Hey Readers,
Welcome to yet another edition of Influencer Impact. As usual we are glad you are here and have a juicy bit of insight for everyone this month.
Before we jump in, we want to shout out Courier for their wonderful event Representing Leading Voices. They were able to bring together a unique mix of digital superstars and political strategists to brainstorm how we lead in 2026. And, if you know me, there is nothing I love more than having a beer and talking to fellow media nerds.
Keep your eyes peeled for more events coming your way soon! It’s always a fun time getting off our screens and into real life, but for now let’s jump into this edition.
All the best,
Nicole Dunger, Partner & VP
peoplefirst.cc
How Progressive Money Is Powering MAGA’s Influencer Machine
By Ryan Davis
Founder & CEO, People First
Over the past few weeks, I’ve learned that several progressive advocacy organizations may be accidentally paying MAGA-aligned influencer firms to source content for them. In doing so, they’re directly helping MAGA Republicans build and strengthen their influencer databases ahead of the 2026 election.
Two of the firms involved are Urban Legend and Legendary Campaigns.
While these firms may be quite convincing, upon vetting their history you can see that these are pro-Trump organizations working tirelessly to degrade American Democracy and destroy our shared progressive values.
From Axios:
“Filings with the Federal Election Commission show the Trump campaign paid nearly $1.8 million during the second half of 2020 to Legendary Campaigns LLC for “online advertising.”
Legendary Campaigns is a “partner organization” of another company called Urban Legend, according to that firm’s president, Sondra Clark.
Until February 2020, Clark was the director of marketing and campaigns for the White House. Ory Rinat, who was the White House’s chief digital officer until last June, is Urban Legend’s CEO.”
Think that’s bad? Urban Legend took money from Russia to pump out anti-Zelensky conspiracy videos, directly supporting Putin’s murder machine. This is what progressive organizations are funding when they hire Urban Legend.
Conservative influencer Xaviaer DuRousseau, another member of the RNC’s Youth Advisory Council, said he was paid to promote ”Zelenskyy Unmasked” on X through Urban Legend, an influencer marketing firm led by a former Trump administration staffer.
I know which progressive groups are actively funding MAGA media, but I’ll let an Urban Legend executive brag about how progressive money fuels their conservative network.
From Wired:
Rinat told me that the firm’s clients included a Fortune 50 tech company, a “major labor union,” an “environmental advocacy group,” and one “LGBTQ+ advocacy group.”
Of course, Urban Legend is also degrading public health and getting rich off the damage.
Continued From Wired:
Last September, HuffPost reporter Jesselyn Cook noted a wave of Instagram posts that seemed to correspond with the timing of a large payment to Urban Legend for “advertising,” according to FEC filings, through a partner firm called Legendary Campaigns. The purchase was made by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which fundraises for Senate campaigns. The posts had headlines like “End to Mask Mandates, Endless Lockdowns and Vaccine Passports!” and demanded “a full investigation into Biden-tech collusion.” Each post linked to NRSC petitions, which harvested names and emails.
The evidence is clear and overwhelming. Every dollar spent with Urban Legend supports MAGA.
We can do better. Progressive groups shouldn’t bankroll organizations that run completely against their values.
On our political and advocacy side, People First works exclusively with Democratic candidates, progressive causes, and organizations advancing public health and social good.
None of our employees have ever worked for the Trump campaign or administration. Unlike Urban Legend, we do not funnel money and creators into the MAGA media machine.
Instead, we manage the world’s largest progressive social impact creator database of more than 20,000 creators, powering campaigns that actually fight for our values. Every dollar spent with People First helps us continue scaling our creator database to prepare for the 2026 campaign. Hope you’ll join us.
Authenticity Wins on YouTube
By Nicole Dunger
Partner & VP, People First
Political strategists are calling 2026 the first true “YouTube election.” With audiences abandoning cable and traditional broadcast, campaigns are treating YouTube as the new town square. While this might not be a new idea for those of us who work in political media, it is interesting to see candidates begin to produce their own content on YouTube in order to build loyalty in ways that television spots cannot.
This shift creates an opening for more investment in creator-driven content. Viewers already trust the voices they subscribe to on YouTube, which makes influencer-style ads and collaborations more powerful than repurposing polished, one-off traditional ad placements. When messages are delivered in the language of real people, as many candidates are beginning to embrace, audiences resonate.
Importantly, the platform is no longer just about long-form video. YouTube Shorts now competes directly with TikTok and Instagram Reels, making it a critical tool for quick, high-impact storytelling. While traditional YouTube placements work well for streaming-style content, Shorts allow us to expand reach with snackable, shareable videos that can travel faster.
For campaigns and advocacy groups, the lesson is clear: YouTube should not be treated as a traditional ad channel. At People First, our creator-forward approach mirrors this shift, helping partners build strategies that feel native to the platform and deliver measurable impact.
Influencer Impact: Episode 9
New Podcast Episode: Learning From the Right
Our latest Influencer Impact podcast episode is live. Nicole Dunger, VP of Growth, and Ryan Long, Digital Strategy Manager, break down the digital strategies Republicans are leaning on this cycle. This is not praise! But rather, an exploration as to why their tactics are gaining traction, how they are capturing attention online, and what lessons progressives can take to sharpen our own digital playbooks.
September in Digital: TikTok Survives, Memes Turn Deadly
This September’s edition of The Month in Digital is live. From TikTok’s survival deal with Oracle to the rise of meme-powered political violence, this month’s roundup tracks how fast the lines between online and offline are blurring. Ryan dives into AI slop, short-form soap operas, shifting platform politics, and the biggest social media trends shaping the digital landscape. He also spoke with People First Community Manger Jiovanni about this edition on Substack live.
The fact that liberal groups are paying those influencer firms is insane