Residence is expanding its role in the creator economy with the addition of GateMaker, a 360° influencer marketing agency known for helping brands build stronger relationships with creators, influencers, and online communities.
The move gives Residence deeper expertise in influencer marketing at a time when creator-led campaigns are becoming a central part of how brands earn attention, build trust, and drive engagement across social platforms.
GateMaker Brings Influencer Marketing Expertise to Residence
GateMaker works with brands across paid, earned, and owned creator relationships. The company helps brands build a more authentic presence in the creator economy. It combines community insights, influencer partnerships, and social-first strategies.
Founded in 2021, GateMaker focuses on a major shift in marketing. Brand reputation is no longer shaped only by traditional advertising. Today, creators, influencers, and online communities play a key role in how audiences discover, discuss, and trust brands.
By joining Residence, GateMaker adds specialized influencer marketing expertise to the network. Residence already offers creative, design, social, media, branding, and digital services.
Why the Deal Matters for Brands and Creators
The creator economy continues to grow as brands seek better ways to reach audiences outside traditional media channels. Creator partnerships now support more than awareness campaigns. Brands also use them for product launches, community building, cultural relevance, and performance marketing.
For Residence, adding GateMaker strengthens its social media capabilities. The acquisition supports the full journey from creative strategy and content development to influencer activation and measurable results.
Meanwhile, creative networks are evolving. More agencies and brand partners now integrate creator strategy into their core services instead of treating influencer marketing as a separate add-on.
GateMaker Will Continue Under Its Own Brand
GateMaker is expected to continue operating under its own brand while becoming part of the Residence network. This allows the agency to keep its identity and creator-first approach while gaining access to Residence’s broader resources and collaborative creative model.
The agency has worked with a range of major consumer brands, including beauty, fashion, lifestyle, technology, and retail companies. Its work centers on building influencer programs that feel authentic to creators while still delivering value for brands.
Residence Expands Its Creative Network
Residence was founded in 2022 as a network of independent creative companies. Its member companies include ACRONYM, BUCK, Creative Lives in Progress, Giant Ant, It’s Nice That, OK COOL, Part & Sum, Wild, and now GateMaker.
With GateMaker joining the group, Residence is adding more creator economy firepower to its growing network. The move reflects a broader industry trend: brands want creative partners that understand not just advertising, but culture, communities, creators, and social media behavior.
What This Means for the Creator Economy
Residence’s addition of GateMaker highlights how influencer marketing is becoming a core part of modern brand strategy. As audiences spend more time with creators and niche communities, brands are under pressure to build relationships that feel less like traditional ads and more like genuine participation in culture.
For creators, this could mean more structured brand partnership opportunities through agencies that understand both creative freedom and campaign performance.
For brands, it reinforces the need to work with partners that can navigate creator relationships carefully, especially as audiences become more selective about the content and sponsorships they trust.
Key Takeaway
Residence adding GateMaker is more than a network expansion. It is a sign that creator economy expertise is becoming essential for agencies and brands that want to stay relevant in a social-first marketing environment.
As influencer marketing continues to mature, partnerships like this show that creators are no longer just a media channel. They are becoming a central force in how brands build culture, community, and long-term audience trust.
