by Hannah Holland, Founder & CEO of HLD Talent
With the creator economy growing rapidly year over year, I think now is the perfect moment to pause and recognise the fierce women behind the scenes who are shaping the future of the industry, one campaign at a time. I’ve seen first-hand that while men can, and do, play a pivotal part in holistically building up female talent, it’s having strong women in positions of power that has shifted the industry over the past few years.
Spotting the Gap and Filling It
Prior to starting HLD Talent in 2019, I saw a huge gap in the market for female-led digital talent agencies to represent a primarily female roster and market them to the next-generation of media and entertainment. At the time, creator management in the UK was still largely dominated by men, which established a set of norms and expectations that didn’t always prioritise female talent. In my experience, female leaders take a different approach, focusing on advocating for equal pay, protection, career longevity and overall building environments where women feel safe to own their careers and take risks.
Leading With Empathy and Advocacy
Having a female-led team serving a majority female roster has shown me first-hand the
importance of being a voice for our talent. The biggest, and most obvious, advantage being that we understand the unique challenges they face as women. This can range from navigating partnerships that conflict with personal values to ensuring they are supported though any scrutiny or harassment they may face. All genders can’t be affected negatively by public opinion but, let’s face it, there’s a different level of criticism that women face on anything from their bodies, their parenting style, their relationship history, the list goes on.
Protecting Talent Without Compromise
My agency, as well as many of my counterparts in the UK, represent women from diverse
cultural and religious backgrounds, and that’s something we have to keep at front of mind when doing business on their behalf. It’s very important to me that my talent trusts that me and my team will never put them in a position where they have to compromise their boundaries for the sake of a paycheck. That’s the kind of industry I’d love to see continue to grow and evolve, one where women feel empowered to enter the industry with no fear of exploitation or bias.
Redefining What Leadership Looks Like
From my experience, some of the biggest powerhouses I’ve worked with – both on my team and externally – have been women who challenge that old idea of what a leader supposedly ‘looks like.’ I’ve always expressed my creativity and edge through the way I present myself and have often been told that I’m an unconventional CEO because of it. That’s exactly the point, there’s no single formula for leadership in this industry anymore and there shouldn’t be. As more women rise to the top in this space, these dated narratives are beginning to shift. I love being a part of the change in what professionalism looks like. It’s strong female leadership that is proving you can be taken seriously and get things done without compromising your uniqueness, inside or out.
Creating Visibility for the Next Generation
What makes me very excited about all of these shifts within the industry is the visibility and
examples it provides for the next generation. When I was a teenager obsessed with pop-culture and dreaming about working with celebrities one day, I didn’t have as many women in these positions to look to. Now, young women who aspire to break into the talent industry have so many stellar examples of bold female leaders to learn from. My goal, along with many of my peers, is to show that there’s room for them to take up space and do it on their own terms.
A Ripple Effect That Reshapes the Industry
The effect of female leaders is massive and has created a ripple effect. They go on to build
empowered teams, cultivate new talent and generally influence the tone and culture of the
industry. I’m thrilled to play a small role in it all and can’t wait to see what the future holds.
