Many TikTok stars fade after their viral moment. Not too few YouTubers plateau after early success. Some influencers never escape their niche. But for creators under Slash Management, the odds have been a little more favorable, resulting in thriving businesses that span television, music, products, and mainstream stardom.

Founded in 2019 by CEO Jake Webb, this Los Angeles-based talent company combines traditional talent management with production capabilities to help digital creators expand beyond social media.

The company scaled the careers of rising  stars like Nikita Dragun, King Nicol, the #1 teen surfer in the USA and Kameron Saunders – Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” breakout dancer – transforming viral moments into lasting careers.

“Slash is a 360-degree talent management company. We really focus on building out long-term careers for all of our clients,” Jake says. “It really is about career mapping and finding out how we can build technical skills beyond just content creation to help our clients achieve their dreams.”

Behind these successes lies a carefully tailored approach to talent development. Through candid insights about Slash’s progression from startup to industry innovator, Jake outlines how the company is reshaping creator management through strategic independence, technical infrastructure development, and a long-term vision for merging traditional and digital entertainment.

Inside Slash Management’s Approach

At its core, Slash distinguishes itself through its dual role as both a talent manager and production powerhouse. 

The company’s Hollywood satellite studio serves as a creative laboratory where clients can experiment with different content formats and build technical expertise. “We’re launching live tours, we’re producing and developing podcasts, we’re doing all the stuff we’ve been doing, and more than before,” Jake notes, adding that this hands-on approach allows creators to develop skills that transfer seamlessly between social media and traditional entertainment.

Beyond technical capabilities, Slash’s methodology centers on career architecture. Each client receives a detailed strategy mapping potential paths across multiple entertainment verticals.

The company has developed expertise in helping creators transition into verticals like acting and music. This process often involves connecting clients with industry professionals and using their network to create opportunities in mainstream entertainment.

Beyond content and entertainment, Slash helps creators develop their own business ventures and revenue streams. “When you’re starting to manage a client, you’re the publicist, you’re the lawyer, you’re the strategic manager, you’re therapist,” Jake explains. “You’re wearing all those hats.”

Strategic Independence and Growth

In 2023, Jake executed a decisive move that exemplified Slash’s philosophy: buying out his business partners to establish full independence. 

“There were just some philosophical differences in how we were going to run the business,” Jake explains. “But I think more specifically it was for the long-term health of the business to get us set up for integration and this kind of management agency roll-up that you’re seeing.”

The transition tested the company’s strength. “It was really scary for a second because I didn’t have any backing, we didn’t have any credit history,” Jake recalls. “We had to build ourselves with sweat equity and now, basically two years later, no debt, we have the line of credit, we are building reserves.”

From Social Media to Mainstream Success

Slash’s comprehensive approach shines through their work with Pressley, a former “Dance Moms” participant. 

“The show didn’t really build her as much as we were expecting, so we just went bullish on social media,” Jake explains. “Through social media, she grew her numbers into the millions, and we have built a pretty successful brand business for her.”

Moving beyond digital success, Slash orchestrated a strategic progression into mainstream entertainment. 

“Her dream was always to be basically like Sabrina Carpenter,” Jake notes. The company secured her first Nickelodeon role, arranged training with Beyoncé’s vocal coach, and facilitated collaboration with BTS producers, ultimately landing a label deal with Nickelodeon.

Industry Transformation

Recent shifts in entertainment have validated Slash’s integrated approach. Jake identifies two transformative events: “First Covid. When Covid happened, Hollywood stopped and everyone jumped to TikTok and became overnight TikTokers. More specifically, it made Hollywood really pay attention to the digital world and to the power of TikTok and creators.”

The 2023 Hollywood strikes amplified this shift. “Once again it just kind of reignited the importance of digital and the importance of really building your own distribution networks and systems,” Jake observes, noting that this change has created new opportunities for creators to cross over into traditional entertainment, citing projects like “Beast Games” and various streaming shows featuring digital talent.

Building Platform-Independent Careers

Slash’s strategy prioritizes career sustainability through platform independence. “At the end of the day, you never have any control over something that is not yours and these platforms are not yours,” Jake emphasizes. “Your best chance in this type of world to make sure you’re hedging your bets for success is to be omnichannel and to make sure you’re everywhere.”

This approach extends beyond maintaining multiple social media accounts. Jake explains, “The most successful brands, they’re not just in retail, they’re online. They have partnerships with other retail partners. You want to be the same way and make sure your content is distributed and syndicated everywhere to find audiences where they digest content.”

New Approaches to Brand Partnerships

The company has developed innovative methods for brand collaborations, focusing on measurable results. 

“Back then even there was always the talk of how important affiliate sales were going to be and the ability to prove conversion and ability to sell through,” Jake notes. “I think historically marketing has really been about awareness. But I think brands are now leveraging a strategy with influencers more and more that really is focused on sell-through.”

Slash is developing comprehensive solutions for live shopping. “As a joint venture partnership with Social Shoppe, we’ve  joined the creator agency partnership program with TikTok, and as our studios are starting to beta test with TikTok, some of these live shopping to create an end-to-end strategy for brands,” Jake reveals. This allows Slash to “come up with their live streaming, live shopping strategy, offer the whole technical support to be able to do it and then be able to tap into talent.”

The Human Side of Creator Success

Jake remains deeply conscious of the human elements in this technology-driven industry. “What keeps me up about the industry really is how quick everything moves and how there’s truly a lack of control over maybe how it really is affecting and changing culture and just maybe human connection,” he reflects.

This awareness shapes Slash’s approach to talent development. Jake notes the ongoing challenge of “creator fatigue and creator pump and dump where they have this rise from so much creative energy, and they get excited by the industry and then they grow into it and eventually you kind of get into this pattern.” The company addresses this through strategic planning and support systems that help maintain creative energy while building sustainable careers.

The Future of Creator Careers

Slash continues to expand its capabilities. The company recently obtained a talent agency license to continue building out a Print & Commercial division, reflecting Jake’s vision of creator careers becoming increasingly professional and multi-faceted. 

Their new headquarters on the top floor of a Westwood skyscraper and Hollywood satellite studio provide the infrastructure for this expansion.

“What’s exciting about this space is how quickly it changes and how democratic it is,” Jake reflects. “But because of that, it also kind of makes it so exhausting because it makes it so much quicker… I get concerned for the long-term health of the industry just from a human perspective because of the amount of energy it requires to compete.”

Jake remains optimistic about the future, expressing Slash’s philosophy in his final thoughts: “Sometimes just embracing the flow of the world is kind of how you go with it and how you’re going to enjoy the ride.”