He walked right into a struggling mom-and-pop taco joint, ordered quietly, and took a chew. Moments later, with nothing however an iPhone and his signature soft-spoken supply, he modified the restaurant’s destiny perpetually. In early 2024, Keith Lee, the unassuming but influential TikTok food critic, turned Los Angeles’ eating scene the other way up. His sincere, no-frills opinions catapulted small, ignored eateries into in a single day sensations—generally tripling their enterprise in days. One video, one response, and out of the blue, traces wrapped across the block.
What adopted wasn’t simply viral content material; it was a masterclass in fashionable influencer marketing. Manufacturers, companies, and CEOs throughout LA took notes. Lee had cracked the code—authenticity over polish, belief over promoting. Right now, influencer marketing agencies are racing to copy his magic, mixing storytelling with technique to redefine model success. And behind each profitable marketing campaign within the metropolis of stars, there’s a frontrunner pulling the strings.
Welcome to the ability gamers of LA’s influencer advertising and marketing {industry}—listed here are the High 16 CEOs of LA influencer marketing agencies.
Meet the Visionaries Behind LA’s Influencer Advertising Empire
From viral moments to multi-million greenback campaigns, influencer advertising and marketing in Los Angeles is powered by visionary CEOs who flip digital affect into enterprise success. These leaders run prime influencer advertising and marketing companies, crafting progressive methods that form how manufacturers join with audiences. Whether or not leveraging data-driven insights or harnessing the storytelling energy of creators, these CEOs are defining the way forward for model engagement.
1. Jess Flack
Jess Flack isn’t simply maintaining with the influencer advertising and marketing sport—she’s rewriting the principles. Because the CEO and co-founder of Ubiquitous, she’s turned a once-scattered {industry} right into a data-driven powerhouse, serving to manufacturers like Disney, Goal, and Amazon crack the code of viral success.
Earlier than launching Ubiquitous in 2020, Jess led efficiency advertising and marketing at Bellhop, the place she didn’t simply transfer numbers—she moved total development methods, scaling advert spend whereas optimizing returns. That analytical mindset, paired with a deep understanding of influencer advertising and marketing’s wild panorama, set the muse for what Ubiquitous has turn into in the present day: a go-to company for manufacturers trying to dominate TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.
Below Jess’s management, Ubiquitous has onboarded 300+ companies, collaborated with 4,000+ influencers, and managed tens of hundreds of thousands in advert spend. Nevertheless it’s not simply in regards to the numbers—it’s about making influencer advertising and marketing seamless, measurable, and truly efficient. From end-to-end marketing campaign administration to a proprietary platform designed to streamline partnerships, Ubiquitous is altering the sport one viral second at a time.
Past the boardroom, Jess is a cinephile, foodie, musician, and proud canine mother—however let’s be sincere, lately, operating Ubiquitous is perhaps probably the most thrilling story she’s ever been part of.
2. Alex Elsea
Few folks can say they helped introduce TikTok influencer marketing to the U.S., however Alex Elsea isn’t simply anybody. Because the CEO and founding father of MOMENTiQ, he’s pioneering a brand new period of TikTok Shop dominance, proving that social commerce isn’t the longer term—it’s already right here.
Earlier than launching MOMENTiQ in 2023, Alex co-founded Ubiquitous, the primary mass-market U.S. company centered on TikTok influencer advertising and marketing. His work didn’t simply put manufacturers in entrance of hundreds of thousands—it reshaped how companies strategy creator-driven campaigns. Now, with MOMENTiQ, he’s taking issues a step additional, main the cost in dwell promoting and TikTok Shop campaigns.
Below his management, MOMENTiQ has been named TikTok’s #1 Store Adverts Company within the Advert Inventors class and has delivered jaw-dropping outcomes—like producing $100M+ in annual income for store manufacturers, hitting 30M+ U.S. impressions per dwell occasion, and breaking information for live selling income.
Past income and rankings, Alex is redefining company tradition. Each full-time crew member at MOMENTiQ holds fairness, guaranteeing the corporate’s success is actually a shared mission. His management isn’t nearly development—it’s about innovation, collaboration, and constructing one thing that lasts.
3. Jason Pampell
Lengthy earlier than influencer advertising and marketing turned the go-to technique for manufacturers, Jason Pampell was already pioneering the house. Because the founder and CEO of HireInfluence, he launched the company in 2011, making it one of many longest-standing influencer advertising and marketing companies within the {industry}. Over a decade later, his progressive, full-service approach continues to set the gold commonplace.
