A Lot Of Influencers Have Beef With Brittany Broski's First Manager

It's no secret that making it as an influencer is difficult, and plenty of creators credit their managers for assisting them as they get off the ground and make a livable income off the content they create. But not all professional relationships end on a happy note — and creator Brittany Broski's relationship with her first manager is a clear example of this.

Ariadna Jacob, who led the management company Influences, was Brittany's first manager, and both have spoken negatively about the other in the years since their partnership began.

Not long after Brittany went viral for her hilarious reaction to trying Kombucha for the first time, she was contacted by Ariadna about her management.

“Ari DMed me on Twitter and was like, ‘I’m seeing this image of you going around a lot, have you made any money?’” she told The New York Times in 2020.

Though Ariadna extended a helping hand to get Brittany to Los Angeles, letting her stay on her couch and paying for various meals, she said "By January, I realized I hadn't been paid since Halloween."

“She tries to lock creators into contracts,” Brittany said.

In that same interview, Brittany alleged that her first manager withheld more than $20,000 in payment despite booking deals with big brands and landing a spot in a Super Bowl commercial. Brittany filed a complaint against Ariadna with the California Labor Commission, alleging that Ariadna was unlawfully operating a talent agency without a license.

This, of course, soured their relationship, and Brittany eventually left Influences to join United Talent Agency.

Brittany wasn't the only one to find issue with Ariadna's methods. Members of the LA content houses Kids Next Door and Girls in the Valley also spoke on the record in the article, alleging they were asked to do some brand deals for free, had their utilities shut off, and even leaked a creator's nudes.

“Right before we parted ways she leaked my nudes and sent them to business partners, people in my house and potential investors to slander my name, saying I was unprofessional,” Devion Young told the outlet. Ariadna's lawyer then said she did not "publicly" leak the photos.

“She manipulates you, it’s a nightmare,” Devion said.

Ariadna then sued The New York Times for the 2020 article it published, though the suit was dismissed in February of 2024.

"We are pleased that Ms. Jacob chose to dismiss her meritless defamation claim," Danielle Rhoades Ha, senior vice president of external communications at The New York Times said in a statement posted to Twitter. "We did not settle or pay Ms. Jacob."

Ariadna has also spoken badly about Brittany publicly. In a TikTok cross-posted onto Reddit, Ariadna claimed Brittany "lied" to The New York Times about her.

"Brittany was a very nice person when I met her," Ariadna starts her video. "She came out to LA at the time and I let her stay at my house, I slept on the couch. I helped her get brand deals. I got her a Super Bowl commercial through my good friend Gary [Vaynerchuk]. And how did Brittany repay me? She lied about me to... The New York Times."

Gary clarified to The New York Times in 2020 that he was not affiliated with Ariadna and her company Influences.

It's clear that things did not end well for this business relationship, and Ariadna claims she's struggled to maintain her business since.