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Joe Gagliese

Operator

Joe Gagliese is best known as a co-founder of Viral Nation, the influencer marketing and talent management agency he launched in 2014 alongside Marc Gidney. Built from the ground up during the early days of social media marketing, Viral Nation grew into a global powerhouse representing hundreds of creators and executing influencer campaigns for major brands across gaming, consumer goods, entertainment, and technology. Gagliese is widely credited as one of the entrepreneurs who legitimized influencer marketing as a serious, measurable advertising discipline. Under his co-leadership, Viral Nation expanded beyond talent representation into a full-service agency offering influencer strategy, content creation, paid social, and brand safety technology. The company developed proprietary tools including Viral Nation Secure, an AI-powered brand safety platform designed to vet creator content and protect advertisers. Gagliese has been a vocal advocate for transparency and accountability in the influencer marketing space. Gagliese is a frequent speaker and media commentator on the creator economy, social media marketing, and the future of brand-influencer relationships. He has been featured in major business and marketing publications and is recognized as one of Canada's prominent young entrepreneurs in the marketing technology sector.

Last updated Oct 17, 2026 by ATDb automated enrichment

Role
co-founder and co-CEO
Company
Viral Nation
Based
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

AI-drafted from public sources1 source cited

Years in industry
11 years

Bio

Joe Gagliese is best known as a co-founder of Viral Nation, the influencer marketing and talent management agency he launched in 2014 alongside Marc Gidney. Built from the ground up during the early days of social media marketing, Viral Nation grew into a global powerhouse representing hundreds of creators and executing influencer campaigns for major brands across gaming, consumer goods, entertainment, and technology. Gagliese is widely credited as one of the entrepreneurs who legitimized influencer marketing as a serious, measurable advertising discipline. Under his co-leadership, Viral Nation expanded beyond talent representation into a full-service agency offering influencer strategy, content creation, paid social, and brand safety technology. The company developed proprietary tools including Viral Nation Secure, an AI-powered brand safety platform designed to vet creator content and protect advertisers. Gagliese has been a vocal advocate for transparency and accountability in the influencer marketing space. Gagliese is a frequent speaker and media commentator on the creator economy, social media marketing, and the future of brand-influencer relationships. He has been featured in major business and marketing publications and is recognized as one of Canada's prominent young entrepreneurs in the marketing technology sector.

Expertise & education

Expertise

Influencer MarketingCreator EconomyTalent ManagementSocial Media MarketingBrand SafetyPaid Social AdvertisingMarketing TechnologyContent Strategy

Speaking topics

The future of the creator economyInfluencer marketing measurement and ROIBrand safety in social media advertisingBuilding a business in the social media eraEntrepreneurship and scaling a marketing agency

Recognition

Notable achievements

  • Co-founded Viral Nation in 2014, scaling it into one of the largest influencer marketing agencies globally
  • Developed Viral Nation Secure, a proprietary AI-powered brand safety platform for vetting creator content
  • Grew Viral Nation to represent hundreds of social media creators and serve major global brand clients

Awards

Recognized on various Canadian entrepreneurship and marketing industry lists for building Viral Nation