Female Talent and New Generations in the Creator Economy: HLD Talent’s Winning Recipe
In an increasingly digitalised and competitive world, digital talent can be a valuable resource for companies in every sector when they manage to stand out and differentiate themselves. To find this talent, more and more companies are turning to specialised agencies. Digital talent agencies are responsible for searching for, selecting, and managing digital talent in order to enhance them.
In this market sector, HLD Talent is a young talent agency that is carving out a leading role for itself. Based in London and founded in 2019 by Hannah Holland, HLD Talent focuses on representing female talent in digital, broadcast and podcasting.
The company offers a full service to their talents through career management, PR consultancy, legal support, and personal brand development.
There are three key people behind the agency’s success: 29-year-old Hannah Holland, founder, and CEO; 26-year-old Ella Young, Managing Director; and 24-year-old Cherish Allen, Head of Talent. We take a detailed look at the entertainment world and the company HLD Talent thanks to its founder Hannah Holland.
What does it mean to be a digital agency in 2024?
“In 2024, the landscape for digital talent agencies has evolved into a more 360, comprehensive approach. The digital ecosystem has expanded to offer more opportunities and career paths beyond traditional creator routes on Instagram and TikTok. Digital talent is diversifying through YouTube, Snapchat, podcasts, and even blogcasts. This has opened up far more avenues for monetization, from sponsored content to affiliate marketing.
As a digital agency, the potential to nurture and grow talent of any size is virtually limitless – the internet is such a big place. However, with this expansive landscape comes a heightened responsibility for understanding and adhering to regulations and ensuring the safety and privacy of clients’ online presence. Once something is online, it’s essentially there forever. Intentional content creation and management is so important when the stakes are that high.
Also, another area of the digital world people is getting into is subscription-based models, like Patreon and OnlyFans. These provide a new way for creators to engage with their audiences while generating high-level revenues, but you also need to make sure to keep safety, ethics, and career longevity at the forefront of all these divisions. Almost anyone can go online and make money these days, but we work to ensure our clients are doing it in a way that serves them.
At HLD, we work to bridge the gap between digital talent and mainstream success in commercial and broadcast media. We work with our talent as strategic partners to safeguard and diversify their career in the ever-changing digital world.”
What was your personal experience as a woman in the entertainment world and when did you feel the need to create HLD Talent?
“I began my career in media and entertainment working for a nude magazine. At the time, Glamour Girls were akin to today’s reality TV stars. There was a significant amount of money being exchanged, and I began to notice that it was all being run by men. The men I worked with there were all incredible, however, the female talent gravitated towards me when they needed something. As a woman, I realised the innate ability to understand and empathise with other women’s needs on a deeper level.
This showed me a significant gap in the market—a lack of dedicated spaces for women in entertainment to feel empowered, protected, and uplifted. The entertainment industry, in particular, can foster toxicity if left unchecked. Creating a safe haven for female talent became the foundation of HLD and remains the core mission for myself and my team.
Having started out in the entertainment industry in my early 20s, I’ve encountered uncomfortable situations and inappropriate behaviour that’s been dismissed as a joke. Age and gender play a huge role in these industry dynamics and now, leading a team of women under the age of 30, I want to rewrite the narrative and help them realise that being a woman in 2024 is extremely empowering. Our voices are louder and more influential than ever before, it’s an exciting time for women across industries.”
How do you see the future of the creator economy in general?
“I see the creator economy continuing to triple year over year. At some point, the influencer landscape will be oversaturated, and audiences won’t be able to keep up with everyone anymore, causing some to fall off. In my opinion, what differentiates creators is having a really strong niche and consistency. Those who can’t set themselves apart will likely lose audience loyalty and attention over time.
I believe the future of the influencer economy will see a continuous rise of subscription-based services. Having a paywall behind content, such as Patreon, you are creating a different audience you can engage with and grow.
I also think we will see another platform come out and rise quickly – like TikTok when it originated. There will be another wave of creators that become the first to a new platform and gain virality that way.
Finally, AI is definitely starting to have impacts on the industry with AI generated influencers and content. I have no idea where this will lead to, but the world is definitely getting much bigger, which is scary yet exciting.”
What strategies do you implement to facilitate transitions between different entertainment platforms?
“We don’t necessarily focus on strategy across platforms, instead we strategies for our talent as a whole and what gives their career the most longevity. Within the big-picture strategy comes content strategy for different platforms. We always look to bring audiences across platforms and it’s hard to do that without looking at the big picture. We create 12-month strategies for our talent and update them every quarter based on how the industry and economy is evolving.
There are certain things you always have to keep in consideration, for example the fact that the UK is in a cost-of-living crisis, so when creating content, you want to make sure you are being conscientious and relatable. I do think that during testing times in current affairs, content creators can use their platforms as a place for audiences to escape to and buoy them. That original narrative that audiences were drawn to in the first place must remain a constant across platforms.”
Having a digital presence is something that has become widespread and, with it, the creation of content. Many people have decided to take up this choice. Can we consider this market saturated?
“Yes, it’s very saturated.
It makes sense, people saw how much money creators were making online and wanted to be a part of it. That being said, the reason that popular creators remain popular is because they are in it for the genuine love of creating content, rather than the money.
I see young people buying followers in an attempt to become a famous TikToker but they lack the passion and authenticity to take it to the next level. It doesn’t matter if you’re a comedian, love to do your makeup on camera, share your outfits, or anything else, the reason people are successful is because they are in it for the right reasons.”
Is there a generational “conflict” also in the working culture?
“My team of Gen-Z employees are some of the most hardworking people I’ve ever met. HLD would not run without them, it’s such a team effort. I see so much discourse around Gen-Z’s working style and to me, it doesn’t matter what generation you’re born into. If you empower your team in the right way they will work hard. As CEO I focus on encouraging my team to love what they do, make it interesting, reward them for their hard efforts, and create a safe environment for them to be themselves.”
How do you make sure talent on the HLD roster is compensated fairly?
“When pricing your talent, you have to look at the big picture of the creator economy and what the current value and return on investment is. There have been instances where creators have demanded a lot of money with little return which essentially brings down the pricing for everyone else.
On the other hand, there are creators who lowball their prices and that also affects everyone else. You have to be fair when negotiating with brands and come at it with actual stats, audience demographics, and case studies to showcase the value that your talent will bring from an advertising perspective.”
Written by Riccardo Pandini.
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