Influencers & Top Lawyers in Business Deals

OG YouTube star Logan Paul’s combined following of 100 million has led to numerous deals put together by Chatham — one prime example being the new HBO Max docuseries Paul American. The attorney also reps the world’s biggest shortform YouTuber, 28-year-old Alan Chikin Chow, who boasts 96 million-plus subscribers and averages more than 2 billion views per month; Chris Williamson, host of Modern Wisdom, the No. 1 video podcast on Spotify; Gen Z’s favorite economist Kyla Scanlon; and inspirational influencer Dhar Mann, founder of Dhar Mann Studios, with more than 26 million subscribers on his YouTube channel.

Advice for when content goes viral for the wrong reasons “Take responsibility, articulate your intent and engage with the criticism thoughtfully. Social media rewards chaos, but it respects courage.”

Cooper knows all about the Scoville heat levels of hot sauces from repping Sean Evans in his multiyear extension to continue hosting the hit series Hot Ones and his purchase of food vertical First We Feast from BuzzFeed. His extremely online comedic clients include Meg Stalter, whose deal to return for the final season of Hacks he negotiated; Caleb Hearon, whose HBO deal for the comedy special Model Comedian he ironed out (Hearon also joined the cast of The Devil Wears Prada 2); and Mary Beth Barone for her witty podcast Ride.

Are content creators the new Hollywood? “The creators I work with are artists, no different than the type we have always represented, except that they have created for themselves a direct line to their audience.” 

For corporate deals from brand sponsorships to financing, this powerhouse duo reps such popular influencers as Dhar Mann Studios (as outside counsel), Mad Realities, MeatEater and Teton Ridge. Beauty creator Sarah Cheung and her super successful cosmetics line Sacheu; XO, MaCenna and her home goods collection MaCenna XO; and Jen Atkin with her Ouai hair care’s sale to P&G all rely on the pair to look out for their brand interests. Influencer agencies like Long Haul, Underscore and Click Management also turn to Dysart and Perlmutter-Gumbiner for key legal guidance.

The influencer-brand collaboration you’d most like to see

DYSART “YouTuber Sam Eckholm and Paramount for Top Gun 3!”

Best advice for new creators

PERLMUTTER-GUMBINER “Don’t sign anything you don’t completely understand, especially when it comes to ownership of your content or long-term exclusivity.” 

Call him her lawyer: Gordon serves as counsel to Alex Cooper, host of the wildly popular podcast Call Her Daddy and founder of Unwell, her media company that develops and produces podcasts, live events and more. Gordon negotiated Cooper’s $125 million deal with SiriusXM; structures show and live-event transactions for Unwell, including for the Hulu docuseries Call Her Alex; and closed the deal with the National Women’s Soccer League. He also reps Caleb Pressley, host of the hit YouTube series Sundae Conversation; Guy Raz, groundbreaking podcaster of How I Built This fame (with NPR/Amazon), for deals with Square and LinkedIn; and podcast host MrBallen, former Navy SEAL turned storyteller. Marlow reps powerhouse sister duo Claudia and Jackie Oshry, the voices behind the top-performing podcast The Toast, in signing a blockbuster three-year deal to remain with Dear Media; and Remi Cruz, co-host of the podcast Pretty Basic.

Best advice for new creators

GORDON “Surround yourself with a strong, knowledgeable and experienced team of representatives.”

When content goes viral for the wrong reasons

MARLOW “Take a beat, breathe, then call your lawyer. And stay out of the comments section.”

Gurian works with pocket.watch, the digital media studio that helps turn young YouTube talent into global franchises, including Ryan Kaji, whom Pocket.Watch signed in its early days and who pioneered the phenomenon of unboxing toys at age 3, has gone viral for his science experiments, and has amassed more than 39 million subscribers and over 62 billion views on his Ryan’s World channel. In addition to her work with YouTube host Bethany Mota, Gurian’s representation includes chef Amaury Guichon, one of the most followed global culinary figures, as well as Chrissy Teigen and Kelly Rowland.

Craziest offer for a creator that has crossed your desk “ ‘Build us a life-sized chocolate house and host an event inside it!’ ”

For Skibidi Toilet, which has more than 46.5 million subscribers, Hanisch worked to drive his title to toy shelves worldwide, leading to millions in retail sales, while licensing the IP to Fortnite, PUBG and Stumble Guys. The attorney also helped bring Jesser’s athletic brand Bucketsquad Apparel to Dick’s Sporting Goods and secure licenses with the NFL and NBA. Dallmyd’s footage of his own deep-sea trip became part of Netflix’s Titan: The OceanGate Submersible Disaster due to Hanisch’s efforts, who also supported Dandy’s World’s (one of the most popular original Roblox IPs) path to global retailers and a licensing deal with Care Bears. 

