As the creator economy continues to grow and more public personalities own their content outright the entertainment business model continues to shift. With this in mind, WME has launched a new division: Creator Labs.
The behemoth agency has placed a strategic investment into Astra Media, an operations business known for its work with Khloe Kardashian and Kevin Hart to name a couple. This will now become WME’s digital operations team that helps creators build and scale their businesses.
William Morris Endeavor has placed Joanne Lee, ex Google and Meta executive as SVP to head up the Creator Labs division.
This evolution is a direct decision on the impact of Youtube in the entertainment industry, with Jad Dayeh, co-head of the digital group stating:
“This was largely a reaction to the state of the entertainment industry and the marketplace where we find ourselves
Whilst the investment decision has been made publicly only as recently as last week, the work into the Creator Labs department has been ongoing, most notably with international footballer Erling Haaland as one of the first clients, building partnership deals for his own YouTube channel.
Primarily, deal flow and contractual agreements are rapidly changing in the entertainment industry as the landscape continues to shift, even without the impact of AI. Ben Davis, a co-head of the digital group acknowledges this:
Our clients now own their distribution, so how does the role of an agent change?
With a dozen strong team, supported by the Astra Media business, WME is looking to expand the department into the future.
More information:
1. https://www.netinfluencer.com/wme-bets-on-creator-ownership-with-new-digital-unit-astra-media-investment/
