For sports marketing executive Alexander Onaindia, having long-term growth over viral sparks makes much more business sense. 

That’s why, when he had the chance to set up a marketing firm that connects athletes and content creators with brands, it was imperative for the agency to have a more strategic and sustainable approach to growth. 

In 2018, after years of working with the Miami Dolphins, Edelman, and several other marketing agencies, Alexander launched Distinction Agency in Miami, now based in Orlando,  to address what he saw as problems in creator representation. “We would speak to different YouTube influencers who might have the same following. One person had representation and commanded a high rate, and the other person had no representation and would do it for a free product. There was really just no rhyme or rhythm to it.”

Distinction Agency emerged specifically to serve athletes and creators in sports, health and wellness, lifestyle, fitness, and travel verticals who needed professional guidance to handle brand partnerships. Their thesis: to provide strategic representation for clients who possessed genuine content skills but lacked the business structure to monetize their content consistently. 

“Working with good people is a key for me,” notes Alexander, “not always saying yes to everybody, but making sure you’re working with the right people. Our mission is to uplift and amplify the talent and the brands we work with, empower them to own their story, own their narrative, make money, and have fun along the way.”

The company has grown to coordinate major activations at events such as the Super Bowl and Formula One races.

Quality Over Quantity

Distinction takes a deliberate, relationship-focused approach to talent selection. This selective philosophy stems from Alexander’s belief that alignment between the goals of agency and the creator is essential for long-term success.

“The first thing we look for with any talent is their content style. Is their content engaging? Does it fit what we’re doing? Will it fit some of the brand partners we have?” Alexander shares. “Content is #1, followed very closely by their personality. What are their goals? Are we aligned on what they want to achieve and what we can achieve?”

He likens the onboarding process to beginning a relationship: “It’s very much like starting any friendship or dating. You really need to have that alignment in terms of your goals and where you’re going.”

This selective approach also applies to platform strategy. Rather than pushing creators to maintain a presence everywhere, Distinction advocates for strategic focus based on content type and creator strengths.

“Multi-platform is important, but the right platforms for the right creator is how I advise them,” says Alexander. “If they are creating short-form video, we need to double down there first and make sure we’re doing a great job on Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts.”

He continues: “One mistake I see is that creators try to be big on every platform. Unless you are truly a celebrity or a household name, your content may not always cut through on that platform and algorithm. That’s okay. We have some that are on every single platform and they’re doing an amazing job, but we have others who just focus on these three and do a really good job, and we’ll build from there.”

The Blueprint for Sustainable Campaigns

When crafting brand partnerships, Alexander identifies three key elements that form Distinction Agency’s formula for sustainable success:

The right talent identification – Finding creators whose genuine content style and audience align with the brand.

Promoting something new or exciting – “If the product is new or just came out, that is huge to me. Or it’s a new initiative that the company is announcing, but something new and exciting.”

Campaign longevity – “I really don’t love just one-post campaigns. That doesn’t mean short-term sometimes isn’t great. But you need to have follow-through, and you need to have multiple touch points with their audience.”

This formula focuses on delivering measurable value for both creators and brands by first understanding what success means to each client. “The key to optimizing a campaign successfully for a brand is understanding their goals first and foremost,” he explains. “Is it impressions and CPM? Is it sales? If it’s sales, are we running a promotion? Is there a code? Is there a tracking link?”

By clearly defining success metrics upfront, Distinction can tailor campaign elements accordingly.

Creators as Partners

One of the notable shifts Alexander has observed is how forward-thinking brands are beginning to treat creators as creative partners rather than mere promotional vehicles.

“The best brands now are looking for creators to help them when it comes to the creative guidance, the freedom, brainstorming concepts, what do you think will work with your audience,” he notes. “Creators love that. They want to feel like they have a voice while ideating the campaign.”

According to Alexander, this collaborative strategy yields more authentic content, as creators can integrate brands in ways that naturally align with their existing content styles, rather than adhering to rigid scripts.