Below Jason’s management, HireInfluence has labored with Fortune 500 manufacturers, delivering tailor-made, high-impact influencer campaigns. The company’s dedication to excellence hasn’t gone unnoticed—Advert World Masters named it the 2022 Advertising Company of the 12 months, solidifying its repute as a prime participant.
However HireInfluence isn’t simply one other influencer company—it’s a 360-degree advertising and marketing powerhouse. With in-house marketing campaign structuring, artistic expertise sourcing, paid media administration, and experiential model activations, Jason has constructed a agency that delivers each technique and execution on the highest stage. No outsourcing, no shortcuts—simply outcomes.
Past operating a powerhouse company, Jason can also be a thought chief within the {industry}. As a Featured Author for the Forbes Company Council, he shares deep insights into evolving content marketing trends, serving to form the way forward for digital affect.
With a 60% consumer renewal charge and a monitor report of adapting to the ever-changing social media panorama, Jason continues to redefine what it means to run an influencer advertising and marketing company.
4. Cole Mason
When Cole Mason co-founded Pearpop in 2020, he wasn’t simply launching one other influencer advertising and marketing company—he was reinventing the sport. Pearpop isn’t about brokering conventional model offers. As an alternative, it’s a tech-driven collaboration platform that lets manufacturers immediately faucet right into a community of 200,000+ vetted creators to amplify campaigns at scale. Consider it as influencer advertising and marketing, however streamlined, data-driven, and constructed for the digital age.
Pearpop’s strategy has earned industry-wide recognition, touchdown a spot on Quick Firm’s Most Modern Corporations Checklist and profitable Digiday’s Influencer Advertising Platform of the 12 months in 2022. Main manufacturers like Netflix, Amazon, and Microsoft—plus music icons like Madonna, Doja Cat, and Shawn Mendes—have all leveraged Pearpop’s platform to drive engagement, virality, and ROI like by no means earlier than.
However Cole isn’t stopping at simply making influencer advertising and marketing extra accessible—he’s pushing the boundaries with AI. Below his management, Pearpop launched PAIR, an AI-powered creator vetting tool that helps manufacturers discover the correct influencers in seconds. The outcome? Smarter campaigns, sooner execution, and better returns.
Past enterprise, Cole’s motivation is obvious: serving to creators monetize their content material extra successfully. He noticed a niche out there—the place even big-name influencers struggled to show followers into revenue—and constructed an answer that empowers them to accomplice with manufacturers effortlessly.
From securing $18M in funding (bringing Pearpop’s valuation to $300M) to talking at {industry} occasions like Social Media Week 2024, Cole Mason is greater than only a CEO—he’s reshaping the creator economic system.
5. Jesse Leimgruber
At simply 19 years outdated, Jesse Leimgruber co-founded NeoReach in 2014, getting down to revolutionize influencer advertising and marketing with data-driven expertise. A Stanford-educated pc scientist and Thiel Fellow, Jesse didn’t simply wish to join manufacturers with influencers—he wished to engineer a wiser technique to do it.
Right now, NeoReach is among the leading influencer marketing platforms, having pushed over $50M in income for Fortune 500 manufacturers. The company performed a pivotal position in TikTok’s U.S. launch, recruiting influencers to assist transition from Musical.ly to TikTok—a transfer that reshaped social media perpetually.
Jesse’s entrepreneurial journey began lengthy earlier than NeoReach. At 16, he bootstrapped RageHats, an e-commerce marketplace that pulled in $50K per thirty days, and later based Rank Executives, a digital marketing agency managing campaigns for Polaroid, Nissan, and Philips. His monitor report? Recognizing digital developments earlier than they explode and turning them into high-growth ventures.
Past NeoReach, Jesse is a accomplice at Alchemist Accelerator, mentoring startups on scaling enterprise options. He’s additionally a public speaker at main {industry} occasions, the place he shares insights on influencer advertising and marketing, AI, and the creator economy.
6. David Morneau
Because the CEO and co-founder of inBeat Agency, David has constructed a powerhouse that blends data-driven technique with artistic storytelling, serving to manufacturers like Bumble, P&G, and Levi’s launch high-performing influencer campaigns.
Since launching inBeat in 2018, David has spearheaded a hybrid SaaS/company mannequin, providing each an influencer discovery platform and a full-service marketing agency. His experience? Leveraging micro-influencers to drive conversions and decrease CPAs, a method that has helped over 200 direct-to-consumer manufacturers thrive in aggressive markets.
