Get To Know Laura
ABOUT
Laura Filipowicz is a digital media pioneer, talent development executive, producer, and entrepreneur whose career spans nearly three decades across digital publishing, influencer marketing, talent management, live events, merchandising, and entertainment development.
Long before influencer marketing became an industry, before TikTok existed, and before Gen Z became a recognized audience segment, Laura was building online communities and helping individuals turn their passions into businesses. Her journey began during the early days of the internet when AOL chat rooms, dial-up connections, personal websites, and blogging communities were shaping the future of online communication.
In 2006, Laura founded Bag Lady Promotions, an early grassroots marketing company born out of a network of entrepreneurial mothers she met while raising her daughter in West Los Angeles. At a time when blogging was still considered a hobby, she recognized the influence of authentic online voices and began connecting brands with content creators years before the term "influencer" entered mainstream marketing.
Her work soon expanded into the influencer event space through ConnectHER Media, where she helped produce conferences and networking events that connected brands, bloggers, and digital entrepreneurs throughout Los Angeles, San Diego, and Las Vegas. These events became part of the foundation of what would eventually evolve into today's creator economy.
By 2016, Laura had shifted her focus toward an emerging generation of digital creators. Years before Gen Z became a marketing buzzword, she began identifying and supporting young talent navigating the rapidly changing world of social media and digital content creation. She also hosted and curated press trips for mom bloggers and Gen Z Talent.
In 2019, Laura founded Z Star Digital and launched the Gen Z Social Summit, one of the earliest creator-focused events dedicated to the next generation of digital talent. Hosted during the transition from Musical.ly to TikTok, the event sponsored by Great Wolf Lodge, brought together creators, families, brands, and industry professionals at a pivotal moment in social media history. working with featured creators who would go on to build significant audiences and careers.
In early 2020, Laura hosted creator activations and meet-and-greet events again through Z Star Digital, including a featured event at Playlist Live with talent like Katie Feney, Collie Nuanez, Ava Justin, Gabby Murray and more.
When the pandemic disrupted traditional events, she quickly pivoted to virtual programming, producing Gen Z 20 and The ENT Bash, two of the first large-scale online creator conferences designed specifically for teen creators and their audiences. These events featured creators including Melanie Wilking, Jake Clark, Bryce Xavier, Ayden Mekus, Merrick Hanna, Caden Conrique, Jax Malcolm, Carter Gallo, Ashley Newman, ItsCyp and many others.
Laura continued building opportunities for creators through live events, productions, and collaborative projects, including creator gatherings and development initiatives in Malibu featuring talent such as Paige Taylor, Rachel Brockman, Cole Allison, Madi Filipowicz, Ashley Wicka, Tyler Ashton, Bryce McKenzie, Caden Outlaw and ItsCyp.
As her career evolved, Laura became known for helping creators build businesses beyond content. Her work expanded into talent development, business strategy, merchandising, consumer products, podcasting, publishing, live touring, and entertainment production. She also served as a producer and talent development executive on projects including The Glo Girls, where she helped support talent placement and development for a cast featuring some of the most recognizable young creators of the era. The series generated more than 15 million YouTube views, placement in Target and demonstrated the growing influence of creator-led entertainment.
From 2021 through 2025, Laura served as the lead development manager and strategic advisor for the Sturniolo Triplets during a period of extraordinary growth. Acting as a key architect behind the business, Laura worked with them as their development manager to transform ideas into fully executed ventures. Recognizing the need for strategic representation early on, Laura led efforts to identify, evaluate, and secure talent agency representation for them, ultimately helping establish their relationship with United Talent Agency in early 2022.
Throughout her tenure, Laura played a central role in building the infrastructure behind the brand. She assembled and coordinated professional teams, facilitated strategic partnerships, participated in business development discussions, and helped oversee initiatives from concept through execution.
Laura managed and oversaw the development and growth of the brand's merchandise operations, successful touring projects and helping transform merchandise into a significant business vertical. She also served as Co-Producer of the Cut the Camera podcast, helping guide its development, launch, production strategy, and ongoing growth.
In publishing, Laura worked closely with Matt Sturniolo throughout the development of his debut book, Yesterday's Problem, helping assemble the team, providing development support, project coordination, strategic guidance, and feedback through completion of the first manuscript draft.
She also played a key role in the early development of Nick Sturniolo's Space Camp Wellness brand, helping assemble the team, coordinate partners, participate in development meetings, and support the strategic planning necessary to move the concept from idea to consumer product.
Most recently, Laura served as Executive Producer of Abby Lee Miller Live! At the Top of the Pyramid, helping bring the Dance Moms star's first live larger production to the stage in Branson, Missouri. Produced in partnership with Creators Live, the successful launch marked another evolution in Laura's work within live entertainment and experiential events.
Today, Laura is the Founder of Z Star Digital, a company dedicated to talent development, brand strategy, and creator business growth. She is also Co-Founder of FLIP Entertainment, a company focused on developing, packaging, and producing entertainment properties across digital and traditional media, while helping creators, personalities, and brands expand beyond social platforms into scalable businesses and intellectual property.
She is also Co-Founder of The Ink Pros, a merchandising and manufacturing company providing design, production, fulfillment, and retail solutions for creators, tours, events, and consumer brands throughout North America, which launched in 2025.
From early blogging pioneers to some of today's most recognizable digital personalities, Laura's career has included work with talent such as Abby Lee Miller, Dom Brack, The Sturniolo Triplets, LXST, YSB Tril, Life With Mak, Sicily Rose, Rachel Brockman, Paige Taylor, ItsCyp, Madi Filipowicz, Nick Bencivengo, Annie Rose, Madison Havican and numerous rising creators and entrepreneurs.
Having worked across multiple distinct eras of digital influence, from blogging and online communities, to YouTube creators, to the rise of Musical.ly and TikTok, and now creator-led entertainment brands, Laura has spent her career identifying cultural shifts before they become mainstream.
Her philosophy remains simple: great creators deserve more than an audience. They deserve businesses, brands, opportunities, and ownership that last long after the next platform arrives.
Laura is currently developing her first book, a project years in the making that explores the evolution of internet culture, digital influence, entrepreneurship, and the creator economy through the perspective of someone who has spent decades inside of it.