Shannon Donnelly didn’t stumble into influencer marketing, she ran toward it early, instinctively, and with a curiosity that defines the most effective Gen Z marketers of today. Growing up immersed in visual culture, Shannon spent her early years collecting fashion magazines, experimenting with photography, and posting on social media as soon as platforms like Instagram launched. With an iPad in hand and a natural eye for storytelling, she was consuming content while also learning how creators built influence, audience, and trust in real time. While studying at Parsons School of Design at The New School, Shannon took that curiosity a step further. In 2017, before influencer marketing had formal rules or structures, she began cold-emailing creators in New York, offering to help them develop content. One of those emails led to a multi-year collaboration with Cass DiMicco, where Shannon worked closely across content creation and during the early development of creator-founded brand Aureum Collective. At a time when photographers largely worked brand-side, Shannon’s creator-first mindset gave her an early and uncommon edge. After graduating, she took that momentum west, joining PACSUN and producing photo- and video-led content for large-scale creator campaigns, including an international activation in Bora Bora with Emma Chamberlain and other creators. From there, she joined a venture capital incubator, running social and influencer programs for early-stage, VC-backed startups, a sector where creator marketing was often overlooked, but proved critical to early growth. Now at Open Influence, Shannon brings that same proactive energy into a global agency environment. She has helped lead creative and strategic work across brands including BODYARMOR, Uber, BIC Soleil, Moderna Canada and Gilead’s Duvyzat. Internally, she’s become known for pushing ideas further, experimenting with AI-powered visual tools to help teams and clients better see how creator-led concepts will come to life, particularly in highly regulated categories like pharma. Shannon represents a Gen Z marketer who didn’t wait for permission, titles, or templates. She learned by doing, built credibility by showing up early, and now helps shape how brands connect with culture.