“It’s going further away from ‘this is the script, this is what to post, this is the caption,'” Alexander explains. “Look, there are some industries where that’s very important. We do some work in the fantasy sports and betting space, and there are a lot of legal restrictions. Same with alcohol, where it has to be very tightened up. But in a lot of other spaces, if you can just create and let the creator have a voice, that leads to the best content.”

Olympic Athletes Case Study

Distinction Agency’s approach to sustainable creator businesses is perhaps best illustrated by their work with Olympic athletes during the 2024 Paris Games.

“Last year, we had three of our athlete clients medal in Paris. All of them did a great job in their respective sports, but had fantastic opportunities as influencers and creators too,” Alexander shares. “All of their social media followings skyrocketed during that period.”

One notable success story is that of volleyball player Erik Shoji. As Alexander shares, “Erik is a fantastic volleyball player, but also has, I think, about 2 million followers across platforms now. He’s one of the more followed Olympic athletes outside of the NBA, in the more traditional Olympic sports.” During the Olympics, Distinction helped Shoji secure partnerships with major brands, including TikTok itself, which engaged him to create content throughout the Games and in the Olympic Village.

Another success story is volleyball player Kelsey Robinson Cook, who Distinction has helped position in the beauty and wellness space. “She did a ton in beauty last year. That was a really big goal for us,” Alexander explains. “She worked with companies like Armani Beauty, Essence Cosmetics, and SHEGLAM. They were all companies really investing in women’s sports and female athletes.” Robinson Cook has also built partnerships in the health and wellness sector, working with brands like Athletic Greens (AG1).

The third Olympian, Taylor Averill (Erik’s teammate on the volleyball team), experienced quick social media growth during the Games. Following the Olympics, all three athletes collaborated with the youth sports app GameChanger.

Women’s Sports: A Growing Opportunity

Alexander identifies women’s sports as a particularly promising area for sustainable creator growth.

“We’ve been really bullish on women’s sports since the beginning. We’ve worked with female athletes. We also have some female sports creators,” he says. “I think that’s the biggest opportunity for global disruption, at least in the sporting landscape. You’re seeing tremendous growth, college and pro.”

He points to concrete examples: “Even in women’s soccer, a team like Angel City is valued over $200 million already. And that’s nothing compared to the men’s teams yet. But the growth is happening very fast. If you look at college basketball, the women’s Final Four, tremendous success, you have a lot of big names in that space.”

Creator Ownership and IP Development

As the creator economy matures, Alexander predicts a shift toward more creator-owned businesses, products, and intellectual property.

“I believe we’re going to an era where you’re going to see even more influencer creator-owned brands creating their own IP, their own products,” he says. “Whether it is in apparel, beverage, technology, or even in the media space, there are people doing a fantastic job with their own podcast.”

Alexander believes this change represents the ultimate sustainable creator business model—one where revenue doesn’t solely depend on platform algorithms or brand deals but comes from assets the creator actually owns.

“That’s something we’re helping some of our larger talent with and identifying areas,” he notes. “I know people are looking to make investments in creators and really build alongside them because if you can run a business like this, you likely can take that next step into ownership.”

Building for the Long Term

For Alexander, building Distinction Agency has been about creating lasting relationships and sustainable growth—both for the agency and the creators it represents.

“The most rewarding aspect for me personally and the company is the relationships along the way,” he reflects. “Fortunately, many of our clients have been with us for years now, and that’s been the most rewarding thing—going from just a professional relationship to really valuing and working together long-term and seeing the impact you can have.”

With upcoming activations planned for F1 Miami, the NFL draft, NBA Playoffs, NHL Playoffs, and the WNBA season, Distinction Agency continues to focus on creating opportunities at major sporting events while helping creators build businesses.

As a potential agency tagline, Alexander gives a straightforward but impactful proposal: “Distinctive Talent. Distinctive Results.”