Not long ago, nearly every opportunity I received came through an agency. Today, that’s no longer the case.

Many of the brands I work with now reach out to me directly. At first glance, that might seem like agencies are becoming less important, but that’s not what I’m seeing at all. What I am seeing is a shift in how marketing teams are built.

More companies now have talented copywriters, video editors, designers, media buyers, and creative directors sitting under one roof. They already know their customers. They’ve developed the strategy. They’ve written the scripts. They aren’t looking for someone to build a campaign from scratch, they’re looking for an experienced creator who can step in and bring that vision to life.

That’s created a very interesting question for brands:

Should you work through an agency, or should you hire a creator directly? From my perspective, the answer is surprisingly simple. It depends on what your team actually needs.

There Isn’t a Right Way, Only the Right Fit

One of the biggest misconceptions in the creator industry is that agencies and direct creator partnerships compete with one another. I don’t believe they do. In fact, they often solve completely different problems.

If your company has a small marketing department, or perhaps one person wearing five different hats, an experienced agency can be one of the smartest investments you’ll make. They aren’t simply hiring creators. They’re developing strategy, writing campaigns, managing timelines, coordinating revisions, overseeing media buying, analyzing results, and keeping dozens of moving pieces organized. That’s an enormous amount of value.

I’ve genuinely enjoyed working alongside agencies because I understand how much happens behind the scenes that many people never see, but that’s only one type of client.

When Working Directly with a Creator Makes Sense

Now imagine a different company. The creative strategy is already finished, the scripts are written, the editors are waiting for footage, the media buyers are preparing campaigns, and the designers have already built the landing pages. Nobody needs help creating the marketing strategy, they simply need authentic content that fits naturally into the campaign they’ve already built. That’s where working directly with a creator often becomes the most efficient solution.

Communication is faster because there are fewer people involved. Revisions happen more quickly. Questions are answered directly instead of moving through multiple layers of communication, and over time, something even more valuable happens. The creator begins to understand your brand almost as well as your own team does.

Instead of spending every project learning your voice, your products, and your customers, each new campaign builds on the last. That familiarity creates consistency, not just in the content itself, but in the entire production process. Those are the kinds of long-term partnerships I enjoy building.

A Simple Example

Imagine two brands launching the exact same product.

The first company has a single marketing manager trying to handle strategy, creator outreach, advertising, reporting, and creative direction. For that company, partnering with an experienced agency is probably the best decision they can make.

Now imagine another company with an internal creative department. Their writers have already finished the script. Their editors know exactly how they want the footage delivered. Their advertising team is preparing multiple campaign variations before filming even begins.

That company doesn’t necessarily need another layer of creative management, they need someone they can trust to execute. Neither company is making the wrong decision, they’re simply buying different services.

Where I Fit

I don’t position myself as a marketing agency because that’s not what I do. My role is to become a dependable production partner for brands that already have a creative direction in place, or for agencies looking for a creator they know will deliver.

Sometimes that means filming from a detailed creative brief, and other times it means collaborating with your team before production begins to refine messaging or improve performance.

Some clients want polished RAW footage that gives their editors complete flexibility, while others want multiple hooks, product-focused b-roll, or whitelisting access so their advertising team can run campaigns directly through my creator identity. Every workflow is a little different and my job is simply to make yours easier.

Why Professional Relationships Matter

As more brands begin working directly with creators, I think it’s important to talk about something that doesn’t get discussed very often.

Trust.

Several wonderful agencies have introduced me to brands over the years. Those introductions happened because the agency trusted me, not only to create great content, but to represent both their client and their reputation well.

I’ve never believed that gives me permission to work around the agency later. Could I? Perhaps, but I won’t.

If an agency introduces me to a brand, I consider that relationship to belong to the agency. They’ve invested time, expertise, and years building that partnership. Respecting that isn’t just good business, it’s simply the right thing to do.

The brands that work with me directly are brands that found me directly. Those are entirely separate relationships, and I believe they should stay that way. The marketing industry is smaller than most people realize. Your reputation follows you, and I’ve always believed long-term trust is worth far more than any single project.

Direct Partnerships Don’t Replace Agencies

Sometimes people assume that working directly with a creator means they’re giving something up, but I don’t see it that way.

Hiring a creator directly isn’t about replacing agencies. It’s about recognizing that your company may already have many of those capabilities in-house. If you already employ talented strategists, copywriters, editors, designers, and media buyers, bringing in a creator directly can simply become the most efficient way to produce content.

It’s another option, not a better or worse one. Just one that makes sense for certain brands.

Finding the Right Creative Partner

At the end of the day, every successful campaign comes down to the same thing: finding the right people to help bring it to life. Some brands need an agency to guide every step of the process. Others need a creator who can step into an established workflow, communicate professionally, deliver consistently, and become a reliable extension of the team they already have.

I’ve been fortunate to build my business working with both. Some of my favorite projects have come through agencies. Some of my longest client relationships began with a simple email from a brand that found me on its own and both have shaped the way I approach every project.

My goal has never been to convince brands to replace agencies. My goal is much simpler than that. Whether we’re working together through an agency or directly with your marketing team, I want to become the creator you don’t have to think twice about hiring again. Someone who understands your goals, respects your process, delivers on time, and genuinely cares about the success of your brand. Great content may capture attention, but trust is what builds lasting partnerships.