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The influencer economy grows up and goes global

The expansion of top Asian talent agency Gushcloud International into Abu Dhabi reflects a rapidly maturing market.

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It’s difficult to pinpoint when exactly the influencer economy was born, but most estimates put it somewhere around the late 2000s.

Founded in 2011, Gushcloud International, one of Asia’s largest digital talent agencies, was there at the beginning, making it a natural frontrunner for the industry’s evolution. And according to Gay Carr, Chief People Officer at Gushcloud, the influencer economy is growing up.

"We’re seeing a clear shift towards long-term brand partnerships," she says. "Creators are no longer just content producers; they’re also entrepreneurs and global brand builders."

Highlighting this shift, Gushcloud is going global. In a major westward expansion, it has established a new HQ in Abu Dhabi, with the support from the Creative Media Authority (CMA), covering EMEA and India.

Underlining this shift, Gushcloud, too, is going global

In a major push westward, it has established a new EMEA and India HQ in Abu Dhabi.

Bridging East and West

Gushcloud has a strong presence in the United States, Paris, and Korea, which is also a global entertainment hub," explains Carr.

Cross-border collaborations have long been part of the Gushcloud blueprint. Its move into Abu Dhabi is amplifying this strategy and not just in the Middle East.

"It’s a perfect location for bridging Europe and Asia," she says. "We’re uncovering more opportunities in the Middle East and Europe, because of our presence here."

Those opportunities flow both ways, expanding access to Gushcloud’s existing 100,000-strong creator network, while enabling western brands to partner with Asian influencers.

Crucially, Abu Dhabi offers an ideal environment for the company’s longer-term ambitions. That includes a strong focus on emerging technologies. Gushcloud, for instance has developed its own AI analytics platform and encourages its creators to adopt AI to accelerate content production.

Carr notes that when choosing a new base, Abu Dhabi stood out due to its "clear commitment to building a future-ready digital media and creator economy."

This vision is embodied by the Creative Media Authority and the Abu Dhabi Investment Office’s (ADIO), both playing a role in fostering the ecosystem and support for the sector.

"Number one will always be how we can do partnerships that will grow their capital."
Hasan al Hashmi, Head of Media, Entertainment, Sports, and Gaming at ADIO

"We win together"

Hasan al Hashmi, Head of Media, Entertainment, Sports, and Gaming at ADIO, says the organization is "mandated to initiate projects that will help us triple our non-oil GDP in 20 years."

With Goldman Sachs projecting that the global creator economy will be worth $480bn by 2027, the sector is a significant pillar of Abu Dhabi’s diversification strategy.

ADIO identifies high-growth sectors and provides support programs in-region, which help to create industry clusters in the emirate and establishes partnerships with businesses like Gushcloud.

Support spans everything from purpose-built infrastructure, such as the purpose-built media suites at Yas Creative Hub, to navigating everything from registering the business to finding accommodation and getting the kids into school.

But Al Hashmi says ADIO’s core focus is enabling growth. "Our priority is forging partnerships that help scale capital."

This begins with connecting global firms to Abu Dhabi’s business network. "We win together," says Al Hashmi. "We establish deep roots with all the local players." Which opens new pathways to high-population, global markets.

Ultimately, the aim is to build on a thriving digital media ecosystem in the emirate, something both ADIO and CMA are cultivating and that Gushcloud is helping to shape.

Influencer incubator

Al Hashmi hopes that Gushcloud’s creators will follow its senior management in basing themselves in Abu Dhabi, drawn both by market opportunities and the private wealth infrastructure that make it an ideal environment for investing hard-won profits.

It’s an easy sell, according to Carr, who describes the emirate as "very expat friendly," favorably comparing it to Singapore in terms of security, infrastructure, and diversity. Her daughter "loves it here, because she doesn’t feel like she’s sticking out. It’s such a melting pot."

Gushcloud is also investing in local creators, with its Creator Venture Program (CVP), "our flagship initiative to help discover, fund, and scale emerging talents," explains Carr. Creators are also supported through "training, equipping, and educating them."

Carr is enthusiastic about the region’s creative energy and sees a lot of potential in the Middle East. "The talent here is amazing," she says. "We want Abu Dhabi to be the HQ for this program."

Growing global

Gushcloud and ADIO are aligned in their ambition to build a resilient and scalable creator ecosystem, which is a reflection of the maturing market, and of the emirate’s rising influence.

"The creator economy is becoming global," she says. "And there are opportunities here. Abu Dhabi offers creators a strategic home to grow long-term."

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