With a robust presence in Los Angeles, inBeat collaborates with top-tier native creators to craft viral, performance-driven campaigns. And the outcomes communicate for themselves—manufacturers working with inBeat have seen something from a 73% drop in buyer acquisition prices to a 600% enhance in every day installs.
Past company work, David can also be an {industry} thought chief, sharing insights on TikTok marketing, paid media methods, and influencer outreach. His work is not nearly connecting manufacturers with influencers—it is about creating campaigns that make a measurable affect.
7. Eric Dahan
Eric Dahan has turned Open Affect into a world powerhouse, working with {industry} giants like Disney, Google, Amazon, and Coca-Cola to revolutionize model storytelling via creators.
Since launching Open Affect in 2013, Eric has expanded the company’s attain past Los Angeles, organising places of work in New York, Chicago, London, Milan, and Hong Kong. His mission? Bringing the human component again to promoting by empowering influencers to craft genuine, high-impact content material that resonates with audiences worldwide.
Acknowledged as a Forbes 30 Below 30 and Inc. 30 Below 30 honoree, Eric is an {industry} thought chief, recurrently sharing insights on influencer developments and digital marketing strategies. His experience in digital technique, social media, and e-commerce has helped over a thousand top-tier manufacturers navigate the evolving creator economic system with data-driven, scalable campaigns.
Past Open Affect, Eric is a serial entrepreneur with ventures like Mighty Pleasure, bridging the hole between creators and commerce.
8. Vera Kopp
Because the founder and CEO of inCast, Vera has reworked the way in which corporations join with digital creators, crafting data-driven, high-impact campaigns that span continents.
With places of work in Los Angeles, São Paulo, and Miami, inCast has labored with over 180 shoppers and engaged greater than 6,000 influencers and celebrities. However what actually units inCast aside? Its mastery of TikTok advertising and marketing. As an official company for the TikTok Creator Studying Fund, inCast has helped over 1,500 creators stage up their content material and model partnerships.
Vera’s background is as dynamic as her company. A Stanford and California State College, Northridge alumna, she has leveraged her schooling and {industry} expertise to form inCast right into a powerhouse for multi-channel influencer advertising and marketing. Whether or not it’s high-performing model campaigns or progressive initiatives like FunCast—an interactive Instagram-friendly exhibit in Brazil—Vera is at all times forward of the curve, mixing creativity with performance-driven technique.
Her affect doesn’t cease with enterprise. As a board member of Ladies in Tech, Brazil, Vera can also be devoted to empowering ladies in expertise and digital entrepreneurship.
9. Aaron Kozinets
Aaron Kozinets hunted down each alternative and constructed a thriving company from the bottom up. Because the founder and CEO of Influence Hunter, he’s serving to manufacturers of all sizes scale via influencer collaborations, specializing in micro and nano influencers to drive engagement and ROI.
Recent out of the College of Southern California (USC) in 2019, Aaron wasted no time launching Affect Hunter. What began as a summer time experiment shortly advanced right into a data-driven company with a search engine of over 30 million influencers, providing manufacturers customizable, high-impact campaigns.
Past operating Affect Hunter, Aaron can also be the host of the “Searching Affect” podcast, the place he interviews entrepreneurs, influencers, and {industry} specialists to unpack the methods behind digital affect. His insights don’t cease there—he’s additionally a visitor lecturer at USC’s Marshall College of Enterprise, sharing real-world experience with the following era of entrepreneurs.
10. Ray Levy
Ray Levy is aware of that influencer advertising and marketing is extra than simply follower counts—it’s about technique, information, and authenticity. Because the Founder and Government Chairman of MoreInfluence, Ray has constructed an company that helps manufacturers navigate the advanced world of influencer partnerships with a data-driven, ROI-focused strategy.
In 2020, Ray and his companions acquired Boomopolis, a Los Angeles-based influencer company that helped launch TikTok. They rebranded it as MoreInfluence, bringing cutting-edge analytics and an influencer-agnostic philosophy to the house. In contrast to conventional companies, MoreInfluence doesn’t handle expertise, guaranteeing that model partnerships are tailor-made for efficiency, not favoritism.
Ray’s mission is obvious: align manufacturers with influencers whose private passions and values resonate with their audiences, creating campaigns which might be each strategic and genuine. This philosophy has helped MoreInfluence join manufacturers with top-tier creators, drive engagement, and maximize marketing campaign effectiveness.
