By Lucas Shaw | Updated on Jun 10, 2026 at 06:11 PM
Creative Artists Agency, Hollywood’s biggest talent representative, is starting a new company to invest in YouTube stars and podcasters who want to be the next Oprah Winfrey or Reese Witherspoon.
CAA and Integrated Media Company, an investment arm of private equity firm TPG, have pledged $250 million to Compound Creative Holdings, a new company that will acquire and invest in businesses founded by entertainers who got their start online. Compound will be led by Tucker Brown, an investment banker who has already helped raise money for the YouTube trick-shot masters at Dude Perfect and the liberal podcasters at the MeidasTouch Network.
CAA represents many of the biggest filmmakers, movie stars, musicians and athletes in the world, including Witherspoon, Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg. As the internet has given birth to a new age of celebrities via podcasts and short-form videos, the agency is looking to establish itself as a leader in that space as well.
The creator economy was a $250 billion market in 2023, according to Goldman Sachs, which estimated the sector would reach $480 billion by next year. Yet many of the biggest players in the field still struggle to secure the appropriate investment to grow their businesses. They have turned to outlets like Spotter Inc. to raise money by trading a share of their future earnings on YouTube.
“There’s a lot of capital in the market generally and a lot of interest in creator businesses, but there aren’t many educated capital platforms dedicated to invest in the category specifically,” Brown said in an interview.
Compound will focus on creators who have built media businesses generating at least tens of millions of dollars in sales and could use capital to expand their operations. The company isn’t interested in just buying a share of revenue from YouTube or Instagram and tying their fate to an algorithm.
Brown estimates there are hundreds of creators that fit their initial investment strategy. That can be talent born on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Spotify or Substack. Compound aims to invest either a significant minority stake or buy control. Leaders from CAA and IMC, including CAA Co-Chairman Kevin Huvane and President Jim Burtson, will sit on an executive committee that oversees Compound.
Celebrities of all stripes have embraced the entrepreneurship of online creators, starting businesses in entertainment, fashion, food and retail. Witherspoon sold her company Hello Sunshine in a deal that valued the firm at as much as $900 million while George Clooney, another client, sold his tequila company Casamigos. Agencies are scouring for opportunities to help their clients while also capturing some of the upside.
“We’ve been looking for ways as an agency to double down on our efforts outside of core representation,” Brown said.