Geoff CuddThe best creator management agencies in 2026 are Select, Night and Underscore for established creators, Grail Talent and Sixteenth for mid-sized ones, and Creators Agency for finance YouTubers.
Most take 15% to 20% of the brand deals they handle. Below are 10 agencies we checked on their own sites on October 30, 2026.
Creator management agencies compared
| Agency | Best for | Commission | How to apply |
|---|---|---|---|
| Select Management Group | Established lifestyle and beauty creators | Not published | Contact form, no open application |
| Night | Top-tier creators | Not published | Contact form, no open application |
| Underscore Talent | Established creators wanting 360° management | Not published | Contact form |
| Sixteenth | Mid-sized and larger UK and US creators | Not published | “Sign Me” form |
| Grail Talent | Micro to mid-sized TikTok and Instagram creators | Not published | Open creator form |
| Dulcedo | Canadian and French-language creators | Not published | Open talent form |
| Creators Agency | Finance and business YouTubers | 20% (you keep 80%) | Open roster form |
| Viral Nation | Creators building IP and businesses | Not published | Apply for representation |
| CAA and WME | Top creators moving into film, TV and books | Not published | Referral only |
| Rev Management Group and Mudcast | Outdoor YouTube creators | Mudcast: 0% to creators | Open forms |
What does a creator management agency do?
Bigger agencies also handle merch, licensing, books, podcasts and TV deals. Smaller ones focus on brand deals.
If you want someone to run your YouTube channel itself, see our guide on how to find a YouTube channel manager.
Best talent agencies for established creators
Select Management Group
- Best for: established lifestyle, beauty and fashion creators.
- Commission: not published.
- Size: 500+ creators and nearly 25 talent managers, in Los Angeles and New York.
Select says it runs 20,000+ brand partnerships a year. Deals on its site include Jordan Chiles with Nike and Miki Rai with Sephora.
Beyond brand deals, it works on consumer brands, film and TV, music, podcasts and publishing.
Night
- Best for: top-tier creators.
- Commission: not published.
- Apply: no open creator application. There’s a contact form at night.co.
Night calls itself “the internet’s management company”. Besides talent management, it runs a podcast network, a venture studio and a marketing agency.
Night’s own newsroom links a February 2026 Bloomberg report that it raised $70 million.
Underscore Talent
- Best for: established creators who want help across brand deals, products and media.
- Commission: not published.
- Apply: contact form with your social handles.
Underscore launched in 2021, founded by the people behind Studio71 and The Collective. It offers what it calls 360° management, from endorsements to e-commerce and live events.
Best management agencies for mid-sized creators
Sixteenth
- Best for: mid-sized and larger creators in the UK and US.
- Commission: not published.
- Size: 300+ creators, in beauty, education, finance, fitness, food, gaming, parenting, pets and travel.
Sixteenth merged with Whalar Talent in 2024 and is part of Whalar Group. It runs a mental health program for its creators alongside brand deals.
In June 2026, Accenture Song agreed to buy Whalar’s agency arm. Sixteenth stays with Whalar Group.
Grail Talent
- Best for: micro to mid-sized creators on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.
- Commission: rate not published. It pays creators as soon as the brand pays and offers early-pay invoice financing.
- Apply: creator form, in any content niche.
Grail says it has booked 70,000+ brand deals for 1,000+ creators from 20+ countries. It’s the most open of the large rosters here.
Dulcedo
- Best for: Canadian and French-language creators in lifestyle, beauty and gaming.
- Commission: not published.
- Apply: talent form.
Dulcedo has offices in Los Angeles, Toronto and Montreal. It represents influencers, athletes, gamers and models, and runs brand campaigns through its sister agency, Sundae Creative.
Viral Nation Talent
- Best for: creators who want help building original IP and businesses, not just brand deals.
- Commission: not published.
- Roster: “a focused roster”, at every tier from emerging to global.
Viral Nation is better known as an enterprise marketing agency. Its talent side says “Most agencies book you. We build you”, with work on licensing, streaming shows and creator ventures.
Best niche creator management agencies
Creators Agency
- Best for: finance, business, investing and education YouTubers.
- Commission: 20%. Its site says “You keep 80% of every deal. Always.”
- Apply: roster form on its creators page, with a reply promised within 48 hours.
Creators Agency says it has paid creators $50 million across 4,000+ sponsored videos since 2021. Creators get a live dashboard of their deal pipeline and payments.
Rev Management Group and Mudcast
- Best for: fishing, hunting, boating and other outdoor YouTube creators.