“Empowering content creators to own their content, brand and monetization rights is about more than business — it’s about building the media companies that will define tomorrow’s culture,” says Heisler, who reps top-tier creator Addison Rae, negotiating the terms of her joining the cast of season three of Ryan Murphy’s Monster, as well as providing legal support for her music career, from employment agreements to trademark registration. Heisler also represents social media star Quenlin Blackwell, as well as Jordan Matter, a YouTube creator with more than 32 million subscribers, and his daughter, Salish Matter, a massive presence on TikTok, assisting with her Sephora-launched skin care brand Sincerely Yours.

When content goes viral for the wrong reasons “Say nothing. Most apology videos add fuel to the fire rather than put them out.” 

Growing up in Hawaii, getting an undergraduate degree in astrophysics, graduating from Stanford Law to make partner at Goodman Genow — Jacobson has had quite the trajectory. This year, he closed culinary influencer Brooklyn Peltz Beckham’s deal to star in Express’ new Icons of Style campaign alongside his wife, Nicola Peltz Beckham; Bretman Rock’s podcast deal for DaBaddest Radio and an unannounced product line; Tana Mongeau’s collab with Tarte and podcast deal for Not Loveline; Brooke Averick’s deal for her debut novel, Phoebe Berman’s Gonna Lose It, just to note a few examples. “As a space very much in its nascent stages, the opportunity for creativity in dealmaking is unmatched,” he says. 

Rosen helps viral TikTok athlete Noah Beck navigate his many endorsement and brand ambassador deals as well as his crossover into acting with the Sidelined franchise series, which Beck stars in and executive produces for Tubi. “The most rewarding aspect of this job is working with smart, driven clients who are active builders in their own businesses,” says the lawyer, who also works all legal aspects of Nick Viall’s podcast business, Envy Media, including its $30 million distribution deal announced this year. Rosen advises Brooklyn Beckham on his equity partnerships portfolio and collaborations for his growing Cloud23 hot sauce line and longtime client Lauren Giraldo on all career aspects including her widely popular fitness brand.

Craziest offer for a creator that has crossed your desk

JACOBSON “A brand offered to pay in soda rather than money. We declined.”

Best advice for new creators

ROSEN “Assume any post could be highlighted later as a reference point for your character.”

Kaller heads the team, though he personally has helped California Gov. Gavin Newsom make his iHeart deal to launch his This Is Gavin Newsom podcast; assisted Emma Chamberlain in debuting her wildly successful café at Century City’s Westfield Mall; and repped Jason Bateman in his SmartLess Sirius XM podcast deal. Comedian Kountry Wayne owes the closing of his seven-figure stand-up-special contract with Amazon ­— as does Critical Role in its Amazon deal to extend TV series Legend of Vox Machina and Mighty Nein — to Kaller. Pastorek closed a succession of multimillion-dollar deals this year, including Smosh Reads Reddit Stories at Audioboom and Crooked Media’s renewal with SXM. The attorney also negotiated FAST channel deals at Samsung for the Rhett and Link-led Mythical Entertainment. Schwartz helped Your Rich BFF’s Vivian Tu cash in with a multiyear ambassadorship with SoFi, not to mention the book deal for her New York Times best-seller, Rich AF, and her soon-to-be-released follow-up, Well Endowed with HarperCollins. With Schwartz’s guidance, Giggly Squad’s Paige DeSorbo signed her podcast deal with Acast and her long-term ambassadorship with Tresemmé; and Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson and her husband, Andrew East, brokered deals to be Yahoo Sports’ Paris Olympics correspondents and appear on Fox’s Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test. Finally, the ever-busy Schwartz closed deals for Isaac Rochell to be an NFL Network correspondent, for his wife Allison Kuch’s Dear Media podcast Sunday Sports Club and their endorsements with State Farm and Levi’s.

Best advice for new creators

KALLER “Never do a brand deal for the money. If you don’t feel it in your gut, do not do it. Authenticity, authenticity, authenticity.”

Are content creators the new Hollywood?

SCHWARTZ “Creators aren’t new Hollywood or old Hollywood — they are completely rewiring the multiverse, and I am so here for it.”