Past operating MoreInfluence, Ray is a seasoned entrepreneur and advertising and marketing strategist with many years of expertise. His background consists of sports marketing, media planning, and financial improvement, giving him a broad, multi-industry perspective on model development and viewers engagement.
11. Jon Davids
Jon Davids, founder and CEO of Influicity, launched one of many first influencer advertising and marketing companies in 2013, lengthy earlier than manufacturers realized the total energy of digital creators.
However Influicity isn’t nearly influencers anymore. Below Jon’s management, the company has advanced right into a full-scale advertising and marketing powerhouse, providing providers like podcast manufacturing, TikTok management, AI-driven content, LinkedIn development, search engine optimization, e-mail technique, and paid adverts. The purpose? Constructing loyal, engaged communities round manufacturers—as a result of a one-time viral hit is nice, however long-term affect is healthier.
Jon doesn’t simply execute methods; he teaches them. He runs Influicity’s “Advertising That Sells” coaching applications, sharing the identical data-backed strategies he’s used to scale manufacturers from startups to Fortune 500 giants. He’s additionally the host of “Making It with Jon Davids“, a top-10 marketing podcast, the place he breaks down enterprise development, brand-building, and digital affect.
And if that’s not sufficient, he’s additionally an writer and keynote speaker. His e-book, “Advertising Superpowers,” dives into how manufacturers can appeal to clients effortlessly—as a result of, let’s be sincere, advertising and marketing ought to really feel seamless, not salesy.
12. Lindsey Heppner
Lindsey Heppner, CEO of VAMPPED is crafting experiences that manufacturers and audiences keep in mind. Because the founder and , Lindsey has turned her company right into a powerhouse of creativity, technique, and high-profile collaborations, working with main manufacturers like Shangri-La Inns and Harley-Davidson.
Earlier than launching VAMPPED, Lindsey honed her expertise as a artistic director and graphic designer, a background that fuels her progressive strategy to influencer advertising and marketing. Her company goes past conventional model partnerships, providing marketing campaign improvement, social media technique, occasion curation, worldwide influencer excursions, and public relations.
What units VAMPPED aside? Authenticity and exclusivity. Lindsey believes that manufacturers succeed after they accomplice with creators who genuinely align with their message, and he or she rigorously selects each manufacturers and influencers to make sure the correct match. High quality over amount—at all times.
Past operating VAMPPED, Lindsey can also be the founding father of ReVAMPPED, a manufacturing and brand development agency pushing the boundaries of digital content material.
13. Sarah Boyd & Ali Grant
Sarah Boyd and Ali Grant didn’t simply merge two companies—they created a powerhouse. Because the Co-CEOs of The Digital Dept., they’ve mixed the most effective of Be Social and Socialyte to supply influencer advertising and marketing, expertise administration, and model technique at scale.
With a roster of over 250 creators and a mixed social attain exceeding 350 million, The Digital Dept. isn’t nearly connecting manufacturers with influencers—it’s about constructing long-term, strategic partnerships that drive actual affect. From Christine Quinn of “Promoting Sundown” to Danielle Pinnock of “Ghosts“, they signify top-tier expertise whereas guaranteeing manufacturers discover the right creator match.
Sarah Boyd, beforehand the President of Socialyte, has constructed her profession on bridging manufacturers and influencers via progressive campaigns and high-profile occasions. As a Forbes-recognized {industry} chief, she’s labored with Alessandra Ambrosio, Olivia Culpo, and Julianne Hough, making her a go-to knowledgeable in influencer advertising and marketing and model partnerships.
Ali Grant, the founding father of Be Social, was an early pioneer within the influencer advertising and marketing house, launching her company in 2012 when the {industry} was nonetheless in its infancy. Acknowledged by Inc. and AdWeek, she’s led cutting-edge influencer campaigns, occasions, and editorial methods, shaping how manufacturers leverage digital creators.
With places of work in LA, New York, Nashville, and Miami, The Digital Dept. is redefining what it means to be a full-service influencer advertising and marketing company. Their BRANDEdit experiences and company occasion providers additional solidify their progressive, multi-channel strategy.
14. Benjamin B. Kaplan
Benjamin B. Kaplan, the founder and CEO of TOP Agency, oversees a world community of 9 specialised companies working in 20+ international locations, providing every thing from influencer advertising and marketing and digital technique to PR and market analysis.
