Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Maeng Brown
Hi Rachel Maeng, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am a Korean-Filippina adoptee, originally from a small town in Upstate New York. I am also a former Divison I Big Ten student-athlete of Rutgers University. During my time there, I served on several executive committees and represented all 600+ student-athletes within the University administration. Originally a Biomedical Engineering major, I quickly realized my passion was in representation in marketing and fighting for those rights. After changing my trajectory, everything I did was working towards creating a company that would do just that. I worked with several different organizations like The PGA Tour, USRowing (Team USA), Main Events (boxing), SponsorUnited, Rutgers Football, and The New York Mets. After building my background, I founded GEN Agency, originally named Loot Agency, as seen in the 2024 Netflix documentary, “New Americans: Gaming a Revolution”. Our goal is to democratize the influencer economy, through education, fair pay, and creative opportunities. Through talent and brand management, we have established our roots in influencer marketing. Because of my background as a collegiate athlete and my career in collegiate and professional sports, we have grown our influence to include NIL and professional leagues.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Throughout my career there have been different types of challenges but I always think of them as learning experiences. When my career began in college, I faced challenges that helped me succeed in my professional career. Throughout college I was focused on bridging gaps between different communities and serving as a representative. Beacuse this was not the norm for my team I was ostracized by my teammates and coaches. I had to learn to be confident in myself and what greater goal I was working toward. Even today, my mental health is greatly affected by my ability to be successful in the face of adversity. As I grew GEN Agency to its height today, I was often faced with similar challenges. I’m often the only person who looks like me in a room of executives – young, female, and a woman-of-color (Korean-Filippina). As a result I’m constantly faced with people who make assumptions about my experience or abilities based on my diversity. It is because of the adversity and judgement that I have faced throughout my career that I am able to continue to fight to help others and what I believe in.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
GEN Agency is a talent and brand marketing agency that aims to democratize the influencer economy. Content creators are constantly fighting for fair rates, representation, and education in the marketing space. Influencers will always be fighting for those rights until they can join an actors union (ex. SAG because creators star on screen and social media is the newest form of entertainment and advertising) that will help set standards in the industry.
As the only influencer marketing agency in the NIL industry (Name Image and Likeness; high school and college athletes monetizing their fame) GEN Agency is aiming to democratize the space by working with Universities, Organizations, and brands, to bring education and digital tools to help educate and standardize the market. GEN helps these athletes learn how to create compliant branded content, grow their social media following, and create and manage their own brand deal pipeline. We are helping these schools combat potential new rules that will create disparities in recruiting and access to marketing education and opportunities. With our expertise in influencer and brand management, we are disrupting the norms of the NIL industry.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Self-confidence and humility are some of the best qualities of successful leaders and changemakers. Having an unwavering belief in yourself allows you to face adversity and judgment head-on. It allows you to create a path forward when others turn away from something that seems impossible. My faith in myself has allowed me to continue to pursue my career and make a place for myself in industries that were not yet formed and others that were not welcoming. Although your confidence allows you to walk into many rooms, you will not always be the most educated experienced person in the room. Being able to recognize this and learn from others has helped me continue to grow myself and my career beyond my own limitations. Confidence and humility can exist together and create some of the best leaders and innovators.
Pricing:
- Talent Management 20%
- Brand Campaigns – flat hourly + talent
- Sponsorships – 15%
- Events & Studio – flat
Contact Info:
- Website: https://genagency.co/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelmaeng/
- Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm14384576/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_0_nm_8_in_0_q_rachel%2520maeng%2520
