Evan Asano Bio – Creator Economy Pioneer, Entrepreneur

Evan Asano Bio – Creator Economy Pioneer, Thought Leader, Entrepreneur

Evan Asano is recognized as a top entrepreneur and thought leader in the influencer marketing and marketing industries. In 2011, Evan founded the first influencer marketing agency and pioneered many of the standard practices of influencer marketing.

Evan is the Founder and CEO of CreatorX, a top talent and creator marketing agency. CreatorX takes an innovative approach to talent management with clients that include: Amazon, Meta, Dove, Ray Ban, L’Oreal, Microsoft, Red Bull, Uber, Walmart and others. Evan’s in depth experience as an industry leader in influencer marketing has led CreatorX to rapid growth and success. CreatorX manages top influencers and creators in the lifestyle, travel, family, entertainment and design categories.

Evan graduated from Stanford University with a degree in Biological Sciences and Anthropology. He worked in online media for several years before founding Mediakix, the first-ever influencer marketing agency (2011), Evan played a pivotal role in shaping and revolutionizing the industry. With his deep understanding of influencer marketing trends and innovative strategies, Evan propelled Mediakix to become a powerhouse in the field. Mediakix was ranked as one of the top 15 influencer marketing agencies in 2020 by Business Insider. Mediakix clients included: Arhaus, Baidu, Blue Apron, David Yurman, Exxon Mobile, Facebook, Fairmont Hotels, LG, Nike, Postmates, Sony Pictures, ThreadUP, Uber and others.

Throughout his journey, Evan has been a prolific writer, sharing his knowledge and insights with millions of readers. Evan was awarded the Top Writer Award by Quora for his contributions to the website. His writings have been published in renowned publications such as Entrepreneur, Forbes, Fortune, Time, The Huffington Post, and The Street. He has been quoted in major news outlets including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Business Insider, CNN, and USA Today.

Evan Asano’s entrepreneurial journey and profound impact on the influencer marketing industry serve as a testament to his unwavering commitment to innovation, creativity, and excellence. His accomplishments continue to shape the landscape of influencer marketing and inspire future generations of entrepreneurs in the digital age.

Evan’s journey in the influencer marketing industry began in 2011 when he witnessed the rise of emerging YouTube influencers and the untapped potential for brand collaborations. Determined to bridge the gap, he founded Mediakix as a pioneering force in influencer marketing. Evan’s visionary approach led him to develop groundbreaking formats for sponsorships, ranging from YouTube and Instagram to Snapchat, live-streaming, and TikTok. Mediakix was the first influencer marketing agency.

What sets Mediakix apart is not only its distinction as the first influencer marketing agency but also Evan’s remarkable achievement of bootstrapping the agency to success. While many competing companies secured substantial venture capital financing, Evan took a different path. Mediakix was built from the ground up and bootstrapped, relying on Evan’s resourcefulness and unwavering dedication rather than external investments or outside financing.

With limited resources but boundless passion, Evan strategically positioned Mediakix as a leader in the industry. He spearheaded innovative influencer marketing campaigns for direct-to-consumer advertisers, securing partnerships with notable brands such as Exxon Mobile, Facebook and Uber among many others. Mediakix achieved many firsts in influencer marketing, being the first influencer marketing AOR (2013), the first influencer marketing agency to do a live streaming sponsorship (2014), the first do to a AR/VR sponsorship (Castrol – 2015), the first to hit over 5,000 sponsorship posts and video (2015), among many other firsts.

Mediakix’s impact extended beyond its client collaborations. Under Evan’s leadership, the agency became renowned for its research and thought leadership. Evan launched the Mediakix blog in 2014, serving as a platform to educate and inform marketers about influencer marketing. The blog garnered monthly traffic exceeding 200,000 visits and boasted over 12 million lifetime visitors. Evan’s research, including the first-ever forecast of the influencer marketing market’s size, became industry benchmarks cited by renowned media outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Business Insider, and more. The Mediakix blog became an industry standard, educating millions of marketers on influencer marketing techniques and standardizing formats.

Evan’s expertise in influencer marketing led to regular features and quotes in top media outlets. His deep understanding of industry trends and insights into the evolving influencer marketing landscape made him a sought-after expert in the field.

Evan’s impact on the industry was not limited to Mediakix. In 2017, he devised a groundbreaking stunt to expose the prevalence of fake followers and engagement among influencers. The story went viral, garnering coverage from over 100 news outlets worldwide (Mashable coverage). While the industry saw brief scrutiny, Evan observed that significant changes in practices were not widely adopted, emphasizing the need for continued vigilance in combating fraudulent activities.

Mediakix experienced remarkable growth under Evan’s guidance, earning a spot on Fortune 500 list of fastest-growing companies in the US for two consecutive years.

Evan was nominated as one of the top 100 list of most influential people in influencer marketing. He’s been quoted often in the press: discussing Revolve’s influencer strategy in Forbes; discussing the growth of influencer marketing in the New York Times; collaborating with the Wall Street Journal on a study of influencer sponsorship rates; discussing Instagram’s strategy in competing with TikTok in CNN, and highlighting and industry-revealing case study with fake influencers and brand sponsorships in Adweek. Evan has been a speaker on influencer marketing at events including Vidcon and Social Media Week. Mediakix was ranked by Business Insider as one of the top 15 influencer marketing agencies. Mediakix was often cited by top press outlets for it’s research on the influencer market (Yahoo, Statista, Adweek et al). Mediakix made the Inc 5000 list in 2017 and 2018 ranked #512 and #508 respectively. Mediakix also famously launched a PR stunt where it created 2 fake Instagram accounts and got paid offers for sponsorships with those accounts (Mashable, Digiday).

In 2020, Evan made the strategic decision to sell Mediakix, navigating an increasingly competitive market flooded with influencer marketing companies. Evan left Mediakix that year to pursue other endeavors.

Evan’s hobbies include photography, travel and surfing.

Evan is also a real estate investor with rental premier rental properties and video production space and properties in Venice and other areas of Southern California listed on Peerspace in Los Angeles.