How MANA Talent Eliminated a Week of Payroll Work — and Finally Took Paternity Leave

About MANA Talent Group

MANA Talent Group is a creator-owned YouTube talent agency managing roughly 150 creators — 100 of whom are exclusively signed — including names like Moist Critical, Wendigoon, and GBASMR. The agency processes 125–150 creator payouts every month, a mix of domestic and international payments tied to brand deal sponsorships.

The Challenge

A Process That Only One Person Could Run

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Every month, Ben Deaney — MANA's President & COO — spent the equivalent of a full workday manually processing payroll across three separate bank accounts: PNC for domestic batch payments, Bank of America for select international transfers, and PayPal. At peak, this meant managing 22 separate batches, since PNC required a distinct batch for each country and a separate one for individuals vs. businesses.

"It was something that only I was able to do... My son was maybe about two weeks old, and I was like, all right, I got to make sure we get money out of the account.

‍Ben Deaney, President & COO, MANA Talent Group

Creators waited up to two weeks to receive funds. The agency was paying PNC $300–$500/month in opaque batch fees. And operating cash earned zero interest — to generate any yield, the owners had deferred distributions for a year to fund a separate savings account, locking up capital they couldn't reinvest.

Before vs. After

Creators Keeping More of What They Earn

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When MANA's UK-based creators compared their first Karat payouts against prior wire transfers, the difference was immediate. On a $9,362 payment, one creator had previously lost roughly £300 to unfavorable exchange rates and legacy bank fees. With Karat, that loss dropped to approximately £60 — a saving of over $315 on a single payment.

For MANA, whose mission is to maximize what creators take home from their brand deals, this was the mission made tangible.

The Bigger Unlock

Cash That Actually Works for the Business

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With all operating income flowing into a single Karat account that earns interest, MANA no longer needs to lock cash away in a separate savings account just to generate yield. The capital that was previously frozen is now available for strategic investment.

"We can use our operating revenue in a new way... allocate our savings to actual capital investments — new tools for our team, new business investments that we want to partner with."
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Ben Deaney, President & COO, MANA Talent Group

"Karat has made an ecosystem for creator finances that didn't exist before. There's nothing else like it for content creators."
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Ben DeaneyPresident & COO, MANA Talent Group

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