier creators and prove out the model with data.
Andrew Franz, CEO, Panel
I believe the digital talent management space will start to barbell in 2025 and beyond, with a necessity to focus on either inbox management and streamlined brand deals at scale or boutique custom strategy and non-brand deal focused support. Large firms that don’t become brand deal engines will get squeezed by either SaaS platforms that solve inbox management or boutique talent management firms that only manage 1-5 talent per manager, really focusing on creators and their careers. For those that want to focus on inbox management/brand deals, ROI focused technology will be key to winning. For those that focus on high touch service talent management, taking bets on the right creators that have explosive growth will be the key to their survival.
Courtney Bagby Lupilin, Founder & CEO, Little Red Management
My prediction for the talent management space is that more and more influencers will be seeking management that is more hands on and bringing them consistent work. I do think a lot of management companies will ensure that talent is exclusive with them if they are going to work with them as well and drop talent who are not bringing in consecutive money as well and just taking up room on their rosters.
Shantel Evans, Founder & CEO, LuxyList
As we approach 2025, I predict the traditional talent management model will crumble under its own weight. Agencies and managers are no longer the gatekeepers they once were…. fans are. Platforms like LuxyList are proving that creators don’t need middlemen to connect meaningfully with their audience or monetize their craft. The creator economy is shifting power directly into the hands of the talent, and those who don’t adapt will be left behind. It’s not just about managing talent anymore; it’s about empowering them to control their own narratives and income streams in ways the industry isn’t ready for.
Delence A. Sheares Sr., President & CEO, MetaStars
The rapid growth of MetaStars reflects the incredible creativity and impact of our TikTok creators. By fostering authentic connections and empowering influencers with the tools to succeed, we’ve built a network that’s not just expanding—it’s transforming how brands and creators collaborate in the digital age. This is just the beginning, and we’re excited to continue driving innovation at the intersection of content, community, and commerce.
Matt Philips, CEO, Mana Talent Group
I feel like 2025 will be another breakout year for the creator space as a whole. We’re going to continue seeing brands putting an emphasis on the creator space for their marketing spend and we’re going to start to see much more utilization of creators in what would’ve been considered more traditional marketing avenues, such as recent TV campaigns.
We’re excited for these greater opportunities and what should be an interesting new year!
Sinan Sahin, Talent Director, Sintillate Talent
In 2025, we anticipate a shift toward greater specialisation within the influencer marketing space, particularly for talent management agencies like us at Sintillate Talent. Niche markets and data-driven strategies will be at the forefront of decision-making. As AI rapidly evolves, its impact on the industry remains uncertain, whether it proves beneficial or disruptive, adaptation will be essential for both agencies and creators. Authentic content will continue to be a cornerstone, with audiences valuing genuine storytelling and meaningful endorsements. At the same time, we hope to see stronger regulation and transparency from platforms, enabling more effective campaign management. While ‘always-on’ marketing will sustain the focus on long-term brand-influencer partnerships, agility and innovation will be the keys to thriving in this dynamic landscape.
Kristyn Snell, Founder & CEO, Modernspeak
As we head into 2025, I believe the talent management space will see a significant shift towards a more creator-centric model. With the rise of self-managed creators and advancements in AI tools, the traditional talent management structure will need to evolve.
Talent managers will increasingly serve as strategic partners rather than just facilitators, focusing on long-term brand alignment and creator equity. Agencies that prioritize transparency, collaboration, and tools that simplify workflow will gain a competitive edge.
Additionally, I predict a stronger emphasis on inclusivity and diversity, with brands seeking authentic voices that align with their values. The integration of data-driven decision-making will also become more critical, with success measured not only by traditional metrics like ROI but also by audience engagement, brand trust, and cultural impact.
Ultimately, the future of talent management lies in balancing human relationships with technological innovation to empower creators and drive meaningful results for brands.
Jason Bergman, Founder & CEO, MarketPryce
At MarketPryce, we don’t work with agents right now, though I hope that changes heading into 2025. The reason we don’t is the huge gap in goals between agents and brands—especially small to medium-sized businesses. Most agents want the most money for their clients with the least amount of work, while most brands want exactly the opposite.
