Rising Stars: Meet Mathilda Tennysdotter

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mathilda Tennysdotter.

Hi Mathilda, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I grew up outside a very small village in Sweden and started working for a subsidy company to IKEA at age 13; while still in school, I got my first camera at that age and learned the skills of manual photography. When I finished with school, I got hired as a fashion photographer for a shoe company in Sweden. After two years there, I needed a change and decided to move to Los Angeles. I did photography for another five years before I got into what I mainly do today, celebrity endorsement and branding deals. I’ve worked as a talent agent for about three years now with clients such as Ric Flair, Denise Richards, Charlie Sheen, Chevy Chase, and many more. I spend most of my time at my place in Los Angeles, but sometimes I travel with clients as well, if needed for specific deals, such as Comic Cons or appearances, which happen in various cities across the US and Canada.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Life isn’t supposed to be easy; you learn by the bumps and hiccups along the way. I’ve definitely had struggles, first moving here from Sweden with no connections and being shy. That was a big test and really forced me to come out of my shell. Something that needed to happen eventually. I was very insecure about myself and my skills, even though I always tried to be the best. Being a young woman in a male-dominated industry have also been challenging. I have to stay tough and professional at all times to get the job done. Negotiating money was not easy at first, being from Sweden, where we don’t really talk about money, it’s tabu. I had to learn to really get comfortable with talking about money and being tough on asks, learning to understand and read contracts, something that’s not easy if you haven’t been in any business or law classes in school or when English is your second language.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I would say I connect personalities with companies and brands. I find endorsement deals, branding deals, social media campaigns, motivational/ or keynote speeches for celebrities and high-profile talent. I’ve worked very hard to get to where I am today; started as a foreigner in a new country on the other side of the world, not knowing anyone. Today, I have relationships with, what I would say, some of the most successful celebrities and icons there is. I’m grateful to do what I do today, and I love the diverse and creative part of it.

My proudest moment is when I closed my first big deal in 2022; I had only been touching the entertainment and talent agent industry for about one year. It was a long outdrawn negotiation but ended up being a $2oo,000 upfront payment to my client. He was very happy to say the least, and on top of that, it was the largest upfront payment he had ever received in his life for signing a contract and entering a deal like this.

I stay in the background and highlight my clients, to get them the recognition they deserve and rarely take credit for the work I do. I like just being a part of something bigger; my clients are the stars and not me, but I’m always there.

I think that my priority with all the people I work with is not about the money; it’s about building a personal relationship where we can talk about anything. We have trust, and that is invaluable, and they know that I look out for them, wanting what’s best with their interest in mind. Most agents in the industry are so focused on money and don’t really care about the client or having a great relationship with them.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up in a small village, I was very shy and creative, never really felt like I fit in, but still participated in a lot of sports and was pretty good at soccer and ended up playing in the high league in Sweden as a goalkeeper at the age of 16, where majority of players were in their 20s and older. I had and still have an incredible mindset, that winning and being the best was really important. I always wanted to be the best at whatever I took part of, whether that’s was school, sports or work-related. I started doing photography around age 13 and mastered the camera skills by testing and teaching myself. I’ve worked for some pretty large companies throughout the years, IKEA being one of them, and some pretty amazing talent in the music and entertainment industry. The winning mindset is something that I inherited from my father, who I still look up to to this day.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.tennysdotter.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tennysdotter/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tennysdotter
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tennysdotter/

Image Credits
Personal photos. TMZ photo by Darren Prince.