A Harvard-trained economist, Kaplan takes a scientific strategy to advertising and marketing, utilizing A/B testing, analytics, and speedy market analysis to optimize each marketing campaign. His experience has landed him on over 5,000 TV and radio exhibits, together with Oprah and Good Morning America, the place he’s shared insights on virality, model storytelling, and media affect.
Kaplan’s data-first methodology has made TOP Company a go-to accomplice for manufacturers like Dr. Pepper and U.S. Financial institution, serving to them craft high-impact, results-driven campaigns. His ardour for thought management extends to the TOP CMO podcast, the place he interviews prime advertising and marketing executives on developments, technique, and innovation.
Past advertising and marketing, Kaplan has constructed platforms like Nationwide Right now, which faucets into viral cultural moments to assist manufacturers have interaction audiences in real-time. His affect spans industries, making him one of the crucial forward-thinking strategists within the advertising and marketing house in the present day.
15. Ernest Sturm
Ernest Sturm noticed the way forward for influencer advertising and marketing earlier than most. In 2017, he based Runway Influence, recognizing the shift from conventional runway modeling to social media affect, the place fashions might monetize their platforms and drive model engagement like by no means earlier than.
With a background in luxurious occasion advertising and marketing, Sturm first launched Runway Waiters, a high-end occasion staffing firm supplying agency-signed fashions for manufacturers like Tom Ford, Louis Vuitton, and Ferrari. This gave him an insider’s edge in luxurious branding, which he now leverages at Runway Affect to craft high-impact influencer campaigns.
Runway Affect stands out by strategically pairing manufacturers with elite mannequin influencers, reinforcing the concept that attractiveness has at all times been a strong advertising and marketing software—now amplified via social media. Below his management, the company has gone international, partnering with top-tier manufacturers worldwide.
With over 12 years in advertising and marketing, Sturm is a seasoned entrepreneur who understands each model storytelling and viewers psychology.
16. Victor Knaap
Victor Knaap stands as a distinguished determine in international digital advertising and marketing because the CEO of Monks EMEA (Europe, Center East, and Africa) and Co-Founding father of Media.Monks, a place he has held since November 2003. His two-decade tenure within the {industry} has been marked by important achievements and strategic management.
In December 2018, Knaap took on a further position as Board Member and Government Director at S4 Capital Group, a new-age digital promoting and advertising and marketing providers firm established by Sir Martin Sorrell. Below his management, Media.Monks built-in with S4 Capital in July 2018, changing into half of a bigger imaginative and prescient to construct a purely digital promoting and advertising and marketing providers enterprise specializing in first-party information, digital content material, and media planning and shopping for.
Knaap’s affect extends past his company roles. He serves on a number of prestigious boards, together with the Interactive Promoting Bureau Netherlands (IAB NL) and the Dutch Inventive Council, the place he contributes to shaping the way forward for digital advertising and marketing within the Netherlands. His dedication to social accountability is evidenced by his board membership on the UN World Compact Community Netherlands, the place he offers strategic management in implementing the Ten Rules and World Objectives.
The success of S4 Capital Group below Knaap’s management is mirrored in its spectacular market capitalization of roughly £500 million ($650 million) and its international presence throughout 16 international locations, with roughly 1,200 staff serving international, multinational, regional, and native shoppers, in addition to millennial-driven influencer manufacturers.
LA’s Energy Gamers: The CEOs Shaping the Way forward for Influencer Advertising
The influencer advertising and marketing panorama in Los Angeles is extra than simply viral moments—it’s a high-stakes {industry} led by visionaries who redefine model success. These CEOs of top-tier companies aren’t simply maintaining with developments; they’re setting them.
From data-driven companies to creator-first platforms, every chief on this checklist has mastered the artwork of turning affect into ROI. As manufacturers navigate the ever-evolving digital house, these CEOs proceed to push the boundaries of storytelling, authenticity, and engagement. One factor is definite—the way forward for influencer advertising and marketing providers is being in-built LA, and these CEOs are main the cost.
Concerning the Creator
Author
Koba Molenaar brings almost a decade of wealthy expertise in content material writing, specializing in digital advertising and marketing, branding, SaaS, and eCommerce. Her ardour for serving to manufacturers, from solopreneurs to established corporations, join with their audiences shines via her work. As a member of the Golden Key Worldwide Honor Society, Koba’s dedication to excellence is clear in her work, showcasing her as a relatable and educated voice within the {industry}.
