Gleam Futures

Method

Dominic Smales founds Gleam Futures in London in 2010 to manage the first wave of British YouTubers, taking commission on brand deals, books and product lines for Zoella, Alfie Deyes, Tanya Burr, Pixiwoo, Marcus Butler and Caspar Lee, and brokering Zoella's Penguin book deal and Zoella Beauty launch in 2014. It reports 5.5 million dollars of revenue when Dentsu Aegis buys a majority stake on June 20, 2017, and Dentsu becomes sole owner in 2020. Smales departs in 2021, and in January 2024 Dentsu closes the talent management arm and folds the remaining influencer marketing work into Dentsu Creative UK. The rung that breaks is the management business itself, as the creators it made famous outgrow a commission model inside an advertising holding company.

Open on the map Directory Suggest a correction

The path: money and goods moving

• came out ofDominic SmalesDominic Smales founds Gleam Futures in London in 2010.2010
• acquired byDentsuDentsu Aegis buys a majority stake in Gleam on June 20, 2017 and becomes sole owner in 2020.2017 to 2020
• spawnedDominic SmalesDominic Smales steps down as Gleam chief executive in 2021, three years before Dentsu closes the talent arm.2021

Representation, events, tools

• representsZoella (Zoe Sugg)Gleam manages Zoella from her early YouTube years, brokering her 2014 Penguin book deal and Zoella Beauty launch, until the talent arm closes in January 2024.2010 to 2024