What Is 1DS Management? How We Work With Creators and Athletes

1DS Management is a talent management company for creators, athletes and entrepreneurs. We're based in the United States, we're part of the 1DS Collective, and we represent 107 people across health and wellness, fitness, lifestyle, sports, dance, acting and music. We run the business side of their careers, from brand deals and content to live events, ventures and contracts.

This page covers what we do, who we work with, how we're paid and what brands hire us for. It also shows how to check out any management company, us included, before you apply. If you're new to management, start with what a talent manager does.

What does 1DS Management do?

We run the business of a creator's or athlete's career through 10 services. Talent management sits at the center, and the other 9 cover the work around it, from brand deals and content to production, live events and ventures.

Talent management is the day-to-day relationship: the manager, strategist and advocate who keeps the plan moving, from positioning through to long-term IP and equity. The other services are specialties that plug into that same plan.

A single brand deal can touch several of these at once: the partnership itself, the content plan around it, the shoot and the contract. Each service is described in full on our services page.

Who does 1DS Management represent?

We represent 107 creators, athletes and entrepreneurs. They work across health and wellness, fitness, lifestyle, sports, dance, acting and music, and the current list is on our roster page.

Those fields ask different things of a manager. An athlete's brand deals have to clear team, league and existing sponsor commitments before a conversation goes far. Dancers and musicians bring live events and licensing into the plan, and wellness and fitness creators may build products alongside their posts.

Entrepreneurs bring a company into the picture. When a person's audience is part of a business they own, management work stretches to the brand, the products and the deals that grow it.

Our homepage lists these figures:

How does 1DS Management get paid?

We're paid a management commission of 10% to 30%. Commission is a percentage of the income your agreement covers, so a manager on commission earns when you do.

On a $10,000 brand deal, that range works out to $1,000 to $3,000. The percentage is only part of the cost, though. Which income counts (brand deals only, or platform payouts, affiliate codes and products too) can move your take-home as much as the rate.

Before you sign with any manager, us included, get 4 things in writing:

1. The commission rate, by type of income if it varies
2. Which income the commission applies to
3. Whether it's calculated on gross or net
4. What's owed on deals after the agreement ends

Gross means the full fee before costs, and net is what's left after agreed costs come out. On a $10,000 deal where you pay $2,000 of production costs, 20% of gross is $2,000 and 20% of net is $1,600. We work through more examples, at rates from 10% to 30%, in how much influencer managers take.

What does 1DS Management do for brands?

Brands hire us for influencer campaigns, athlete partnerships, social amplification, UGC systems, creator licensing and content production. Creator licensing covers whitelisting, dark posts and content rights.

Those 3 terms decide how a brand can use a creator's content after it's made, so they're worth knowing whichever side of the deal you're on:

• Whitelisting: a brand runs paid ads through a creator's account, so the ad carries the creator's name and handle.
• Dark posts: ads that run from a creator's handle without appearing on the creator's own profile.
• Content rights: permission for a brand to reuse a creator's content in its own channels or ads for a set period.

If you're a creator, each of those extends how long, and where, a brand can use your face and your work. Price usage as its own line on the quote, with a time limit and a list of channels, so a fee for 1 post can't stretch into a year of ads.

Brands can see the full offer on our brands page.

How can you check out 1DS Management before you apply?

Check us the way you'd check any manager: look at who we represent, read the agreement line by line and get the commission terms in writing. A management agreement can run for years, so a few hours of checking up front is time well spent.

1. Look at the roster for people like you, by niche, audience size and platform.
2. Find out who would manage you day to day, and how many other people that person looks after.
3. Ask which income the commission covers, and whether it comes off gross or net.
4. Get the term in writing, along with how either side can end it.
5. Settle who owns your accounts, content and brand relationships if you part ways.
6. Have your own lawyer read the agreement before you sign it.

Then compare our answers with at least 1 other manager's. Our 15 questions to ask a talent manager gives you the full list.

How do you apply to 1DS Management?

Apply for representation through our contact page. Creators, athletes and entrepreneurs can all apply.

It helps to have these ready before you reach out:

• Your handles and audience size on each platform
• Recent brand deals, with what each paid and what it included
• Your income for the last 12 months, split by source
• Any contracts you're in now, including other management or agency agreements
• What you want help with first

The more specific you are about where you want your career to be in a year, the more useful a first conversation gets, with us or with anyone else.