That said, I predict that the great talent managers will continue to improve empathizing with brands heading into 2025. With access to more knowledge, talent managers will be able to more truly understand their marketing goals (and constraints), and focus on building long-term relationships and deals. One-off, transactional deals are becoming less and less effective over time, and the shift toward long term collabs and relationships > transactions will be key to success in this space.
Corbett Drummey, VP Brand Collaboration, Lightricks
One of the most significant trends shaping 2025 in the talent management space is AI’s growing influence on the creator and influencer industry. While much attention has been on AI’s ability to produce content across formats—including video, with tools like LTX Studio or OpenAI’s Sora—these tools continue to rapidly advance. What started as drafting and prototyping tools in 2024 will likely evolve in 2025 to deliver polished, high-quality content that meets professional standards. A crucial aspect of this shift will be the increased focus on brand safety, both in terms of each model’s outputs as well as influencer and creator accounts themselves. With the development of more accurate content detection tools, SafeCollab as an example, brands will be more vigilant about ensuring their collaborations align with their values and standards. This trend will also encourage influencers to actively use such tools to review their posts and past content to maintain their desired online presence and reputation.
Charles Haynes, Managing Director, Ziggurat XYZ
One big trend is that I think we will see a continued rise in mergers and acquisitions in the creator economy in 2025. There have already been more significant acquisitions by influencer marketing firms, but we can expect a particular increase in talent agencies buying one another. The main reason being that the industry is old enough now to see founders looking to move on. There are also enough larger talent agencies who have the funds to buy talent and staff through agency acquisitions. These acquisitions also indicate more of a strategic shift towards specialisms and particular genres. Putting all of this into context, 2024 already saw Night buying tech specialist Bottle Rocket, Whalar rebranding with Sixteenth’s reputation, and Underscore acquire-hiring STEM agency End Card/Concurrent.
Ayden Syal, Founder & CEO, MOGL
In 2025, the talent management space will see a major shift toward personalized, data-driven strategies that empower creators to maximize their value across multiple platforms. At MOGL, we predict the rise of AI-powered tools and first-party data reporting requirements will drive more successful, authentic connections between creators and brands.
Meredith Webber, Senior Talent Partnerships Manager, Billion Dollar Boy
At Billion Dollar Boy, we don’t offer talent management as a service within our agency as we very quickly realized that it poses a conflict of interest. Managing talent can impact impartial recommendations for our client campaigns, and focusing on a narrow pool of talent can limit the diversity of creators, impacting campaign effectiveness.
Instead, we close the gap with talent (and their agents) by establishing a dedicated Talent Partnerships team whose role it is to build and nurture these relationships. Additionally, our FiveTwoNine business unit, a membership community for key stakeholders in the creator economy to network and collaborate, also enhances our proximity to creators and talent agencies, which helps us to identify a diverse range of top talent for clients and to support talent from various agencies.
Our Talent Partnerships team is one of the first of its kind in the industry, so I anticipate other influencer agencies will grow their team and adopt similar roles over the next year. These strong relationships with creators and talent agencies not only help us match creators with campaigns, but ultimately enhance content quality and campaign effectiveness. We work to build lasting relationships through face-to-face meetups, like ‘lunch and learns’, knowledge-sharing sessions, talent agency mixers and networking breakfasts, as well as our dedicated FiveTwoNine events and workshops.
Scott Fisher, Founder, Select Management Group
I see significant consolidation ahead in 2025, as smaller, independent management companies face challenges in delivering the high level of execution that larger companies like Select can provide through extensive resources and information sharing.
There’s enormous potential in specific content niches like health or tech that are becoming increasingly profitable. It’s no longer about finding the biggest names or numbers across the entire landscape, it’s about going deep into specific niches and finding the strongest talent within each.
Affiliate revenue and conversion-driven sales models will also continue to grow. We’re seeing that even if a brand is structuring a deal on a flat fee basis, many brands are still asking to see the GMV data for the creator they’re considering.
We’ll also see creators crossing over into traditional spaces at an even faster pace, something we were one of the first to do successfully with our hit Hulu series The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.
2024 has been an incredible year, our best yet, and the creator economy continues to grow at an unprecedented pace. Looking ahead, I’m optimistic that 2025 will build on this success with even more growth and innovation. The trends we’re seeing today point to greater opportunities for creators, brands, and the industry as a whole in the coming year.