From Hollywood to the Creator Economy

Hi there!

We have a special Q&A today, and back to regular issues after Labor Day!

Lately it feels like my LinkedIn feed is dominated by Hollywood creatives making the shift to the Creator Economy. It makes sense — Hollywood and media giants are merging and cutting back, and creators are building undeniable communities and Hollywood-like studios.

So when I read about Kyle Hjelmeseth's free masterclass "Flipping the Script" that was specifically designed for Hollywood creatives to grow their success in the creator economy — I wanted to share!

What you'll love about Kyle's approach? He started by managing his girlfriend (now wife) over a decade ago and built one of the most successful creator management agencies in the business. His take on bridging Hollywood and digital feels real and doable. It's centered around storytelling, audience building, and creating actual opportunities.

Enjoy our convo that covers the masterclass, the “modern sizzle,” and his thoughts on the media landscape — and if you’re in LA don’t miss the event!

WHAT "Flipping the Script" Masterclass
WHEN: September 4 (4-hour session)
WHERE: Soho Works, West Hollywood
REGISTER: Here

Enjoy,
Tracey Raftery
[email protected]

From Hollywood to the Creator Economy:
A Q&A with G&B Digital Management CEO Kyle Hjelmeseth

Q: Tell us how you got started in the creator industry?

Kyle: It started super organically about 11-12 years ago. My girlfriend was asking me for help with her business, and I was like, "No way, let's not mix business and pleasure." But eventually I became that layer between her and the brands. The response was immediate—she went from making about $14,000 the year before I started working with her to about $100,000 the first year we worked together. That's how she talked about me to her friends who were also these very up-and-coming bloggers in LA and New York, where there was really a concentration of the growing fashion and lifestyle bloggers. I just kind of fell into the opportunity. It went from her and a couple people to me managing 15 people. GMB turned 10 this year, and we're old in a young space, which feels really cool. Now we manage around 110 talent with 13 managers and about 25 people full-time.

Q: For the masterclass, are you focused on on-camera talent, or industry folks bringing their skills to help creators?

Kyle: The audience for our masterclass is anybody from the entertainment industry who wants to learn. The real opportunity isn't for them to learn how to go viral and get followers quickly, but how to tell their story and talk about their ideas online.

Q: Can you break down what people can expect in the masterclass?

Kyle: There are three parts.

The first session is with me, where I'll break down what the creator economy really is—what it is and what it's not, how it's different from traditional entertainment. I'm going to go into the fundamentals of what it means to be a creator. The two big takeaways will be: first, being able to define your point of view—what you're a master of, your value proposition.

Second, helping them define their goals and who they want to reach. Then understanding what platforms need, which at a base level is consistency. The second part is with our Director of Education, Joey Gagliardi. He gets into the nuts and bolts—finding your demo, building your audience, figuring out where your focus should be, and practical application.

The third part is a panel with people from the space. My wife,Stephanie Hjelmeseth, who's a traditional influencer who can talk about evolving her storyline over 10-12 years. Sally Pressman, an actress from “Army Wives” who made the switch to being a content creator and is fully monetized now. And Chad Jamian, a commercial actor who created an account for his cat, Merv, that now has two million followers across TikTok and Instagram.

Q: Have you noticed that Hollywood has been slower to adapt to the creator space compared to industries like beauty and fashion?

Kyle: When I first started, fashion wasn't quick to adopt either. I was coming out of fashion, and journalists from Vogue and other places felt like influencers were infiltrators. It was very foreign to them. I don't think of Hollywood as being slow—everyone's kind of on the outside looking at this thing as it's evolved. In my space, you're dealing with somewhat normal people who are sharing their lives online and their communities grow around the ideas they're sharing.

Q: The creator economy moves incredibly fast. How should PR and media professionals keep up?

Kyle: Business Insider has been reporting on the space for a good amount of time, as well as Tubefilter. But honestly, I get most of what's happening from LinkedIn. There are interesting writers there, but it's also following company heads and individuals. You're seeing trends come out of LinkedIn before they hit the platforms themselves or the trades. I also follow Taylor Lorenz. Taylor's interesting because she reflects on the humanity in what's being talked about online.

Q: Have you noticed a lag in traditional media covering the creator economy?

Kyle: Yes, and part of the reason is that our algorithms are all so different. I use Khaby Lame as an example—the most followed person on the planet. When I bring him up in LA, people are like, "Who?" A woman literally wrote his name down the other day because she'd never heard of him.

It's a decentralization of power thing. I don't know that there'll be another Tom Cruise or Drake or Beyoncé. The nexus of power is so decentralized now, and people are making decisions on who they follow and what's important. There's no central authority anymore controlling what hits the zeitgeist.