Video gamer Tyler “Ninja” Blevins — whose claim to fame is breaking streaming records playing Fortnite with Drake — turns to Khalili and Morgan for his promotional agreements, trademark matters and endorsement deals, including a 2025 partnership with La Roche-Posay. The pair also counsel viral influencer Caylus Cunningham, formerly Infinite, who shot to fame after showcasing his top five techniques for water-bottle flips, growing his brand to more than 25 million followers on YouTube.

Best advice for new creators

MORGAN “Don’t wait until you ‘make it big’ to think about legal protections. Your creator name, taglines and logos are intellectual property that are important business assets. It is vital to protect your brand early on so you can control how your brand grows, license your IP to business partners and protect against unauthorized uses.”

Passman’s clients include mega content creators such as Jay Shetty and Doctor Mike. In addition to Shetty’s podcast deal with iHeart, Passman has overseen the negotiations for his international live tours as well as multiple brand partnerships with BMW, MasterClass and Kenneth Cole. The attorney has also guided creators as they cross over to traditional Hollywood media, such as Michelle Randolph, who stars on Paramount+’s Landman.

Are content creators the new Hollywood? “While one doesn’t replace the other, I believe they are learning from each other, and I’m excited to see the ways they’ll continue to differentiate but also emulate and merge.”

With more than 4.6 million followers obsessing over Alix Earle’s every move, counting among them those on Dancing With the Stars, Yorn and Rubenstein put together her investment and promotional deal with Poppi prebiotic soda that included her hilarious “Get a Poppi” ad as part of an influencer commercial series before the brand’s $1.95 billion sale to Pepsi. Yorn and team also closed beauty influencer Hailey Bieber’s deals with Chase, DKNY and Audemars Piguet, while Rubenstein also handled legalities for Madeline Argy’s Calvin Klein campaign and Netflix deal.

The influencer-brand collaboration you’d most like to see

YORN “Alix Earle x Nike. She represents effort that feels effortless — not performance for the camera, but the grind behind it. It would feel natural, not forced — a real reflection of where culture and confidence meet.” 

The lawyers who brokered MrBeast’s deal for Prime Video’s Beast Games, which taps into his 500 million subscribers and features the largest cash prize in TV history at $10 million, Senior and Weinstein also rep, along with other firms, Dhar Mann Studios, the largest scripted studio in the creator economy with about 45 million daily streams.

Craziest offer for a creator that has crossed your desk

WEINSTEIN “A $200 million offer to license a creator’s existing video library for five years. It’s a sign of how valuable creator-owned IP has become and how seriously major platforms and buyers are now treating creator content.”

Not only did comedy YouTuber and podcaster Jake Shane (of Therapuss fame) land a Super Bowl ad for Poppi, his TikTok merely celebrating the commercial blew up on the internet. Silver closed that deal for him, along with representing him throughout his sold-out Therapuss 21-city tour. Her client Meredith Hayden (@WishboneKitchen) published a cookbook that landed on the New York Times best-seller list for 12 weeks and now boasts a television development deal. The attorney also closed Hayden’s deals with Amex, Walmart, Wayfair (featuring a holiday commercial with Kelly Clarkson), Pringles (with a Super Bowl ad co-starring Adam Brody) and Jo Malone London (as the face of its 2025 campaign). For lifestyle content creator Monet McMichael, Silver negotiated a collaboration with
Snif for her Rose Era fragrance.

The influencer-brand collaboration you’d most like to see “Taylor Swift on Jake Shane’s show Therapuss would be the collab of the century!”

Call Her Daddy Alex Cooper’s multiyear Google partnership where her team will use Pixel phones, Gemini (AI) and other Google products for content creation was just one of the epic deals Thompson ironed out for the podcaster with more than 10 million listeners. Thompson, who co-represents the podcaster, also worked on her recently announced Unwell ad agency, where Cooper and her team will use their expertise to help brands develop marketing campaigns targeted to reach Gen Z. The attorney also assisted Cooper in the launch of her Unwell Hydration beverage line in partnership with Nestlé. Thompson also reps legacy Hollywood clients including Dwayne Johnson to handle such deals as the launch of Teremana Tequila and the Papatui men’s grooming brand.

Are Content Creators the New Hollywood? “ ‘Old’ Hollywood are content creators. What’s changed are the formats and distribution models.”

This story appeared in the Oct. 15 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.