NewGen Bolsters U.S. Talent Department With Two Senior Hires From Kinetic Group, Bad Moon Talent

Why It Matters

The additions give NewGen immediate access to established creator networks in gaming, lifestyle and esports, accelerating its ability to secure brand deals in the fast‑growing short‑form video market. Strengthening the U.S. talent arm positions the agency to compete with larger influencer firms and capture a larger share of advertising spend.

Key Takeaways

• Joowon Lee joins from Kinetic Group, bringing Baka Bros roster
• Mark Sharman adds Bad Moon Talent creators, including SquishyMuffinz
• Hires expand NewGen’s U.S. talent team launched in 2025
• Moves aim to capture growing short‑form and esports influencer spend

Pulse Analysis

The creator‑economy landscape has shifted dramatically over the past three years, with short‑form video platforms and live‑streaming services accounting for a growing slice of ad dollars. Brands are allocating larger budgets to influencer campaigns that can deliver authentic engagement, especially in gaming, lifestyle and tech verticals. This macro trend has spurred a wave of agency consolidation and talent‑focused hiring as firms scramble to secure the creators who command the most viewer attention.

NewGen’s latest hires—Joowon Lee from The Kinetic Group and Mark Sharman from Bad Moon Talent—inject the agency with two complementary creator rosters. Lee’s experience with major brands like UFC and Activision, coupled with her existing talent pool (Baka Bros, Jalon, Brandon), strengthens NewGen’s foothold in entertainment and sports. Sharman’s background scaling short‑form and esports talent, including high‑profile gamers such as SquishyMuffinz, adds depth in the fast‑moving gaming sector. Together, they broaden NewGen’s ability to negotiate brand deals, manage long‑term careers, and deliver cross‑platform campaigns for clients such as PepsiCo and Samsung.

The strategic expansion underscores a broader industry movement: influencer agencies are evolving from boutique match‑makers into full‑service talent platforms that offer compliance tools, AI‑driven analytics and end‑to‑end campaign management. By reinforcing its U.S. talent department, NewGen positions itself to compete with larger players like United Talent Agency and Creative Artists Agency, while also tapping into the projected $15 billion U.S. influencer‑marketing spend by 2027. The hires signal confidence in sustained growth and suggest that agencies that combine deep creator relationships with robust brand services will dominate the next phase of the creator economy.