meet erin teegarden.
A lifelong interest in communication and the arts naturally led me to a career in the creator economy. After receiving a BA in Journalism followed by an MFA in Poetry, I worked for a number of years as a writer, professor, and founder of a woman-run literary and performance series in Chicago. My experiences as a creative writer, educator, and recruiter/promoter/emcee helped me understand the needs of content creators and how best to support their talents.
In 2014 I relocated to Los Angeles, seeking a change in the weather and my career. After years of gigging in LA (as a tutor, a book club moderator, an online customer service chat agent, and a Clinique sales rep complete with a white lab coat), in 2019 a friend and veteran seller in the space hired me to join the ad sales team at a fledgling podcast network.
In that role, I quickly learned the business, forming partnerships with brands, media buyers, and talent, and increasing revenue from ad sales by 400%. In 2021, I joined the team at a talent management company, working with YouTubers and Influencers, helping them find and secure brand opportunities and managing their ad campaigns. As a top-performing seller, I closed ~$1M in brand sponsorship opportunities in 2021, and over $3.5M in 2022.
In 2023, I launched Erin Teegarden Consulting (“ETC”) and expanded my skillset to include media buying. Currently, in addition to independent creator consulting/media sales, I’m also contracted as lead YouTube buyer at a media buying agency, and Director of Sales at a network that manages some of the biggest creators on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.
As the “ETC” implies, I do a little bit of this and a little bit of that in the industry. This implication is intentional because so many aspects of this business appeal to me. Above all, I’m excited to continue learning and growing with this burgeoning industry; I genuinely love getting to know people and helping them reach their goals.
My company name is eponymous because inherent in everything I do is a commitment to transparency, integrity, and the strong work ethic I received from the people who named me/whose name I carry. In a world that’s becoming increasingly automated and remote, and in a space that can seem intimidating, insincere, and/or obscure, I hope it helps to know that I’m a real person, and I’ll be the one answering if you reach out.
Looking forward to getting to know you, :)