Kai Cenat is the new Late Night, and if you don’t see that you’re behind the eight ball

Chris Pearson started his career traditionally, in the mailroom at William Morris Endeavor. Thirteen years later, he’s now Senior Vice President of Creator Partnerships at Publicis Groupe, following its acquisition of influencer-tech platform Captiv8 this spring. Pearson spoke to The Daily Influence about why more people are waking up to the power of the creator economy, how retail-influencer collaborations are evolving, and why authenticity still trumps everything.

TDI (Victoria Ibitoye): You’re now Senior Vice President of Creator Partnerships at Publicis Groupe — congrats on the new role. I presume Captiv8 is going through a transition, but I want to start from the beginning. What first drew you into this space?

Chris Pearson: I actually began in the talent-agency world about thirteen years ago, literally in the WME mailroom. I worked my way up to agent and signed my first client, Travis Kelce, who helped me get promoted. Being on that side of the business taught me how talent thinks about deals and how the industry really operates commercially. 

When Captiv8 called and said they wanted to build a talent division from scratch, it felt like a perfect opportunity. Moving to the brand side gave me a full 360° view — how creators evaluate partnerships and how brands evaluate creators. Understanding both sides has really helped me gain some success. The part I love most is the creativity, connecting the right talent to the right brand and sometimes even sparking campaigns from the ground up.

TDI: You mentioned knowing both sides of the business, what actually happens when a brand decides it wants to run a creator campaign?

Pearson: The first step is always clarifying the brand’s goal: reach, engagement, audience growth, sales. At Captiv8 we use data to match those goals to the right creators: demographics, audience overlap, engagement metrics. That’s the science.

Then comes the art, our team lives on TikTok, YouTube, podcasts, always spotting emerging voices before they blow up. We noticed Jake Shane’s humour early, saw his following spike 300,000 in two months, and got him in front of brands like Taco Bell before his mainstream breakout. Blending that cultural awareness with data is what makes it work.

TDI: It sounds like Captiv8 isn’t just reacting to briefs, you’re proactively pitching creators too.

Pearson: It’s a bit of both. The reactive work will always be there, but brands don’t know what they don’t know. What I’ve noticed is that agents are constantly looking for deals for their clients, so I push my team to bring opportunities to brands they might not have considered. That’s where real thought-leadership happens.

TDI: Looking ahead, which sector feels like the biggest growth area for creator partnerships?

Pearson: Retail for sure. We’re seeing brands merge traditional paid campaigns with affiliate marketing. Instead of paying a flat fee or a commission, they’re blending both, a base fee plus performance bonuses. It’s a win-win: creators get guaranteed pay and incentive upside; brands get continuous posting and measurable ROI. Zara, for instance, is leaning hard into that model.

TDI: That’s really interesting. For creators trying to break through in what feels like an oversaturated market, what actually works?

Pearson: Two things: authenticity and volume. You have to really think about what content style is authentic to you because that’s what resonates with people.

Think of creators like Corporate Natalie who tap into everyday experiences we all relate to. From there is a volume play. You have to post consistently. The biggest mistake I see is momentum dropping after a few weeks. The algorithm rewards regularity and you have to make sure you’re putting out content on a regular basis. 

TDI: How important is it for creators to diversify across platforms?

Pearson: It’s tricky because the easy answer is yes, you should be on every platform and really diversify of course, but you can’t be great everywhere at once. Each platform favours different content styles, so I tell creators: master one first, then expand. For most brands, TikTok and Instagram are still the biggest drivers, with YouTube and Twitch offering depth once you’ve built consistency.

TDI: Final one, why do you think people are only now waking up to the scale of the creator economy?

Pearson: Some are still stuck in old models, but things are changing. Look at what’s happening: Unilever just announced a major investment into influencer marketing and new agencies are launching weekly whose rosters are only content creators. Culturally, you can’t ignore what’s in front of you. Take late-night TV, I grew up loving late night, David Letterman and Jimmy Fallon, all of them. But ratings across the board are low. Then you look at someone like, Kai Cenat who’s pulling millions live. That’s the new late night. If you’re not seeing that culture shift, you’re behind the eight ball.