Manon Tuffou: a builder of talent

Helping others grow is a talent in itself. Manon Tuffou, 32, who has lived in Quebec for five years, is passionate about people and development. Today, she is an independent influencer agent and influencer marketing consultant. She has successfully combined her two passions and developed her own expertise. While the influencer world has become increasingly professional over time and operates in the spotlight, an agent’s role takes place behind the scenes. We meet an enthusiast of influencer strategy at Montréal CoWork.

“I like lifting people up,” Manon says. Here, some people’s talent creates opportunities for others. “They can sell their services thanks to the talent I support and develop,” she explains simply.

What has always deeply motivated her is the beginning: the first steps, the earliest stages of a business or an artist. Watching them grow.

Both an independent influencer agent and a consultant in the field, her favourite part remains representing talent. It is an unusual profession in which emotional intelligence is essential. “Sometimes you have to be a mediator, a coach, a mother, a friend,” she explains.

Her work recalls that of the agents in the Netflix series Call My Agent!, with one difference: her clients are not actors but content creators.

It is a phenomenon that not only influences but also speaks to an entire generation.

This world often inspires dreams because of the freedom it appears to offer, the money, visibility, beauty, travel, a form of celebrity and a sense of choosing your own life—but there is more to it. “We influence the people around us every day; they just have the confidence to do it on camera and say, ‘I’m going to show everyone,’” she points out.

For Manon, a content creator is someone who gives their creativity free rein, “who shares something new,” she says. They should not be confused with people from reality television, an important distinction in her view.

Behind these influencers’ success is an important link, a parallel professional reality: her own. “I like being behind the scenes,” she acknowledges, and that behind-the-scenes role is her strength.

A true “shield” for her clients, Manon works to protect their image. She becomes a real Swiss Army knife when it comes to making sure negotiations and shoots run smoothly, while planning the strategy around the person she represents well in advance. Sometimes, that means months of work.

A profession unlike any other

“I wanted to be a product manager,” she recalls when asked how it all began. Today, her talent roster is her product portfolio, as she often explains.

After attending business school in Lyon and earning her master’s degree in marketing and communications, she already knew she loved versatility and working for smaller businesses. However, finding the right fit in a job market that values specialization and neat categories was not easy.

Then one day, an opportunity arose, connected to a major shift that began in the 2010s with YouTube, Instagram and certain blogs. “Agencies were starting to appear; nobody knew there were agencies for content creators,” she explains.

For Manon, the turning point was Point d’Orgue, an agency specializing in influencer marketing. She started in April 2018 as a project manager, a fortunate opportunity that gave her versatility room to flourish for four years.

The stars aligned when EnjoyPhoenix, one of the biggest YouTubers of the moment, wanted the agency to represent her, setting off a snowball effect.

It was a formative experience in which Manon put all her talent and authenticity at the service of others in an industry where image and appearances matter.

After those four years, she felt the urge for a fresh start and a life abroad. One of the creators she represented, who had lived in Quebec City for ten years, offered her a job. The opportunity to live abroad presented itself, and Manon seized it. She lived and worked there for two years before making the move to Montréal.

Montréal CoWork: an unexpected anchor

Montréal, a global city with an ecosystem well suited to managing content creators, marked Manon’s beginnings as an entrepreneur. In February 2025, she went into business for herself to gain freedom and set her own rules.

Drawing on her experience, she also wears the hat of influencer marketing consultant, working for brands or agencies looking to run one or more campaigns in the field. “I make sure negotiations go well. If we approve a brand, an event or a shoot, there mustn’t be any negative publicity,” she cautions. The stakes are very real, and there is no shortage of work.

She began working full-time from home or in cafés. But gradually, Manon felt she was hitting a wall.

“I love people so much; I love talking,” she says spontaneously. While becoming an entrepreneur brings its share of challenges, isolation caught up with her. “I realized I no longer had the motivation, and I couldn’t organize a day’s work schedule anymore,” she reflects. Restoring a daily structure became urgent, and human contact essential.

After searching Google for “coworking space,” she walked through the doors of Montréal CoWork, near Mont-Royal Avenue. Behind the darkened windows on Saint-Denis Street, she was surprised to discover a bright workspace spread over three floors, but above all a spirit of community and camaraderie.

It was a supportive environment, just a six-minute walk from home, that changed her daily life as an entrepreneur for the better.

“So far, it’s the best investment I’ve made because it does me good and motivates me,” she shares cheerfully. She has made friends, most of them entrepreneurs working in completely different sectors. “We have nothing to do with one another professionally; nobody is in my field,” she points out.

Being together without even doing the same thing is also part of Montréal CoWork’s spirit and strength.

After more than a year and a half of working for herself, she is reflecting. “Today, I’m looking for the meaning behind my business. I need to have a mission in life... I love the work, but I’ve reached a stage where it needs to mean more.” Her personal ambition is to develop entrepreneurial projects that reflect who she is.

Often, we influence others through what we create. “Going forward, if I influence people, I want to influence them for a purpose,” she concludes.

Article credit: Hélène Lequitte