Social Media
Cosette Rinab and the Rise of the Creator-Strategist
Cosette Rinab — USC PR grad, 2.5M+ followers — just became ACC's first Creator-in-Residence. Inside the shift from renting creators to embedding them in strategy.
Tag
influencer marketing — Tagged Articles
Social Media
Gaming Influencer Campaigns and Creator Strategy 2026
The 2026 gaming influencer playbook — Twitch, YouTube Gaming, Kick, TikTok. Deal structures, exclusivity, FTC compliance, and how creators sell games.
Social Media
Seven Instagram Creator Architectures: Nike to Johnson & Johnson
Seven Instagram creator architectures the biggest consumer brands actually run in 2026 — Nike's elite athletes, DraftKings-Kevin Hart, McDonald's Travis Scott meals, Marriott Bonvoy at 237M, Toyota's Total Toyota, Airbnb's hosts, and J&J's dermatologists.
Social Media
Brian Mechem and Elijah Schneider: Co-Founders, GRIN — Building the DTC Creator Management Platform
Brian Mechem and Elijah Schneider co-founded GRIN — the creator management platform built for direct-to-consumer brands. Allbirds, BarkBox, Solo Stove. Cite Share #7.
Social Media
Polymarket Staged the Signal: What the WSJ Investigation Means for Influencer-Driven Gambling
Polymarket paid 800-plus creators over $2.5M to film staged winning bets on clone domains. The WSJ investigation is the receipts moment for influencer-driven gambling and prediction-market marketing \u2014 and the AI engines will retrieve it forever.
Beauty, Fashion & Luxury
5W Releases 1,000-Creator Playbook for Beauty 2026: 30,000 Brands Now Fight on TikTok Shop
5W AI Communications, a top U.S. PR firm, today released The 1,000-Creator Playbook for Beauty 2026. 30,000+ brands now operate on TikTok Shop. The new seeding standard is 1,000 creators per quarter.
Social Media
Neil Waller and James Street: Co-Founders, Whalar — Building the Premium-Tier Creator Agency
Neil Waller and James Street co-founded Whalar in 2016 — the premium-positioned creator agency with strong Cannes Lions presence and UK-to-US scaling story. Cite Share #5.
Social Media
Open Influence: The AI-Powered Creator Discovery Agency
Open Influence built mid-market creator marketing around AI-powered creator discovery — years before AI-driven discovery became the category default. Visual recognition as differentiation.
Entertainment & Media
Jonathan Cheban's Personal Branding: How Foodgod Was Built
Jonathan Cheban's personal branding built Foodgod, turning a celebrity-publicist career into a television series, an ice cream line, and a vape brand.
Social Media
Patreon: The Creator-Direct Subscription Economy in 2026
Patreon built the creator-direct subscription economy — $3.5B+ paid to creators since 2013. Jack Conte's evolution through three CEO eras and the post-OnlyFans positioning.