When TheSoul Group formally retired the word “Publishing” from its name in October, the shift was more than semantic. It reflected a structural reality that had been years in the making. The company, now operating across content production, talent management, creator services, and fintech infrastructure, had become a multi-pillar creator economy business. 

The launch of TheSoul Media as a standalone division marked the next phase. 

At the center of that transition is Louisa Ioannidou, who was appointed the division’s CEO. “As we are growing and as we are diversifying, each of these scopes requires a different focus and strong leadership to be able to move it forward,” she says.

Reporting to TheSoul Group CEO Arthur Mamedov, Louisa oversees the company’s owned-and-operated digital media brands and its creative agency, with a mandate focused on profitability, operational clarity, and long-term growth.

TheSoul Group today operates with more than 100 billion monthly views, at least 5 billion subscribers across platforms, activity on 60+ global platforms, and an ecosystem that includes 15,000+ creators.

For Louisa, TheSoul Media division exists to answer a clear question facing brands and creators alike: how do you operate at scale in an industry that moves faster every year without losing creative momentum?

From Hospitality to the Creator Economy

Louisa joined TheSoul Group in 2023, entering the creator economy after more than a decade of leadership in hospitality and operations across Europe. Her background includes senior roles at Hilton properties in Amsterdam, Barcelona, and Cyprus, where she led large-scale teams, managed budgets, and oversaw complex operational systems.

“Prior to the creator economy, I was in hospitality, which is very different,” Louisa says. “But in the past two and a half years with TheSoul Group, I’ve had a couple of roles and worked on so many exciting projects shaping who we are today.”

Those roles included VP of Production Operations and VP of Operations, prior to her appointment as CEO of TheSoul Media. The pace stood out immediately.

“This industry moves so fast,” she says. “It’s really been a roller coaster of speed, the team, and everything. I’m confident that I made the right step two and a half years ago to jump into this industry.”

What TheSoul Media Is

TheSoul Media consolidates TheSoul Group’s owned-and-operated media brands and its creative agency into a single division. The objective is focus. As the group expanded into talent management through Underscore Talent and creator services through MediaCube, leadership concluded that each business required dedicated oversight.

“TheSoul Media is comprised of our owned and operated digital media brands and our creative agency,” Louisa explains. “In essence, it acts as a foundation for our own production expertise.”

She describes the division as the part of the organization that demonstrates what the group knows how to do – not in theory, but in practice.

“It is the pillar of the company that brings out into the market who we are and what we have achieved these last years,” she says. “It proves our talent, it proves our creativity, it proves our innovation.”

The timing, she adds, was driven by maturity rather than urgency. By 2025, TheSoul Group had assembled its full operating stack. The next challenge was ensuring each part could grow at its own pace.

“Each of our businesses is at a different growth projection,” Louisa says. “Some are much younger and require a different kind of attention. Some are very well established. Each one needs dedicated leadership to continue to grow.”

Solving Fragmentation for Brands and Creators

The problem TheSoul Media aims to address is structural fragmentation. Brands increasingly rely on creators, social platforms, and multi-format content, but often need to work with separate agencies for production, influencer marketing, social management, and analytics.

“The challenge right now in the creative industry is that it’s becoming more and more saturated,” Louisa says. “What we are called to prove is how we stand uniquely from any other creative agency.”

Her answer centers on integration. TheSoul Media combines production, social media management, influencer marketing, and creative strategy under one operational roof, supported by the group’s wider infrastructure.

“We know social media,” she says. “We can bring production, social media management, and influencer marketing, and combine them. We become for any brand the place to go without requiring three or four different partners.”

This approach extends to creators as well. Through TheSoul Group’s broader ecosystem, creators can access talent management, financial services, and distribution while relying on TheSoul Media as the creative engine that validates and evolves content strategies at scale.

Operational Excellence as a Creative Enabler

Louisa is explicit that her leadership philosophy is grounded in operations, but not at the expense of creativity. “I come from an operations background, and I’m a strong believer in operational excellence, not operational efficiency,” she says.

For her, operational excellence means building systems that remove friction rather than imposing control. “It’s the processes, workflows, and infrastructure that allow us to get past the noise and focus on what makes a difference from a growth and innovation perspective,” she says. “It’s about simplifying the creative setup, so teams have room to be creative rather than deal with meta work.”

Data and technology play a central role in that effort. “Data allows us to make much more accurate decisions,” Louisa says. “Technology is embedded into our processes to transform daily operations into faster, more agile models.”

She describes an approach that balances metrics with judgment. “When do you count on intuition? When do you count on data?” she asks. “It all comes together through communication and conversations with the team.”

Expanding IP and Platform Reach

TheSoul Media continues to develop and expand its owned IP across platforms, including YouTube, social networks, and streaming services. 

While views remain an important metric, Louisa emphasizes deeper engagement. “Views are a starting point,” she says. “But loyalty and engagement from the audience are a key focus area for us.”

The company has already begun extending select properties into OTT (over-the-top) and co-production formats. One example is a YouTube-first show developed in collaboration with Banijay, designed to transition from digital platforms to streaming.

“It’s our hunger to continue to innovate,” Louisa says. “We never stop coming up with new ideas or looking at how we can make ourselves better and stand out.”

Entering Influencer Marketing at Scale

In 2025, TheSoul Media significantly expanded into influencer marketing, aligning with broader consumption shifts toward social platforms.

“The majority of information is now consumed through social media,” Louisa says. “We strongly believe that influencer marketing and putting everything under one deal can unlock additional opportunities for clients.”

Rather than treating influencer marketing as a standalone service, TheSoul Media integrates it with production, creative strategy, and social distribution to reduce complexity for brands while maintaining consistency across campaigns.

Differentiation in a Crowded Market

As the creator economy becomes more professionalized, Louisa believes differentiation will favor companies capable of operating across the entire value chain. “The differentiation will happen for those who are able to do it all,” she says. “Creators and brands will require the majority of these services, and we’re positioned to deliver them.”

Even as more companies move toward ecosystem models, she sees experience as TheSoul Group’s long-term advantage. “We entered the creative industry when it started to grow into what it is today,” Louisa says. “For ten years, we’ve been a step ahead. Our aim is to continue to be a step ahead.”

That advantage, she adds, comes from their building philosophy. “You’ve achieved it for yourself before you go out and do it for other companies and creators,” she says.

What to Expect in 2026?

Louisa sees her first year as CEO as foundational, with priorities centered on sustainable growth, profitability, and team development. “If I see myself in a year, it would be that TheSoul Media has grown with increased profitability,” she says. “Strengthening teams, building on creative talent, and unlocking new markets.”

Personally and professionally, the role represents both responsibility and opportunity. “I’m very humbled by the opportunity to lead such an important division,” Louisa says. “It’s a chance to create clarity and direction so teams can reach their full potential.”

She remains energized by the pace of the industry. “It’s a roller coaster ride, and I love every minute of it,” she says. “It doesn’t allow you to sit back. It’s dynamic, fast, and continuously challenging.”

Looking to the year ahead, Louisa is clear on what motivates her most.

“It’s going to be an exciting year,” she concludes. “We move fast, we’re agile, and we’re innovative. I really believe that 2026 will be a great year for us and for the industry as well.”

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Check Out Our Podcast