Influencer management firm Shine Talent acquires Spark Media as creator deals drive M&A

• Shine Talent Group has acquired Spark Talent Group, expanding its influencer talent roster.
• Spark, founded in 2020, manages digital creators globally.
• Influencer marketing and talent management firms have become popular targets for M&A.

Influencer management firm Shine Talent Group has acquired Spark Talent Group as M&A picks up across the creator economy.

Shine is adding to its roster several beauty and lifestyle creators through the deal. It's inking contracts with Spark's exclusive talent, including Monica Rubi, who has 101,000 Instagram followers; Caroline Patterson, who has 191,000 TikTok followers; and Bailey Valente, who has 415,000 followers on TikTok, among other creators.

Emily Ward, cofounder of Shine, told Business Insider that US growth is the firm's top priority this year.

The Spark deal is Shine's second acquisition. In 2020, it acquired Fourth Floor Management, a Toronto-based talent management firm.

Spark was founded in 2020 by Summer Lee. Lee is stepping down as the firm's CEO to focus on other endeavors outside the talent management industry, she told BI.

Talent management firms, influencer marketing startups, and podcasting companies have become hot acquisition targets in the creator economy as influencers continue to command audiences.

Last year, talent-management firm Wasserman acquired the agency Long Haul as it looked to grow its gaming and sports business. Influencer marketing and talent company Whalar Group also acquired the management firm Sixteenth. In influencer marketing, one of the most high-profile sales was Publicis Groupe's purchase of Influential for $500 million.

Shine and Spark declined to share the financial terms of the deal.

Shine represents over 250 influencers, including Instagram creators Sarah Nicole Landry (2.5 million followers), Alicia McCarvell (1.3 million followers), and Lydia Okello (61,000 followers).