Ben Silverman’s Next Bet on the Creator Economy

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Ben Silverman, who started as an agent at William Morris and later became the head of a production company, had significant success in Hollywood by creating the American adaptation of The Office. His career took a turn towards studio executive work at NBC, where he faced challenges, but eventually teamed up with his former assistant Howard T. Owens ten years ago to establish Propagate Content, a production-management firm.

Following significant support from A+E Networks and other investors, Propagate has predominantly chosen not to participate in the private equity rush that has driven consolidation among talent agencies in Hollywood over the past decade. (Its last major investment outside the company was from merchant bank Raine Group in January 2018.) Instead, Propagate has focused on building a self-contained portfolio of brands, which includes Peter Principato’s management and production firm Artists First, Authentic Talent & Literary Management, producers Electus (known for shows like Running Wild with Bear Grylls and Jane the Virgin), and Notional (the Chopped franchise).

As a gamer, I’ve just learned that my favorite entertainment company, Propagate, has doubled down on its investment in Lisa Filipelli and Scott Fisher’s talent-centric firm, Select Management. Now, they completely own the business! The reason behind this move? Working closely with Select’s leaders and witnessing their success in shaping careers in the creator economy inspired Propagate to expand its digital presence. Silverman explains it all!

Chairman of Propagate states to The Hollywood Reporter that eyeballs are moving rapidly and multiplying more quickly in the social realm than in the conventional one. Consequently, our aim is to establish a presence in both spheres,” implies the chairman.

This resulted in an enormous purchase agreement for Lindsay Nead’s Parker Management, a company founded in 2017 initially focusing on wellness but now expanded into a comprehensive lifestyle representation agency with a clientele of 85. Parker Management, based in Portland and employing 23 individuals, some of whom work remotely, will be maintained as an independent entity within the Propagate group.

This agency boasts an impressive roster of clients, such as popular lifestyle influencers like Alyssa Fluellen, Alia and Radwa Elkaffas (also known as the Food Dolls), Angela Rose, Kylie Katich, as well as more recent additions Madison Ruff May and Kayzie Weedman. Notably, these influencers have previously collaborated with big-name brands such as Disney, Amazon, Nike, Walmart, and many others. The agency claims that approximately 20% of its creators earn over a million dollars annually.

Silverman praises Nead for their team’s impressive work in developing Parker, stating that it resonated with us given our strong partnership with Select. He further explains, “As we see patterns of content consumption and generational shifts, we are attempting to stay ahead by creating prime digital real estate because we’re observing a massive audience migration towards the digital sphere.

As your friendly game guru, I’m thrilled to announce that with this latest acquisition, we’re supercharging our mission to stay ahead in the ever-changing landscape of the creator community.

In considering various partnership offers from major industry giants, Nead found that Propagate’s proposal was most aligned with our goal of bridging a significant industry gap. This is why the Parker name and operational independence were crucial factors in her decision to accept the offer.

Based out of Los Angeles, Propagate currently employs 225 people across its various management and production brands. It has invested heavily in its content lineup, with upcoming projects such as “Stick,” a golf comedy starring Owen Wilson on Apple TV+, the sports anthology series “Untold” on Netflix, and an untitled spinoff of “The Office” on Peacock. Regarding private equity, Silverman mentions that they have received interest from virtually every initial and mythological figure in this sector.

Based in LA, Propagate now has 225 employees working across its brands. It’s investing in new shows like “Stick” with Owen Wilson on Apple TV+, “Untold” on Netflix, and a “The Office” spinoff on Peacock. When it comes to private equity, they’ve been approached by lots of big names.

Additionally, we’ve adopted a strategic approach: Instead of employing thousands of development executives or financing self-produced scripted content that could potentially lead to significant losses with the wrong decisions, we’ve been cautious about where we invest our resources.

Our chairperson remarks, ‘Fortunately for us, we’ve managed to maintain our own financial expansion independently – a remarkable feat in today’s dynamic entertainment industry.’

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2025-05-12 01:24