"Somebody has to organize their freedom”: Influencer and artist management in the gaming industry

Ditzel, S., Möller Palza, S. & Biehl, B. (2018) “Somebody has to organize their freedom”: Influencer and artist management in the gaming industry. In Kleiner, M., Welker. M. & Wünsch, U. (Hrsg). Atmosphären des Populären III. Perspektiven, Posen, Projekte, Performantes, Protokolle, Persönlichkeiten, 55-83. Berlin: Gizeh. This article is written from a creative industries management perspective and considers the elements as well as the prerequisites of managing these so-called influencers or YouTubers in the area of gaming. We understand the influencer as somebody involved in the activities of gaming, recording, cutting, postproduction, uploading and also live streaming on Twitch for example. The purpose is to illustrate “influencer management”, including the elements of and challenges to man-aging these creative workers in the creative industries. We have looked at Multi-Channel Networks (MCN) that are companies that hire YouTubers and other influencers that use channels such as Twitch to help them with expanding their reach, while providing them with the necessary “management” including technical equipment in exchange for a percentage of the advertising-revenue that is created by each in-fluencer. These influencers are often likened to artists with their creative freedom and flexible working hours. To be successful however, professional managers in the industry believe that: “Somebody has to organize their freedom”.