What Play9 does

Play9 is a Brazilian talent management and digital influencer agency founded in 2019 and headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, with a primary operational office in São Paulo. The agency represents a roster of approximately 60-100+ digital content creators across entertainment, sports, humor, lifestyle, and education verticals, with a combined reach reported at over 650 million followers and 7 billion monthly views across YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, and Kwai. Its service portfolio spans five interconnected modules: commercial talent management (matching creators with brand campaigns), artistic development (positioning creators as professional brands), branded content production (multi-platform narrative campaigns), digital platform monetization (ad revenue and brand integration optimization), and YouTube channel administration. Notable enterprise clients include LG, Adidas, Amazon, Coca-Cola, Itaú, Bradesco, iFood, Netflix, Disney+, Skol, Natura, and Americanas.

The business model is professional services-based: Play9 earns commissions on talent-brand deals, fees on branded content production, and shares in platform monetization revenue. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Distribution is direct B2B to enterprise marketing teams, supplemented by talent-side distribution across owned social channels. The company operates the Play9 Content Group sub-brand to formalize content production operations under a dedicated CCO and COO. In December 2025, Play9 was selected as one of LG Electronics Brazil's new agency partners alongside VML and i-Cherry for a R$1.5 billion marketing strategy that includes the company's largest-ever refrigerator launch tied to a new Paraná manufacturing plant.

Strategically, Play9 is transitioning from a pure-play representation agency toward an integrated content business through proprietary IP such as the "Cá Entre Nós" videocast with Fátima Bernardes, the "Pod da Play" podcast, and creator-led projects including CASA ABANDONADA and 2AMARELOS NA SUA CASA. The company is privately held, founder-led (CEO João Pedro Paes Leme, with Gui Paes Leme as CIO suggesting family ownership), and has not disclosed any external institutional funding. No proprietary technology platform or AI/ML capabilities are disclosed, positioning Play9 as a relationship-driven services business rather than a technology-enabled one.

Name

Play9

Legal name

Play9

Website

https://play9.com.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Play9 is a Brazilian digital influencer talent agency managing 100+ creators across YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, offering commercial representation, branded content production, and platform monetization services to enterprise brands such as LG, Coca-Cola, and Netflix.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Influencer Marketing Agency Services

NAICS

Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures (7114), Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures (711410)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Creator Talent Management & Representation (MPAAAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Creator Management & Talent Representation (BPAFAHAB), Creator Partnerships & Sponsorship Sales (Brand Partnerships) (MPAAAHAK), Production & Talent Services (Casting, Crew, Production Management) (MPAAAMAF)

Keywords

• Influencer marketing agency
• Talent management services
• Branded content production
• YouTube channel management
• Digital creator representation

Headquarters

HQ city

Rio De Janeiro

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Commercial Talent Management: Strategic and commercial management of digital talent, connecting influencers with brands for partnerships that expand reach and monetization. The agency takes a commission or service fee for managing these brand relationships and talent representation.
2. Branded Content Production: Creation of engaging multi-platform narratives that engage digital communities, combining creativity and strategy to generate real results for brand clients.
3. YouTube Channel Management: Complete channel administration including production, optimization, and audience growth, ensuring relevance and continuous engagement. Revenue generated from ad revenue share and brand integrations.
4. Platform Monetization: Revenue optimization with personalized strategies for each platform, expanding earnings and business opportunities for talent.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Play9 is a Brazilian talent management and digital influencer agency that manages a roster of 60+ content creators, offering commercial talent management, artistic development, multi-platform branded content production, platform monetization optimization, and YouTube channel management services. The agency connects its creators with enterprise brand partners for marketing campaigns and monetizes both through talent representation fees and branded content services.

Product overview

Play9 is a talent management and digital influencer agency that operates as a platform managing a roster of 60+ digital content creators. The company offers five interconnected service modules: Commercial Management (connecting talent with brands), Artistic Development (brand building for creators), Content Projects (multi-platform narrative creation), Digital Platform Monetization, and YouTube Channel Management. The company transforms digital talents into professional brands through strategic positioning and solid partnerships, managing an ecosystem generating over 7 billion monthly views and 650+ million followers across platforms including YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, and Kwai.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Play9 Content Group: The parent brand for Play9's content and operations division, under which Gustavo Serra serves as CCO and Thiago Meirelles serves as COO/VP of Operations.

Products and services

• Agenciamento comercial (Commercial Talent Management)
• Desenvolvimento artístico (Artistic Development)
• Projetos de conteúdo (Content Projects)
• Monetização em plataformas digitais (Digital Platform Monetization)
• Gestão de canais de YouTube (YouTube Channel Management)

Quantifiable outcome

• 650M+ combined followers/subscribers across platforms
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• LG Electronics BrazilmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 3 December 2025Play9 is one of LG Electronics' new agency partners (alongside VML and i-Cherry) as part of LG's Brazil marketing strategy restructuring. LG is repositioning its Brazil operations with a R$1.5 billion investment, including a 70% digital focus marketing strategy and its largest-ever refrigerator campaign tied to the new Paraná plant opening. Play9 contributes casting and talent services to this major campaign.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• IZEA Worldwide: Public US-based influencer marketing technology company that manages sponsored content campaigns between brands and creators, providing managed services comparable to Play9's commercial talent management but with a proprietary technology platform and global reach.
• Creative Artists Agency (CAA): One of the world's largest talent and entertainment agencies, with an established digital-creator representation and brand-partnerships practice — relevant comparable to Play9's talent management and brand-deal intermediation model, though at vastly greater scale and global footprint.
• Captiv8: Global influencer marketing platform connecting brands with creators at scale, with workflow, analytics, and campaign-measurement tools — comparable to Play9's enterprise campaign execution but differentiated by its technology-enabled platform and broader international footprint.
• United Talent Agency (UTA): Global talent and entertainment agency that has expanded aggressively into digital creator representation and brand partnerships — comparable in its core talent-management business model to Play9, though operating at much larger scale and with international reach across music, film, and digital.
• William Morris Endeavor (WME): Global talent agency representing artists, athletes, and digital creators with dedicated brand-partnership capabilities — comparable to Play9 in the creator-representation and brand-deal business, though operating internationally and as part of a larger sports and entertainment conglomerate.

Emerging players

• CreatorIQ: Enterprise influencer marketing platform used by global brands and their agencies to manage creator relationships, campaign measurement, and analytics — adjacent competitor to Play9 on the campaign-execution layer, especially for enterprise RFPs requiring technology-enabled reporting.
• Aspire (formerly AspireIQ): Influencer marketing platform and managed services provider that pairs brands with creators — comparable to Play9's branded-content and talent-management model but operating primarily in North American and European markets with a SaaS-enabled offering.

Regional players

• Fuel (Brazil): Brazilian digital and influencer marketing agency serving enterprise brands in Brazil — direct competitor to Play9 in the same domestic market with comparable creator management and branded content capabilities, though with a different creator roster and client mix.

Direct peers

• Whaler: Brazilian-based creative and influencer marketing agency that manages digital creators and executes brand campaigns for enterprise clients across Latin America — directly comparable in service offering, target market, and B2B influencer-marketing model to Play9.
• Ampfy: Brazilian influencer marketing agency specializing in creator partnerships and branded content for large advertisers, operating in the same geographic market and serving similar enterprise brand clients as Play9.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/play9
• YouTubeyoutube.com/sodaplay9
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/play9
• Instagraminstagram.com/play9
• TikToktiktok.com/@play9

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Play9