HG Media Group was founded on a simple but increasingly rare premise in the creator economy: creators and brands should not be treated as separate silos. Instead, they should operate inside a shared system built for speed, transparency, and long-term value creation.

That belief sits at the center of the Los Angeles-based creator economy company led by Hope Georgiou, co-founder and Head of Brand Marketing, and Collin Harrington, co-founder and Head of Talent. The company operates as both a brand marketing agency and a talent representation firm, a hybrid structure designed to solve what Hope and Collin see as one of the industry’s most persistent inefficiencies: fragmented execution between creators, agencies, and brands.

“We realized there wasn’t enough out there bridging the gap between brands and creators,” Hope says. “It was either you represent the brand, or you represent the talent. We wanted to come in and actually provide solutions for both sides.”

Founded in 2024, HG Media Group initially launched as a Snapchat-first marketing agency, leveraging the founders’ backgrounds in Snapchat-led creator campaigns at Studio71. Since then, the company has expanded into a broader, full-stack operation spanning influencer marketing strategy, talent management, creator-led brand development, and experiential activations – most notably large-scale content houses tied to cultural moments such as Stagecoach and Coachella.

That path reflects both founders’ assessment of where creator marketing has broken down and where they believe it is headed next.

A Shared View of the Gaps

Before launching HG Media Group, both Hope and Collin worked at Studio71, where they collaborated closely on creator campaigns, business development, and Snapchat initiatives. Hope joined the company after interning there during college and eventually worked in business development and campaign strategy. Collin initially joined as an intern while completing his master’s degree.

“What makes me and Hope such a good team is I’ve always had a knack for talent, and she’s always had a knack for brands,” Collin says. “It’s very yin and yang.”

At Studio71, the pair were deeply involved in Snapchat-focused brand campaigns, working with large household names and established creators. The experience gave them early exposure to how platforms, brands, and talent actually intersect, and where those intersections often failed.

“We were kind of making the forgotten platform cool again on the brand side,” Collin explains. “But we also saw that creators were monetizing heavily on Snapchat while brands were hesitant to invest.”

For Hope, those early roles shaped her long-term ambition to build something independently.

“I always knew, even in college, that I wanted to do something on my own,” she says. “It was just a matter of finding a gap in the market and feeling confident enough to start.”

That gap became clearer after she left Studio71 and briefly explored the traditional talent agency route. “That was the biggest thing that pushed me to do something on my own,” Hope points out. “Putting yourself in uncomfortable positions makes you realize what you actually want to build.”

Why Snapchat Came First and Why It Couldn’t Stay That Way

HG Media Group officially launched as a Snapchat-first marketing agency, positioning itself as what Hope describes as “the first and only Snapchat marketing agency.” The decision was deliberate.

“People knew Snapchat, but they didn’t really know Snapchat,” Hope says. “There was buzz, but not a lot of resources to actually put things into practice.”

The agency quickly attracted attention from brands and creators alike. Collin recalls a steady stream of inbound interest: “We were getting calls from C-suite executives saying, ‘Tell me everything about Snapchat.’ It felt like we had unlocked something.”

Creators, meanwhile, were earning significant monthly revenue from the platform, driven by Snapchat’s monetization programs. But the disconnect remained on the brand side. “The creators loved it because they were monetizing,” Hope explains. “But it wasn’t valuable long-term unless brands bought into it.”

Data limitations also played a role. “It was tough going to leadership and saying, ‘If you put this much money in, this is what you’ll get out,’ because the data just wasn’t there yet,” she says.

At the same time, platform risk became impossible to ignore. “Can we put all our eggs in one basket?” Hope says, referencing ongoing uncertainty around major social platforms. “It’s not the smartest idea.”

Within months, HG Media Group began expanding beyond Snapchat, both in brand services and talent representation.

A Full-Stack Model Built for Speed and Alignment

Today, HG Media Group operates across two tightly integrated arms: brand marketing and talent representation.

