Outloud Talent, a subsidiary of The Outloud Group, expanded from representing 30 creators to over 200 in less than a year through strategic acquisitions while facing a challenge: how to scale without sacrificing personalized management. 

CEO Angela Grant tackled this puzzle through The Outloud Group’s acquisitions of companies that complemented their existing creator portfolio rather than simply adding volume—integrating Nano Zebra’s male-focused commentary and gaming channels alongside Bowie Agency’s lifestyle creators to form an all-embracing talent management operation. 

This calculated expansion strategy mirrors broader shifts in the creator economy itself, where increasing maturity is replacing the earlier “Wild West” growth mentality – witnessing a total of 65 merger and acquisition (M&A) deals completed in 2024.

“I think brands are getting smarter. I think creators are getting smarter,” says Angela, who has witnessed the maturation of the creator economy over her decade-plus career in influencer marketing. 

“People are looking at the backend insights in a different way. They’re analyzing the data differently. They’re coming with a more holistic approach to influencer marketing.”

The transformation of influencer marketing into a more structured ecosystem shows in brand behavior, with Angela noting a distinct shift toward longer-term partnerships rather than one-off campaigns. 

“I don’t think it’s good or bad,” she explains. “I think it’s just making the creators who maybe were in it just because they wanted to be in it and be a part of it think more critically about where they’re going and how they’re going to work with brands in the future.”

Building a Complete Talent Management Solution

Outloud Talent began from the workings of The Outloud Group, attracting a mix of talent who loved working with the group so much that they asked to be repped by them (Mark Rober, Matt Carriker, Cleetus MacFarland, etc.). 

From there, the boutique management got its start and began to grow with a more lifestyle-focused approach once formalized.

The strategic acquisitions of Nano Zebra and Bowie Agency were deliberately chosen to expand both their creator demographics and content specialties.

“We started as a boutique talent management agency, and we really value transparency. We value putting the creator first,” explains Angela. “Now we have commentary, beauty, mommy bloggers, a whole gamut of creators that we work with, and it’s very diverse and awesome because the offerings we can offer brands are extensive.”

This diversification directly addresses brand needs for encompassing creator partnerships. Where Outloud Talent previously specialized in lifestyle content, Nano Zebra brought “very male-focused” commentary channels and gaming content. 

Meanwhile, Bowie Agency’s roster aligned closely with Outloud’s existing female lifestyle creators but included “some higher tier creators” and different platform expertise.

Art McCarthy, founder and CEO of Nano Zebra, confirms the strategic alignment: “Well before starting NanoZebra, one of the first sponsorships I ever did for my own channel was through Outloud, and it was a very positive experience! Throughout the years, we’ve only ever heard similar great anecdotes echoed about Outloud, so when we were looking to partner with another agency, they were #1 on our list.”

The integration has yielded specific operational benefits, according to Alexander McCarthy, co-founder of Nano Zebra: “So far, this merger has enabled the greater team to accomplish the following: manage our talent across multiple social channels more effectively with cross-team help and initiatives, increase our scale with trusted brand partners, and support new talent.”

Art McCarthy & Alexander McCarthy

Culture-First Integration: Balancing Growth with Creator Care

Outloud Talent’s approach to consolidation is distinguished by its commitment to maintaining a positive organizational culture throughout the integration process. 

Angela’s management philosophy centers on the belief that creator satisfaction depends on team member satisfaction.

“What’s also really important is the company’s culture,” Angela emphasizes. “If managers aren’t happy, their creators aren’t happy. So, for me, it’s really important the team is happy. And that, again, everybody feels heard and valued because I think that transfers down to the creators.”

This culture-first mindset influenced their integration strategy. Rather than immediately imposing standardized systems, Outloud Talent took a measured approach to combining operations. 

“We’re working on different platforms, we’re working with different accounting systems, we’re working with creators who are used to working a certain way, and so we didn’t want to disrupt that system immediately,” Angela explains.

The integration process faced practical challenges, especially when the Bowie acquisition came shortly after plans for the Nano Zebra integration were already in place. 

Brad Hoos, CEO of the Outloud Group, describes this complexity: “The decision to move forward was easy, but asking the team to scrap months of planning and pivot to a three-team integration was tough—especially amid our strong organic growth.”

For Aurora Pfeiffer, COO & Partner and former Head of Strategy at Bowie, the decision to join Outloud Talent was driven by complementary capabilities: “Outloud’s extensive industry relationships, resources, and proven success in talent development perfectly align with BOWIE’s creator-first approach and deep expertise in multi-platform strategy.”

Aurora Pfeiffer

Angela’s experience on the brand side informs her current advocacy for creators: “When I was on the brand side, I’d be like, ‘Let’s do this. Let’s work for free. Let’s work for way under your rate.’ It got to a point where it felt disingenuous, and I felt like I was asking for so much.”

Personalized Management at Scale

Outloud Talent’s core value proposition centers on providing creators with personalized management regardless of roster size, backed by a 360-degree approach to representation. 

For creators, this means individualized attention from managers who understand their unique goals and content styles.

“We want every creator to feel like they’re the only creator on the roster,” Angela emphasizes. “We never want to stray from that sort of philosophy.”

This personalized approach, combined with Outloud’s expanded capabilities, delivers specific benefits to creators across different platforms and content categories. 

Alexander McCarthy explains how the integration enhances their ability to serve creators’ diverse needs: “In creator management, you want to be able to understand the talent effectively to assist them in reaching their goals. The dilemma is that this ecosystem is so diverse in platform, genre, and motivations. The recent combination of forces allows us to give a creator not only the treatment they deserve but the treatment they want.”

For brands, Outloud Talent now offers a comprehensive roster spanning lifestyle, commentary, beauty, gaming, and parenting content. The expanded demographic reach—from predominantly female lifestyle creators to male-focused channels—enables more diverse campaign options while maintaining consistent management quality.

The integration also creates cross-platform expertise. According to Angela, the Nano team “was very focused on YouTube,” while Outloud had strength in “the Instagram TikTok portion of things.” This combination allows creators to expand their platform presence with specialized guidance.

Growth with Purpose

As Outloud Talent continues integrating these acquisitions, Angela has ambitious yet measured goals for the company’s expansion. 

“We want to be a key player in the industry,” she states. “I think we’d like to push our roster to 500+ by the end of the year.”

However, this growth remains anchored in the company’s core values and culture-first philosophy. Angela’s leadership prioritizes building a sustainable organization that can maintain personalized service at scale, recognizing that expansion without cultural alignment would undermine their competitive advantage.

For creators considering management options, Outloud Talent offers a clear invitation: “We’re ready for you. If you are looking for management, we would love to have a conversation with you.” Similarly, for brands seeking creator partnerships, Angela emphasizes their “robust roster of talent that we would love to share with you.”

“I love this industry. I’m so excited to be a part of it,” concludes Angela. “I think we’re at the forefront of more amazing things to come. I love that this industry is ever-changing.”