Eric Bogard doesn’t believe talent management companies should operate like traditional agencies. As founder and CEO of UnderCurrent Talent, he has built what he calls a “platform” for entrepreneurial managers and niche creators.

“Our focus is more about empowering managers, not employing them,” he says.

Eric launched the company in February 2020 in Los Angeles with a thesis that niche creators, not just mass-following influencers, would define the next phase of growth. Today, the company represents more than 300 creators exclusively and employs over 30 managers, operating across roughly a dozen verticals, from finance and tech to beauty and family content.

UnderCurrent blends full-service creator management with an entrepreneurial partnership model for managers. The firm remains entirely bootstrapped and self-funded, while offering creators content strategy, business development, partnerships, PR, product launches, and infrastructure support.

The problem Eric and his team set out to solve was twofold. First, creators needed more than brand deal brokerage; they needed strategic guidance and business infrastructure. Second, experienced managers needed a scalable home that didn’t cap their upside or force them into rigid corporate hierarchies.

From Concert Promoter to Creator Economy Operator

Eric’s path into creator management began in music. While studying at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, he co-founded early ventures with future partner Aaron Hoffman, including concert promotion and management of local bands. An internship at United Talent Agency led him through the traditional entertainment pipeline, including roles at Maverick Management and Live Nation.

But corporate structures never felt like a fit.

“I was probably the worst assistant that any of those executives had,” Eric says. “I always knew that I needed to start my own thing. It’s just how I was wired.”

The catalyst came in 2020. While managing an artist and closing a record deal, “in the stairwell of Live Nation,” he recalls, Eric realized he was building momentum independently. He launched UnderCurrent, focused initially on artist management and an indie-label thesis.

Then COVID halted touring.

At the same time, TikTok was accelerating. Eric began reaching out to influencers to promote his artist’s music. What he saw surprised him.

“I started getting some crazy quotes at the time. And I was like, ‘You guys are really getting paid $500 to post a song.’”

That moment reframed the opportunity. Instead of simply leveraging creators for music promotion, he began representing them directly. UnderCurrent expanded into creator management, which now accounts for roughly 90% of the company’s focus.

Writing the Rules

For Eric, the pioneer stage of the Creator Economy felt undefined.

“Early days, it was really the ‘Wild West,’ and we were kind of writing the rules of the game as the game was being developed.”

Rates were fluid. Brand structures were inconsistent. Representation was loosely defined. Eric’s early focus centered on negotiating deals and helping creators understand their businesses.

Over time, the market matured, and expectations shifted. “It feels like an entirely different business from when we started,” Eric notes. “It’s matured so much. The services and value you need to be able to deliver to creators and the strategy are just on a completely different level.”

With competition such as private equity-backed firms and major talent agencies expanding into digital, UnderCurrent scaled its infrastructure. Today, the firm operates with a dedicated partnerships team, in-house PR and content strategists, and accounting and legal support.

For creators, the offering extends beyond dealmaking. “First and foremost, it means content strategy and business development.”

Managers review content strategy weekly, evaluate hiring decisions, advise on team building, and help creators structure media businesses rather than simply monetize posts.

“It’s not just brokering deals,” Eric says. “It’s strategy, it’s building the teams and systems and helping diversify the business.”

Betting on Niche and Work Ethic

In its early days, UnderCurrent paid closer attention to follower counts. Today, audience size is secondary.

“We are looking for a point of view and a work ethic more than anything,” Eric says. “Following just doesn’t matter. It doesn’t correlate to earnings or growth or community really at all.”

Instead, the firm seeks creators who can own a niche, articulate a clear perspective, and build deep community engagement. Eric draws parallels to music: talent alone is insufficient.

“There are a lot of incredibly talented artists who have the most beautiful voices in the world. That is maybe the smallest part of what makes you successful. It really is the work ethic.”

Niche specialization and vertical alignment also shape UnderCurrent’s internal structure. Managers operate within specific industries, from finance to beauty to tech, reading relevant trades and attending industry events. Social media, Eric argues, is not its own silo; it intersects every sector.

“If you’re going to represent finance creators, you need to understand what’s happening in the stock market. If you’re in tech, you’re reading TechCrunch.”

A Partnership Model for Managers

Rather than adopting the standard top-down agency hierarchy of partners, VPs, and associates, UnderCurrent operates under a different model.

“What we also make available is a pure partnership track,” Eric says.

Under this model, entrepreneurial managers can operate on commission splits rather than salary, retaining greater upside while leveraging UnderCurrent’s infrastructure. Eric points out that this structure resembles real estate brokerage or music management partnerships.

“We split commissions, we provide accounting and legal, marketing and sales, and tech and infrastructure. And they bring their talent.”

Eric believes this approach allows experienced managers to scale without selling their businesses outright or sacrificing autonomy. It also enables strategic roll-ups.

Recent integrations with firms like Project15 and Next Step Talent followed this philosophy. Eric describes them less as traditional acquisitions and more as “acqui-hires,” or strategic partnerships.

Managers roll into the UnderCurrent ecosystem, but maintain flexibility at the end of defined terms. “The talent are signed to the manager more than they are signed to the company.”

This philosophy informs culture and retention. Managers receive equal access to partnerships, legal, PR, and accounting support, regardless of compensation structure.

The Endorsement Economy

On the brand side, Eric sees a structural misunderstanding in how creator partnerships are framed.

“There are some people in the space that are pushing these deals and treating these deals like they are programmatic media ad buys.”

He disagrees. “I’ve always viewed these deals as endorsement deals more than paid ads.”

Unlike traditional commercials that interrupt content, creator partnerships integrate directly into audience trust. For Eric, the value lies not in impressions but in credibility. “This business on the partnership side is micro endorsement deals at scale.”

In his view, that distinction affects how creators approach brand alignment. Overexposure can erode trust. Selectivity builds long-term equity.

“Focus on your content, focus on your point of view, your story, focus on your community, and I think the right deals will find you,” he says.

Institutionalization, Depth, and AI

In 2026, Eric anticipates further institutionalization on the representation side.

“Companies like mine are going to continue to have to offer more and more value, more and more services, not even to grow, but just to compete and stay the same,” he says.

Eric notes that consolidation is accelerating. Large firms are aggressively entering the space. Yet he also predicts deeper audience engagement strategies will dominate: long-form, livestream, IRL extensions, and physical products. “Just finding a way to go deeper with your audience and bringing your content out into the real world.”

On AI, Eric remains pragmatic. “I’m personally not worried about AI.”

He believes human trust remains central. “People follow people. The core of this industry is built on trust and opinion and curation.”

AI-generated content may coexist as a niche, but he does not view it as a replacement for human creators.

“I do not find it to be a threat. I find it to be a really useful tool.”

Brick by Brick

For 2026, UnderCurrent’s priority is not scale for scale’s sake, but to “increase the value that we can bring to our creators every day,” according to Eric.

That means hiring more internal platform specialists, strengthening infrastructure, and refining manager incentives. “My thesis is that if we have the best managers, we will have the best creators.”

He is explicit about the company’s long-term positioning. “We’re not trying to become the biggest company in the space. It’s never been the goal.”

Instead, growth will remain opportunistic and culturally aligned. 

“Just continue building brick by brick in the same way that we have,” Eric says.

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