Founded after Reed’s comprehensive experience across all facets of content creation, Hermana Agency has built a diverse roster of female creators while tackling persistent industry problems, including exploitation, poor communication, and undervaluation. “We help creators charge their worth, advocate for their value, and ensure fair compensation,” explains Reed, whose commission-based business model has helped transform content creators from earning nothing to generating six and seven-figure incomes. With transparency as a cornerstone value, Hermana provides influencers complete visibility into their business operations through personalized dashboards and regular strategy meetings. The agency represents recognizable talents such as Becca Moore, Cozy K, and Calgary’s own Andie Johnston, securing partnerships with major brands including Microsoft, L’Oreal, Walmart, and Nintendo.
What is your business called and what does it do?
Hermana Agency, we manage digital creators & influencers – everything from brand partnerships, to podcasts & speaking engagements, product collaborations, and book deals!
What made you want to do this work?
Prior to starting Hermana, I had worked on all sides of the creator economy – on the brand side hiring influencers, as a content creator myself, and as a talent manager. I saw a gap in how talent were being represented (a lack of transparency, male-led agencies exploiting female talent, poor communication) and wanted to do things differently. I built a talent roster of diverse women, and have grown a women-led team with core values of transparency, gratitude, and quality>quantity, to combat what I had seen in the industry to that point.
What problem did you want to solve with the business?
We help creators charge their worth, advocate for their value, and ensure fair compensation for their time in brand partnerships. We work primarily with women influencers, and my goal is to support these women in turning their influence into thriving, sustainable businesses. We’ve helped creators go from $0-$20K/month, and scale to six and seven-figure businesses.
Who are your clientele/demographics?
Our talent roster is mostly women in the US & Canada, who are bringing in a part-time or full-time income through content creation. We take over managing the “business side” so they can focus on creating content. We represent influencers in lifestyle, fashion, beauty, and gaming and our brand clients reflect that. We’ve worked with brands like Microsoft, L’Oreal, Etsy, Walmart, Dove, Nintendo, and Revolve. Some of our most recognizable talent are Becca Moore, Cozy K aka @cozy.games, and Kristi Howard. We also manage Calgarian fashion influencer Andie Johnston (andie.jey)
How does your business make money? How does it work?
We work on a commission basis for all of the influencers that we manage, so we get a % of every brand deal or partnership they do.
Where in the city can we find your profession?
There are a handful of influencer agencies in Calgary, but our team is remote across Canada.
What is the best question a prospective customer could ask a member of your profession when comparing services? Give the answer as well.
For content creators, I would ask prospective agencies to walk you through their processes from start to finish, how they organize brand deals, what their policies are on transparency and communication, and how they pair talent with managers. For Hermana, we use Notion and create a dashboard for each influencer to have total visibility over their business. We keep everything organized there for them, including contacts, to-do lists, and payment history. We believe transparency builds trust, so influencers get visibility on their emails, we communicate daily, and set weekly meetings to talk through opportunities and strategize. For pairing talent + managers, we give managers a lot of freedom in choosing talent they’re most excited about and also offer coffee chats to influencers to ensure their manager is the right fit prior to signing.
What is the best part about what you do? What is the worst part?
The best part: closing deals. Helping talent work their dream brands, and hitting milestones together. The worst part: navigating slow periods and disappointments (like not getting a deal!), and maintaining a level of optimism needed to grow through it.
What is your favourite joke about your own profession?
Not really a joke, but a saying we joke about is that “we work in PR, not ER”. Things can be fast paced and feel high pressure, but at the end of the day, we’re marketers and nothing is life or death!
Where can we follow you?
Website | Instagram | @kayley.e.r
PAY IT FORWARD: What is another local business that you love?
Arcade Studios!