- Commission: Mudcast charges creators nothing; brands pay its fee on top of your rate. Rev’s full channel management starts at $2,500 a month.
- Apply: Rev for management, or Mudcast for brand deals only.
Rev Management Group manages outdoor YouTubers, including Travis Pastrana’s Channel 199 and Jacob Knowles. It takes only a handful of clients at a time.
Its brand deals marketplace, Mudcast, is non-exclusive and works around any manager you already have.
Mudcast takes creators with 20,000+ YouTube subscribers, 5,000+ average views and at least two uploads a month. Smaller channels can join a waitlist.
Best talent agencies for top creators
CAA Creators’ recent signings, from its own news feed, include Dhar Mann, Amelia Dimoldenberg and MrBeast collaborator Nolan Hansen.
WME’s digital department covers brand deals, podcasting and gaming. It says it was the first major talent agency to partner with Vermillio and Loti on protection against AI deepfakes.
How much do creator management agencies take?
Santa Monica entertainment lawyer Jon Pfeiffer puts the range at 10% to 20% or more, with 15% to 20% the norm.
Creators Agency’s own guide gives 10% to 25%, with most between 15% and 20%. It charges 20% itself.
Check what the commission applies to. A fair contract takes a cut of the deals the agency brings in, not your AdSense or merch income.
Influencer agent vs. manager: what’s the difference?
California’s Labor Code defines a talent agency as anyone who procures or tries to procure work for an artist, and section 1700.5 says nobody can do that without a license from the Labor Commissioner.
CAA and WME are licensed agencies. Most creator “managers” aren’t, which is why many describe their work as management.
Ask any agency whether it’s licensed, and in which state, before you sign.
Do you need a creator management agency?
Goldman Sachs estimates brand deals make up about 70% of creator revenue, but only about 4% of creators earn over $100,000 a year.
If brands email you once or twice a month, you probably don’t need a manager yet. Pitch brands yourself first.
Outdoor creators can start with our guide on how to get sponsored for fishing and hunting and our list of outdoor brands that sponsor creators.
How to choose a creator management agency
- Ask which creators they manage now, and talk to one of them.
- Ask which brands in your niche they closed deals with this year.
- Get the commission in writing, and ask whether it covers deals you find yourself.
- Check the contract length and how to end it.
- Ask whether they take a cut of deals signed during the contract but paid after it ends.
- Never give anyone owner access to your channel. Use a manager role in YouTube Studio.
Red flags in a creator management contract
- An upfront fee for brand deals. Commission agencies get paid when you do.
- A cut of all your income, including AdSense and merch they didn’t touch.
- A long exclusive term with no way out if they don’t deliver.
- No named creators they represent today.
- Pressure to sign before you’ve read the contract or shown it to a lawyer.
Run an outdoor channel?
Mudcast finds brand deals for fishing, hunting, boating and outdoor creators. Joining is free, there’s no exclusivity, and Mudcast handles contracts, gear and payment.
Sources
- Each agency’s own website, checked October 30, 2026
- California Labor Commissioner, talent agency license
- Pfeiffer Law, influencer management agreements, August 16, 2023
- Creators Agency, YouTube talent agency commission rates explained, April 7, 2026
- Goldman Sachs Research, the creator economy, April 19, 2023
Frequently asked questions
What is the best influencer management agency?
For established creators, Select, Night and Underscore. For mid-sized creators, Grail Talent and Sixteenth.
Niche creators often do better with a specialist, like Creators Agency for finance YouTubers or Rev Management Group for outdoor YouTubers.
How much do influencer managers charge?
Most take 15% to 20% of the brand deals they handle, within a full range of 10% to 25%.
Creators Agency publishes 20%. Mudcast charges creators nothing because brands pay its fee.
How many followers do you need to get a talent manager?
There’s no fixed number. Grail Talent takes creators across all niches, and Mudcast takes outdoor YouTubers with 20,000+ subscribers and 5,000+ average views.
The top agencies, like CAA, WME and Night, don’t take open applications.
Is an influencer agent the same as a manager?
No. An agent books work, and a manager guides your career. In California, procuring work for a creator legally requires a talent agency license from the Labor Commissioner.
CAA and WME are licensed agencies. Most creator managers aren’t.
How do I get signed by an influencer talent agency?
Apply through the agency’s own form, like Grail Talent’s or Creators Agency’s, with your handles and recent view numbers.
Agencies care most about steady views and engagement, and a clear niche makes you easier to sell to brands.
Last updated: October 30, 2026
