Brendan Gahan wanted to work in advertising when he was a kid.
The co-founder and CEO of LinkedIn influencer marketing agency Creator Authority—featured in the latest episode of video series Resume Rewind, sponsored by entertainment wiki hosting service Fandom—had an uncle who was a creative director at Wieden+Kennedy.
Gahan’s first job was at a Sweet Factory candy store in a mall, but his first interview at an ad agency stood out to him. “I remember thinking, ‘There’s no way this is an office.’ How do people get work done here? Open floor plan, foosball table, pool table—I was like, ‘I don’t want to be a lawyer. This is way more appealing.’”
He worked on his first YouTube brand partnership in 2006, crashing his client’s website and racking up millions of views, making him think that social media would affect marketing much faster than it did.
Gahan started publishing once per day on LinkedIn in 2021, and that same year, the professional network began investing heavily in its platform, and he said it “felt like something was bubbling beneath the surface.”
He co-founded Creator Authority in January, telling ADWEEK he enjoyed the excitement of the early days and working with creators and influencers, and adding, “The impact they can have is so tangible.”
