For Paris D’Jon, the most persistent misconception in today’s creator economy is the idea that visibility alone equals career progress. Platforms change, audiences fragment, and distribution becomes easier every year, but the fundamentals of talent management, he argues, have not shifted nearly as much as people assume.

“When we represent some type of talent, we represent that talent in the totality of their career,” he says.

Paris is the CEO and founder of HPA Talent, a New York- and Los Angeles-based entertainment management firm he launched in 2011. The company represents a broad spectrum of clients across music, sports, reality television, and creator-led digital entertainment. Unlike agencies focused on deal-making or digital marketing firms built around social distribution, HPA positions itself as a long-term career management approach, which Paris believes has become necessary for creators amid increasingly volatile platforms.

After more than three decades in entertainment, Paris’s perspective is shaped by experience across multiple eras of fame: from radio and touring, to reality television, to Vine, and now to the platform-fragmented creator economy. 

His central argument is simple: access has expanded, but guidance has not. “Anybody can get you a brand deal,” he says. “The difference is what do you do with the brand deal?”

Building a Career Before the Creator Economy Had a Name

Growing up in Fremont, California, Paris began DJing in high school and eventually ran a small operation that handled multiple events simultaneously.

After studying at the Columbia School of Broadcasting, Paris moved into the business side of music and entertainment. One early connection proved formative: his neighbor was MC Hammer. From there, Paris relocated to Los Angeles and later drove cross-country to New York without knowing anyone there.

“I started in road management, working my way up,” he says. One of his first major roles was touring with C+C Music Factory, whose track “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)” became one of the defining global hits of the early 1990s.

From road management, Paris transitioned into artist discovery and development. He went on to work with Montell Jordan during the global success of “This Is How We Do It,” and later discovered 98 Degrees, helping launch the careers of Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey. Over time, he represented dozens of artists whose combined worldwide sales exceeded 150 million units.

That period, he says, was defined by infrastructure and patience. “Back in the day, you would take an artist, you would groom them,” Paris explains. “You would teach them how to do an interview, how to dress. There was development.”

Why HPA Talent Was Built Differently

By the late 2000s, Paris saw the industry shifting again. Social platforms removed traditional gatekeepers while collapsing distinctions between celebrities, athletes, and internet-native creators. In 2011, he founded HPA Talent to reflect that reality.

“We represent all different types of talent,” he says. “Athletes, reality stars, Olympians; anything within the entertainment spectrum.”

What differentiates HPA, according to Paris, is its refusal to collapse management into marketing. “We’re not an agency. We’re not a digital marketing company. We’re not a social media company,” he says. “We are a management company that represents people in the totality of their career.”

That distinction matters more, he argues, as creators increasingly conflate reach with sustainability. While DMs make access easier than ever, they also blur professional boundaries. “The creator economy is different because it’s all controlled through the DM now,” Paris notes. “You can send anybody a DM and get a hold of anyone.”

HPA’s approach, by contrast, assumes that visibility is temporary unless anchored to long-term positioning.

Adapting to Platforms Without Being Owned by Them

HPA’s development closely mirrors the rise – and disappearance – of major platforms. Paris points to Vine as a pivotal moment. “When Vine was really big, we represented a big portion of them,” he says.

During that era, HPA experimented with new formats, including launching the Social Slam Awards, one of the first award shows dedicated to social media creators. The event drew thousands of attendees and generated brand interest, reinforcing Paris’s belief that creators could bridge entertainment and commerce more quickly than legacy celebrities.

But Vine’s collapse reinforced a lesson that continues to guide the firm. “Vine was so big, and then there’s no more Vine,” he says. “That era is over.”

For creators who built audiences during periods of platform growth, the slowdown has been jarring. “You don’t personally follow as many people as you did three years ago,” Paris says. “That era of fast follow growth is done.”

HPA’s response has been to treat platforms as tools rather than destinations. “Social media is only secondary for us,” he explains. “That’s a tool. That’s not your fame.”

Specialization Over Scale

One of HPA’s most telling strategic pivots came through sports representation. Several years ago, the company represented approximately 40 Major League Soccer (MLS) players. “We were making more money representing 10 freestyle soccer players than 40 professional soccer players,” Paris says.

The reason was content autonomy. Freestyle soccer creators could publish freely, collaborate with brands, and build direct relationships with audiences, while professional players faced restrictions from teams and leagues.

Today, HPA represents many of the world’s top freestyle soccer creators, a niche that aligns closely with social-first distribution and brand storytelling. With the men’s World Cup, women’s World Cup, and Olympics approaching in close succession, that specialization positions the company for sustained demand.

“That comes into play about being nimble,” Paris says. “We are big enough to play in the same sandbox as the big guys and small enough to maneuver quickly.”

Redefining Talent in an Influencer-First World

Paris draws a clear line between attention and talent, one he believes has been dangerously blurred. “They’re not representing talent,” he says of many modern firms. “They’re representing people who make them money.”

For him, talent remains rooted in emotional impact. “Talent is somebody who can make people believe in something that they are not,” he explains. “If you’re a singer, your job is to evoke emotion.”

Viral reach alone does not meet that definition, according to Paris. He recounts paying $25,000 during the Vine era to a creator known for viral prank content. While effective commercially, the experience strengthened his belief that scale without direction rarely lasts. “Because you can make funny videos doesn’t mean you’re talented,” he says. “It means people connect to what you’re doing.”

This distinction shapes HPA’s client selection: only about 5% of prospective talent are signed. “My first question is always, ‘Where do you see yourself in five years?’” Paris says. Creators driven primarily by metrics raise red flags. If somebody is being guided by followers and likes, I tend to stay away from that.”

Management Beyond Monetization

As creator representation expands, Paris is skeptical of firms managing hundreds of creators with minimal staff. “That’s not management,” he says. “There’s no way you can physically do that.”

True management, he argues, includes decisions that have nothing to do with immediate revenue. It requires understanding when not to pursue deals, when to reposition talent, and when to step away from platforms that no longer align with a client’s long-term vision.

The need for that guidance has intensified as volume explodes. “There are over 230,000 records that come out per day,” Paris says. “There is no way you can cut through the clutter by yourself.”

For HPA, strategy begins by working backward. “We don’t look at what’s happening today,” he explains. “We look at five years from today and how we will get there.”

A Long View on the Creator Economy

Despite platform volatility and audience saturation, Paris remains optimistic. “People will always be famous because people will always want to watch famous people,” he says.

What concerns him is not the future of creators, but the speed at which many mistake attention for identity. His advice to creators reflects the philosophy behind HPA’s longevity. “Don’t get caught up in your own phone,” Paris says. “Get more caught up in your own talent.”

After nearly 40 years in entertainment, his outlook is steady rather than nostalgic. Platforms may rise and fall, but careers, he insists, are still built the same way.

“If you get caught up in your talent and improve your talent,” he says, “you can go many more places.”

Photo source: HPA Talent

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