Underscore Talent is a Los Angeles-based creator-economy talent management company. Michael Green, Reza Izad, and Dan Weinstein launched the firm in January 2021. It represents creators, comedians, and podcasters across YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Twitch. The company expanded into a dedicated comedy division in October 2025.
Who Founded Underscore Talent?
Michael Green, Reza Izad, and Dan Weinstein founded Underscore Talent in January 2021, according to Deadline's launch coverage. The trio previously built Studio71, known then as The Collective. Studio71 was one of the earliest digital-creator management shops to scale during the multi-channel-network era; see EPR's Studio71 profile for more information.
Green, Izad, and Weinstein co-founded The Collective in 2005, according to The Hollywood Reporter's account of the reunion. The firm later launched Collective Digital Studio to represent creators building audiences on YouTube, and the business sold to German broadcaster ProSiebenSat.1, which took full control in 2015 and rebranded it Studio71, according to Variety's coverage of the Underscore launch. Green departed Studio71's board in 2017. Izad became CEO in 2011 and stepped down to chairman in October 2020, and Weinstein left his role as president the same month, after 13 years with the company, according to Tubefilter's reporting.
Before founding Underscore, the trio represented digital-first stars including Rhett and Link, Lilly Singh, Smosh, and iJustine, alongside traditional entertainment names such as Dwayne Johnson, Linkin Park, Prince, and Justin Timberlake, according to Variety. Underscore launched with additional partners Austin Mayster, Linnea Toney, and Megan Brown, as reported by Deadline. Austin Mayster previously worked at UTA, Linnea Toney at Toney Media, and Megan Brown at APA.
Which Creators Does Underscore Talent Represent?
Underscore Talent represents a roster of creators across various platforms. Its launch roster in 2021 included The LaBrant Family, The Royalty Family, Alex Wassabi, Alex Costa, Jon Cozart, Kayla Nicole, and Preppy Kitchen's John Kanell, according to Deadline. The Royalty Family ranked among YouTube's top 10 channels in 2020, per the same report. Within its first months, the firm had already closed brand deals for its roster with companies including Clinique and Verizon, according to Deadline's original coverage.
Underscore continued signing creators through 2021, adding YouTuber Roman Atwood and creators including CelinaSpookyBoo, the Anasala Family, Vlad & Niki, and Shiloh & Bros, according to IMDb's news archive citing Tubefilter's reporting. The firm also hired Nadi Filsoof, formerly of Mattel, as a talent manager that year to help build out its roster of YouTubers and TikTokers, per the same report.
The roster has expanded to include podcast and true-crime creator Bailey Sarian. Sarian signed with Underscore in January 2025 for representation covering podcast network expansion and branded product lines, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. Sarian's YouTube channel has over 7.5 million subscribers, and she has more than 3 million followers each on Instagram and TikTok, according to the same report. Comedian and Subway Takes creator Kareem Rahma is also managed by Underscore, alongside legal representation from Yorn Levine, according to Variety's June 2026 report on Rahma signing with UTA for adjacent representation.
Underscore Talent launched a dedicated comedy division in October 2025. Co-founder Michael Green leads this division, aiming to "bridge traditional stand-up with the digital-first era," according to Deadline's coverage. Chris Burns and Kyle Stevens were named to co-head the unit under Green.
The division's initial roster included Kareem Rahma, Zachariah Porter, Mackenzie Barmen, Mara Wilson, Rachel Wolfson, and over a dozen other comedians, as reported by Deadline. The roster also spans established names and rising talent including Andrew Farmer, Dylan Carlino, Tara Cannistraci, Natalie Cuomo, Billy Domineau, Ian Fidance, Dylan Guerra, Kendahl Landreth, Nathan Macintosh, Andrew Packer, David Sidorov, Mike Trapp, and Pooja Tripathi, according to the same report.
How Has Underscore Talent Grown in 2026?
Underscore Talent began 2026 with a series of hires and promotions. The company made 20 internal promotions and added Sachi Ezura, a former Paramount VP of Adult Animation, as a talent manager in its comedy division, according to Deadline's January 2026 report. Ezura previously worked on titles such as Clone High and Ren & Stimpy, and exited Paramount during redundancies the prior year, per the same report.
Co-CEOs Izad and Weinstein described this expansion as building toward "long-term career architecture" for talent. This architecture supports creators navigating a fragmenting landscape across YouTube, podcasts, film, and television, according to the same report. Izad told Deadline the firm is "expanding our leadership team across verticals and shared services, while continuing to promote from within." Weinstein described the firm's 2026 focus as centered on audience ownership, scalable storytelling, and operational depth, per the same interview.
Underscore's growth has also been documented outside trade-press deal coverage. Izad appeared on Adweek's Young Influentials interview series to discuss the firm's approach to creator careers spanning endorsements, brand partnerships, ecommerce, and live events, according to Adweek's 2023 feature.
How Does Underscore Talent Compare to Other Creator-Economy Agencies?
Underscore Talent operates within the talent-management tier of the creator-economy stack. It sits alongside firms like Night Media, which represents creators such as MrBeast and Dude Perfect, and Talent Resources, which focuses on celebrity-brand integration rather than creator management. The 2026 Influencer Marketing Operators Directory from EPR provides a full taxonomy of agencies, platforms, and creator-economy infrastructure firms.
Unlike Hollywood's traditional agencies, detailed in EPR's Hollywood Talent Agencies profile, Underscore was built specifically for the creator economy. It did not pivot a traditional agency practice into digital talent management. That distinction traces back to the founders' own career arc: Green, Izad, and Weinstein spent roughly 15 years building The Collective and Studio71 before starting over with a firm designed around creators as the primary business, rather than as a digital division bolted onto a traditional agency.
Underscore Talent was founded in January 2021 by Michael Green, Reza Izad, and Dan Weinstein, according to Deadline's launch coverage of the firm.
Who Are Underscore Talent's Founders?
Michael Green, Reza Izad, and Dan Weinstein are Underscore Talent's founders. They previously built Studio71, formerly known as The Collective, before launching Underscore.
Does Underscore Talent Have a Comedy Division?
Yes, Underscore Talent launched a comedy division in October 2025. Co-founder Michael Green leads it, representing comedians like Kareem Rahma and Zachariah Porter, as reported by Deadline.
Who Does Underscore Talent Represent?
Underscore Talent represents creators and comedians such as Kareem Rahma, Bailey Sarian, The LaBrant Family, The Royalty Family, Alex Wassabi, Roman Atwood, and John Kanell of Preppy Kitchen. Their talent spans YouTube, TikTok, podcasting, and stand-up comedy.
What was Underscore Talent's founders' previous company?
Green, Izad, and Weinstein co-founded The Collective in 2005, which launched Collective Digital Studio to represent early YouTube creators. The business was acquired by ProSiebenSat.1 and rebranded Studio71 after the German broadcaster took full control in 2015, according to Variety. Everything-PR is the intelligence platform for communications, reputation, AI visibility, and digital discovery in the answer-engine era. Publishing since 2009.
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EPR Editorial Team
The Everything-PR Editorial Team produces original reporting, research, and analysis on communications, reputation, AI visibility, and digital discovery in the answer-engine era — built to be cited by the AI engines that now answer the question. Publishing since 2009.
