Ensemble · 1 month ago
Director, Creator Partnerships
Newark, NJ
Full-time
Onsite
Lead/Staff, Director/Executive
$135K/yr - $150K/yr
3+ years expEnsemble is a creator-powered branded entertainment studio co-founded by Issa Rae, focused on connecting brands to culturally fluent creative talent. The Director of Creator Partnerships will own the creator ecosystem, overseeing curation, relationships, negotiations, and development of creators to enhance Ensemble's brand partnerships and programming slate.
Marketing & Advertising
Hiring Manager
Ian Schafer
Responsibilities
Own the creator and casting pipeline for all Ensemble opportunities: branded entertainment, social storytelling, premium series, and emerging IP
Maintain a constantly evolving POV on culturally relevant creators across verticals (sports, lifestyle, comedy, beauty, food, Gen Z culture, women’s sports, gaming, etc.)
Evaluate creators for fit, credibility, narrative potential, audience alignment, content quality, and brand safety
Build curated creator 'cohorts' and recommendation sets to support Sales, Development, and Creative
Develop and nurture deep relationships with creators, management companies, talent agencies, publicists, and HOORAE Media ecosystem partners
Serve as Ensemble’s primary point of contact for talent negotiations, ensuring deals are fair, efficient, and aligned with brand + creator expectations
Create a consistent communication rhythm with representation teams to keep Ensemble top of mind
Own negotiation strategy and deal terms across tiers of creators — from emerging voices to marquee talent
Partner with Legal and Production to structure agreements that balance creative freedom, brand needs, timelines, deliverables, usage, exclusivity, and compensation
Ensure all deals meet Ensemble’s standards for equity, inclusion, and transparency
Identify creators with long-term potential for Ensemble originals, franchise development, vertical expansion, and platform-focused content
Develop creator-first frameworks for collaboration, retention, and repeat work
Act as a culture-forward advocate for creators, ensuring their voices and perspectives are represented in Ensemble’s work
Partner with Sales and Integrated Marketing to provide curated creator shortlists, POVs, and sourcing strategies for pitches and RFPs
Work closely with Development to match creators with new IP concepts, formats, pilots, and premium-content opportunities
Collaborate with Production to ensure smooth onboarding, communication, and creator experience from kickoff through delivery
Build and maintain Ensemble’s proprietary creator database — talent profiles, rates, past collaboration notes, audience insights, content verticals, and brand fits
Introduce frameworks for evaluating creators objectively across cultural impact, audience composition, creative quality, and partnership reliability
Forecast creator availability and recommend staffing strategies for upcoming slates and campaigns
Qualification
Required
A culturally fluent operator with deep relationships across the creator, talent, and representation ecosystem
Experienced in working with creators across social, premium content, branded entertainment, events, and IP development
A confident dealmaker with strong negotiation instincts and comfort handling complex talent agreements
A tastemaker with a sharp sense of what's next — who can identify emerging voices before they break through
A relationship-builder who creators trust and reps respect
Comfortable working cross-functionally with Creative, Sales, Development, and Production
Highly organized, deadline-driven, and capable of managing multiple sourcing/casting pipelines simultaneously
Previous experience (3-5 years) in talent management, casting, creator partnerships, digital media, entertainment marketing, or talent agencies strongly preferred
Benefits
Benefits
Company
Ensemble
Ensemble, a Hoorae Media company, is a next-generation branded entertainment studio that brings world-class production infrastructure and distribution to a collective of talented and influential multicultural creators, carefully curated by acclaimed producer, writer, actress and entrepreneur Issa Rae.
2-10 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Early StageCompany data provided by crunchbase