Lineage was founded in 2002 with a bold belief: the most powerful talent—and brands—don’t fit in a box. We launched as a talent management company representing athletes, actors, directors, and comedians whose careers spanned disciplines and defied the industry's one-lane expectations. While the traditional system tried to fit them into “just one thing,” we saw opportunity. At the dawn of the multi-hyphenate era, we built engines—marketing, content, and distribution—around each client, transforming them into living ecosystems.
As the world shifted, we leaned in. Social media opened the door to direct-to-fan relationships, and we were early to recognize its power. What began as a few clients turned into 50+ professional athletes in the big 4 leagues. Our marketing playbook evolved into a full-fledged social agency. Soon, our roster expanded beyond individuals to include teams, leagues, and players associations. We helped the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB’s top talent build scalable content strategies and monetize their NIL before it was even part of the public lexicon. And we didn’t stop there—we built brand-funded content studios to turn that value into enterprise.
We took the same approach to music. Artists, like athletes, are surrounded by fandom. From artists we expanded into labels, festivals, and global campaigns. In both verticals, we learned how to serve high-stakes, high-volume audiences with trendsetting, culturally resonant content. That experience taught us how to build scalable systems that flex across subcultures, fan communities, and brand ecosystems—all while delivering on creative and commercial outcomes.
So we scaled our approach—beyond sports and music—to help global brands build the same kind of audience energy. From doubling Kobalt Tools’ revenue at Lowe’s (from $700M to $1.4B), to partnering with CPG giants, video game publishers, financial services firms, advocacy groups, and retailers, we brought our fandom-first methodology into every category.
In 2024, we codified what we’ve built into a scalable marketing framework: BeConfluential™.
BeConfluential is founded on a pivotal insight: today’s consumers seek connection over conventional marketing. They aspire not merely to be customers but to be integral members of a brand’s community—to be fans.
This proprietary system measures brand relevance and resonance, helping companies of all sizes attract and organize communities around shared values, culture, and story. We help brands behave more like creators and organize like ecosystems—so they grow loyalty, accelerate impact, and increase enterprise value.
From Emmy-winning content to billion-dollar brand growth, Lineage is the agency for brands aiming to drive and shape culture.
We would like to thank the following brands for the privilege of learning and honing our methodology with their fans.