On the brand side, the agency works with companies on influencer strategy, campaign execution, in-person events, and creator-led activations. On the talent side, Collin oversees a curated roster of creators, positioning each as a long-term business relationship rather than a deal-by-deal influencer engagement.

“We see every talent as a business,” Hope says. “Not just someone doing brand deals.”

That perspective informs how the two sides work together daily. Brand insights, such as platform trends, posting requirements, and monetization shifts, are shared directly with talent.

“If a brand tells us creators need to tag them 20 times to be considered, that information gets relayed immediately,” Hope says. “So when we pitch talent, it’s almost a guaranteed yes.”

The flow goes both ways. “I’ll see spikes in TikTok or interest in Substack and loop Hope in,” Collin says. “It’s constant communication.”

The result, according to Hope, is efficiency in cost and execution. “Creators are getting passed around on lists, and fees keep stacking up,” she says. “By the time a brand signs someone, the cost makes no sense relative to performance.”

HG Media Group also works with formal agency partners, allowing the company to scale talent access without inflating fees or compromising transparency.

Rethinking Talent Management Beyond Brand Deals

For Collin, the biggest problem in talent management isn’t deal scarcity. It’s short-term thinking.

“A lot of people get this wrong,” he says. “It’s not just brand deals. It’s strategy. It’s building a physical brand and a business.”

That philosophy shapes how HG Media Group selects talent. “I personally never want to rep 15-plus people,” Collin shares. “You can’t be a good manager at that scale.”

Instead, the agency prioritizes creators who want to build long-term businesses, whether through product launches, collections, or deeper brand partnerships. “What are you doing in 10 years?” Hope asks creators. “Content doesn’t last forever.”

Content Houses as a Scalable Creator-Brand Engine

One of HG Media Group’s most visible offerings is its content house and event strategy, particularly around major festivals.

Brands, Hope argues, often overspend on standalone creator posts without considering scale. “How do we provide a lot of value in one package?” she asks. The agency’s answer: immersive, multi-day creator experiences designed around storytelling, volume, and brand integration.

A recent example is Dossier’s Stagecoach 2025 content house, which HG Media Group produced from concept through execution. “For Dossier, it was ‘fragrance meets festival,’” Hope explains. “Every touchpoint had to feel intentional.”

Creators at the house were contracted for roughly 100 posts total, but ultimately produced 250 to 300 pieces of content across platforms. “They over-delivered because they had an amazing time,” she says.

Collin attributes that outcome to creator selection and group chemistry. “I was tired of seeing the same creators go on every brand trip,” he says. “Do they really care? Probably not.”

Instead, HG Media Group prioritizes brand affinity, cultural fit, and creators who genuinely want to be there. “Our Stagecoach group chat is still alive,” Collin notes. “That tells you something.”

Why IRL Experiences Are Gaining Ground

According to Hope, content houses outperform traditional campaigns for three main reasons: volume, relationship depth, and longevity. “You rarely see creators over-deliver on a traditional campaign,” she says. “This is different.”

More importantly, creators build personal relationships with brands. “They meet the people behind the brand,” she says. “That changes everything.”

Months later, creators from the Dossier activation continue posting organically about the brand, an outcome Hope says is difficult to engineer through contracts alone. “It compounds,” she says.

Scaling Carefully in a High-Risk Industry

Despite its growth, HG Media Group has deliberately avoided quick expansion. “For the first year, you have to be okay not making money,” Hope says. “You’re building a foundation.”

Both founders emphasize process, documentation, and transparency as non-negotiables, particularly given the financial and reputational stakes involved. “You’re dealing with people’s careers and brands’ budgets,” Hope says. “That’s high risk.”

Looking ahead, the agency plans to expand its content house offerings while continuing to build creator-led businesses internally. “Slowly and efficiently,” Collin says. “That’s the goal.”

For Hope, the focus remains clear. “We know what we’re good at now,” she says. “It’s about scaling that without losing what makes it work.”

As she concludes, “It doesn’t mean you’ve failed if you pivot. It just means you’re moving fast.”

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