Agency
How Leanne Perice Turned Passion Into A 600M+ Follower Creator Economy Powerhouse
Leanne Perice didn’t plan to be an entrepreneur, but her passion for representing creative talent led her to launch the talent management firm Made by All eight years ago. Initially focused on musicians and influencers, Made by All now takes a full-service approach to managing top digital creators. They broker brand deals, co-found product lines, facilitate creator investments, and maximize content monetization across platforms.
Today, Made by All reaches over 600 million followers and reps the industry’s top creators, influencers, and celebrities such as Haley Kalil, Devon Rodriguez, Adam Waheed, and Teyana Taylor. It is expanding into creator book deals, comedy tours, and new revenue streams for top talent.
Leanne has turned her passion into a multi-million-follower empire. As consumption patterns shift, she says the company is “constantly helping [clients] stay on top of what each platform is offering” while guiding them on trends like vulnerability and relatability.
The Backstory of Founding Made by All
The journey began in high school when Leanne became obsessed with fashion bloggers on Tumblr. Her first taste of the entertainment industry came during a college internship at Interscope Records in 2011. “It was a really big eye-opener to see how brands were funding musicians’ marketing initiatives,” she says. That same year, she downloaded Instagram and Spotify for the first time – foreshadowing her future in the creator economy.
After graduating, Leanne took a job at a celebrity endorsement agency. She soon helped build their digital division and watched her clients find success. “It really allowed me to understand the players in the endorsement space and how to negotiate a deal.”
Initially, her company was called Music Brand Agency. The marketing enthusiast initially focused on representing hip-hop artists and musicians in sponsorship deals. But she quickly realized, “I want to be the manager. I want to be calling the shots.”
She pivoted to a digital talent management model, keeping the agency name for three more years despite hating it. Finally, the name “Made by All” emerged, which Leanne found “so encompassing and perfect for what we do in the creator economy.”
The Journey Wasn’t Without Challenges
Today, Leanne says Made by All’s mission is “to help our clients become household names, and along that process, really help them elevate their careers while creating impactful moments in culture and giving back to society.”
Overcoming challenges has been key to Leanne’s entrepreneurial journey. “I face challenges all the time,” she admits. “But what I’ve learned to do is that every challenge is an opportunity to grow and evolve and become more solution-oriented.”
She cites delegating, building scalable processes, and avoiding getting “stuck” in problem-mentality as crucial challenges. “My vision is so big,” Leanne says. “And I think when you have a big vision, you have to go to your next level by getting these opportunities to grow.”
The creator economy expert also had to develop resilience when opportunities didn’t work out as planned. “There were so many times in my career when really crazy things happened that I could have been upset,” she reflects. But it was the universe’s way of protecting me. If something doesn’t work out, there’s always a reason.”
Made by All’s Full-Service Approach to Creator Development
Made by All takes a holistic approach to managing its roster of top digital creators. “We’re a digital talent management company,” Leanne explains. “With that, we really tailor our approach to each client.”
Their core expertise lies in brokering impactful brand partnerships, collaborations, and campaigns for their creators. However, as client relationships mature over the years, Made by All plans to expand into additional services. “Once we are in year three, four, or five, we’ve started a product development division where we’ll co-found brands with our clients and help them strategically build these brand extensions,” says Leanne.
They also facilitate creator investments through their Social Venture division. “We help our clients invest and become advisors to companies in the creator economy so they get shares in exchange for their time or posting,” Leanne notes. “It helps diversify where their potential revenue could come from down the line.”
On the monetization front, Made by All ensures their creators have “the right teams and setups on each platform” to maximize content earnings.
When evaluating potential new talent, Leanne looks for creators with immense passion and ambition. “I want to represent the best talent, so I want to make sure that the clients I sign have the biggest goals, too,” the company founder says. According to her, operational factors like consistent posting cadences and team dynamics are also crucial.
“For our success, the clients that we’ve had the longest really trust us. And it’s a partnership,” Leanne states.
Staying Ahead of Brisk Platform and Content Shifts
Made by All takes a hands-on approach to keeping its creators ahead of the curve. “From a content perspective, we really let our clients run creatively free,” says Leanne. “But a lot of that strategy comes from them in terms of how to optimize each platform as the platforms themselves evolve.”
With representatives working closely with all the major platforms, Made by All ensures its clients maximize emerging monetization opportunities. “We’re constantly like, ‘Okay, YouTube is doing this initiative, Instagram’s doing this, TikTok’s doing this’—so it’s helping them stay on top of what each platform is offering,” Leanne explains.
They also guide clients in adopting new content formats as consumption patterns shift. “At one point, it was just photo-first, and then we had to tell our clients to focus on doing a combination of videos and photos,” Leanne notes. “Now it’s Reels since IGTV went away.”
The agency’s multi-platform approach exposes its roster to opportunities they may have otherwise missed. “A lot of the newer generation of creators come up on TikTok or Instagram. They don’t even understand the opportunities that exist in the whole ecosystem,” says Leanne.
Beyond platform tactics, Made by All coaches creators on aligning with broader cultural trends around authenticity and vulnerability. “In the beginning, it was very aspirational content. But now they want more relatable content. And how do you be more vulnerable? So we’re guiding our clients and then letting them do the rest.”
Ultimately, Leanne believes authentic, responsible partnerships are key to maintaining an engaged audience. “It’s about never forcing a client to take a deal because the money is good…we don’t need to be greedy or take something because the dollar looks good.”
Advice for Aspiring Female Founders
“Just start and don’t overthink it,” Leanne advises future entrepreneurs. When I first started, I had a janky website, and you’re never going to be perfect.” The now-veteran businesswoman emphasizes focusing on what you have rather than fixating on what you lack. “Instead of focusing on what you don’t have, focus on what you do have. Fostering that desire is really important.”
Leanne learned to view challenges as opportunities for growth instead of letting setbacks derail her momentum. “If I’m letting situations get stuck on me energetically, I’m going to stop the flow for everyone else.”
She’s practiced personal mantras to cultivate the right mindset, like doing a “money mantra” daily from 2020 to 2021, when her business tripled its income. “It’s your consciousness of what you go into something with,” Leanne reflects.
Overall, her advice is to take that first leap without waiting for the perfect plan. “You’re going to learn so much about yourself. You’re going to be challenged. You’re going to see where your limiting beliefs are, what you need to correct…just don’t let things catch and stop you.”
