“Creators are humans. That’s the biggest thing,” says Cameron Bunn, Chief Growth Officer at talent management agency Upside Down Talent. “The industry has a very bad habit of transactional relationships.  It  shows up  in so many ways—the way brands and agencies prioritize deadlines, the sometimes multiple revisions, and the overall lack of connection with a lot of these campaign briefs.”

Upside Down Talent serves content creators across various niches by prioritizing the human experience in an increasingly commoditized creator economy.

Cameron joined the Canadian-based agency in January 2024 as its first official employee and quickly became its Chief Growth Officer. For him, the creator economy represents a shift toward genuine connections in marketing—one that larger agencies have often failed to embrace.

“The creator economy to me is so interesting because it shows the power these creators have with brands and with marketing in general,” Cameron explains. “It shows that community and a genuine approach always win in marketing. I’ve always believed in a people-first approach to marketing.”

This philosophy drives Upside Down’s mission to improve talent management. Having experienced the corporate agency environment firsthand, the team deliberately set out to create something different.

“We all come from large corporate backgrounds. Most of us have worked in a big agency where, although it’s fast-paced, clients aren’t necessarily taken care of as well as they should be,” Cameron reflects. “We wanted to start a whole movement that flips the corporate model ‘upside down’. You can absolutely still make a lot of money, you can still have a successful career, but you can also be treated like a human.”

The Upside Down Difference

Upside Down Talent deliberately focuses on creating value for both creators and brands through genuine, sustainable relationships, contrasting the volume-based strategy common in the field.

“We have such a specific curated roster that we want to maintain, and that’s purely due to us valuing authenticity and alignment above all,” Cameron says. “Our goal is to build great teams around great creators. To offer a service to creators that matches the commitment, work ethic, and passion that each creator has for themselves.” 

Unlike larger agencies with complex approval processes and rigid structures, Upside Down Talent prides itself on flexibility and adaptability. “A lot of these bigger agencies are very cut and dry. They have a specific process that they need to follow. They have red tape that they have to go through to get something across the line,” Cameron explains. “We’re here to cut all the fluff and just focus on the human and potential they provide.”

This human-centered approach earned them recognition with a nomination for an “Ethical Impact Award” at last year’s BTI x July Creator Agency Awards—”a powerful validation of our mission and what we’re doing,” according to Cameron.

Solving Problems for Creators and Brands

Upside Down Talent’s philosophy translates into practical solutions for very real challenges in the creator economy. One of the biggest issues for creators is burnout, a phenomenon that Cameron has observed firsthand.

“Many of our creators actually still have full-time jobs, and they are juggling a 9 to 5,” Cameron reveals. “The industry has shifted away from influencers and towards creators, but a lot of the campaign timelines have not reflected this.”

Upside Down Talent addresses this by advocating for realistic deadlines, helping creators understand complex contracts, and ensuring fair compensation for both the brands and creators. They emphasize education, making sure creators understand industry terminology and what their agreements mean.

“A lot of agents might not take the time to let them know what ‘usage in perpetuity’ is, for example,” Cameron says. “We want to walk them through it and make sure that they’re not making a decision that they’ll regret in the next five years.”

For brands, Upside Down provides clarity in the often misunderstood world of influencer marketing, as many companies are still learning how to effectively work with creator partnerships.

Growth Through Community Building

Since its founding in 2023, Upside Down Talent has grown from a team of three to nine and has secured over 10 million dollars in brand partnerships across its roster of 60 creators. Cameron attributes this growth to the team’s commitment to building genuine relationships rather than just chasing transactions.

“We’re focusing on sustainable growth, making sure that every single change we’re implementing is going to be there for the long term,” Cameron says.

“Having a virtual coffee chat with brands, going to events with brands, going to meet our creators in person—we just did a trip where we went to Vancouver and met a bunch of our creators on the roster, and it was just so impactful,” Cameron explains.

This commitment to community recently materialized in a new initiative—the “Upside Down Community” platform they launched. “It’s a place for us to all come together as creatives to chat about issues in the space and chat about what we can do to better ourselves,” Cameron shares. “It’s an open community for any creator to join.”

Sustainable Growth in a Fast-Moving Field

Maintaining quality while scaling can be challenging, but Upside Down’s leadership team prioritizes sustainable growth over quick expansion.

“We are excited to scale, but building foundations is key before doing so,” Cameron emphasizes.

This approach also applies to how they manage work-life balance within their team. “We’ve been good at maintaining that work-life balance and making sure that people actually have time to live,” Cameron says. “We ensure people are staying healthy, well-rested, and taking a couple of hours to decompress and relax. We also host one bi-annual team retreat for team bonding, relationship building, and relaxation.”

This philosophy is transferred to the creators they represent. “Creators are allowed to be humans as well and have down days. Part of our job is to be able to create those healthy boundaries and space for creators to thrive–they’re creatives after all.”

What’s Next for Upside Down and Creator Management?

Upside Down Talent has practical plans that align with their philosophy of adding value through education and community.

“The education piece is actually something we’re working on,” Cameron shares. “Building educational material that empowers creators not just to create content but to become masters of storytelling and building meaningful communities. We are finding that for new creators, there is little to no support.”

Cameron expects changes in the creator economy over the next five years to continue trending toward micro-creators and increased oversight in the field.

“I think the industry is going to be regulated more in the future,” he suggests. “Because there are a lot of bad actors in the space, there tends to be a lot of copying, a lot of intellectual infringement, a lot of exploitation. So it would be nice to see some sort of board or union there.”