One of the perspectives we haven’t touched on nearly enough on Winfluence is that of the talent manager or influencer agent, if you will. At some point in an influencer’s growth, they may look to a talent agency, manager or agent to help them manage or grow their business.

The talent manager, however, presents a bit of perception issue. Many agency strategists and even brand-side marketing managers hear “talent manager” and think, ‘Oh, great. There’s another 25% in cost just to use that particular influencer.” That’s not a fair perception, really, but a talent manager’s job is to look out for the influencer, make sure their value is well represented and respected and their likeness, rights and such are protected.

Kyle Hjelmeseth is the founder of G&B Digital Management, a talent management firm that represents influencers and content creators. It started when his wife, Stephanie needed representation. She is an influencer in the style and beauty space … she’s @honeynsilk on Instagram.

Kyle came on the show to talk about his firm and their interesting and unique, value-based position. In fact, G&B is made up of a roster of almost intentionally diverse influencers. Kyle and his wife are both people of color, though Kyle admits his mixed-race makeup isn’t obvious. 

So we talk about the diversity topic and 2020’s impact on that. But I also dig in and ask him all the questions about that cost misperception, what a manager’s goals are for the clients and how agencies and brands can work best with them. I also asked him when an influencer knows it’s time to seek representation. 

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