Before the creator economy had a name, these two were already building it.

This week, Anita Sharma sits down with two of the most respected women in creator representation, Rana Zand, Partner at Range Media Partners, and Victoria Bachan, SVP of Creators at Wasserman. These are Anita's colleagues, her friends, and her fellow OGs in a business they all joined before anyone knew what to call it.

In Part 1, Victoria and Rana take us back to the beginning, from Victoria's summers on the Vans Warped Tour and her accidental start managing Doug the Pug, to Rana's early days in the WME mailroom staring down a seven-year promotion timeline and deciding to bet on digital instead. Together, they trace the evolution of an industry that went from "begging people to care" to becoming the most talked-about sector in entertainment.

The conversation gets into the real business of creator management: what makes them want to sign someone, why a strong POV matters more than follower count, and how they think about building careers that could survive if TikTok disappeared tomorrow. Victoria breaks down the difference between an agent and a manager using a corporate org chart analogy, while Rana offers the quarterback and football version. Both land perfectly.

They also get into the art of having hard conversations with clients about evolving their content, why burnout is a real and constant concern, and how Victoria once told a client posting eight times a day that her business model was not going to last, and why that was the wake-up call the creator needed to start treating content like a career.

Part 2 coming next Thursday. Make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss it.

Follow Signed socials: @signedthepodcast

Disclaimer: I'm a lawyer, but this podcast isn't legal advice. It's for general information only. Listening doesn't make us attorney and client.

Credits:

Produced by: Anita Sharma & Phoebe Dunn

Edited by: Carmine Mattia

Social Media Strategy: Maureen Lauren Sedlak

Signed Theme Music By: Carmine Mattia