#digital-creators

#digital-creators

Congress will dig into a new question this week: Do influencers need special labor protections? An April report from the Interactive Advertising Bureau estimated there were about 1.5 million full-time digital creators in the US. It's a growing job category, and Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California told Business Insider he wants to help make it feel more stable.

Brooke Meister and Alex Dochter have unveiled new digital creator talent firm Link Management, which reps digital creators including social media personality Danielle Walter, NFL Majorette and lifestyle creator Chloe Holladay, viral TikToker Yolanda Diaz, and "Love Island USA" Season 7 vet Jalen Brown. Link Management, which began operations in 2025, was created to "go beyond transactional brand deals and offer personalized, holistic representation that helps talent diversify revenue streams, strengthen personal brands and build sustainable, long-term careers."

That new funding round adds a roster of new strategic investors from across technology, media and real estate, including Tinder co-founder and Jam Fund founder Justin Mateen; angel investor Tyler Mateen; Mikey Heyward, CEO of Media Lab; Melinda Witmer, board member at TEGNA; real estate professionals Tracy Tutor, Chad Carroll and Hudson Advisory; George Laughton, Connor Flannery, Samir Mezrahi, and Ben Bear.

With the rise of digital marketing, where influencers earn money for creating content through platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube, and more, SARS now wants them to declare their income. Lasizwe recently took to X to voice his thoughts on the difficulties influencers may encounter with South Africa's tax system. He criticised those who claimed he doesn't pay tax after initially speaking out against SARS' plans to tax influencers.

What do a yoga instructor, a parking garage attendant, and an influencer have in common? They are all now exempt from paying income tax on their tips under President Donald Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill." As part of Trump's "no tax on tips" policy, streamers, online video creators, social media influencers, and podcasters are among the workers no longer required to hand over a portion of their tip income, according to a Treasury Department list released this week.

"There's almost no middle class anymore. It goes to the really in-demand creators. The brands, if they are going to spend, are going after those."