Categories

Essays

NFT Passports In Virtual Worlds

February 16, 2022

I never understood people who didn’t travel. I’m not talking about the people who can’t afford it. I’m talking about those individuals that can afford to travel or move and simply don’t. You know, those kids who you grew up within your hometown and never leave. Or how we call people that live in New York but never leave the city, forever New Yorkers. Traveling has always been synonymous with adventure for me. Every destination is a new adventure. Even now, I’m writing this post from an Airbnb in Paris. For many of us, web3, crypto and the metaverse, is the latest adventure. Just like traveling in the physical world has its own set of rules and documentation, in the metaverse we will have a similar concept but instead of planes and paper passports, we’ll travel virtual worlds with the help of NFTs.

Read MoreNFTs
Seeds of The Metaverse

February 16, 2022

The Metaverse according to every brand and bank is a trillion-dollar opportunity. Meta, Microsoft, Bandai, and just about every company you can think of are channeling their inner Avon Barksdale from The Wire and wants their corner. Not surprisingly, we’re ways out from the actual metaverse. I’m talking about 10years+. But if you scroll on Twitter for more than 5 minutes you’d see we’re in gold rush territory. The actual metaverse (whatever that looks like) is in it is earliest stages. And I mean early. With the explosion of NFTs, communities, DAOs, and just about every other sector of Web3 that has VCs and retail ready to risk it all, we’re able to see the seeds being planted and early rumblings of how the metaverse may emerge. Spoiler alert, it starts with communities.

Read MoreMetaverse
Status Rewards In Community Design

December 20, 2021

Clout chasers chase for a reason. In Eugene Wei's classic essay Status-as-a-Service, he mentions two principles: People are status-seeking monkeys* People seek out the most efficient path to maximizing social capital. When applying this thinking to communities, the above still holds true. Just like traditional social networks create opportunities for social capital, communities must create some way to reward members with status rewards (but more on that later). When leveraged correctly, status rewards can increase participation and collaboration among community members and contributors without overly relying on a token-based reward system. tl;dr: status rewards in the form of roles, badges, and medals can be used to reward community members and contributors leading to stronger engagement and community participation.

Read MoreCommunity
Finding your DAO: How to Discover & Join the Right DAO

November 22, 2021

DAOs are in. they’re hot, and more people are realizing the opportunities that come when collectives form to work towards a shared goal. So much so that 2022 will be dubbed the year of the DAO. With this surge in popularity, we’re seeing challenges arise. The immediate challenge is helping those new to DAOs find, join and contribute to a DAO that matches their interests. Finding the ideal DAO or DAOs doesn’t have to be overwhelming, it just requires an understanding what motivates you, what you’re looking to accomplish, and frequent vibe checks.

Read MoreCommunity
How DAOs Can Better Reward & Align Incentives Between Creators

November 22, 2021

tl;dr: creator DAOs have the opportunity to create better incentives between creators and fans leading to improved discoverability, more accessible creator resources, and shared financial upside through ownership. Last week Instagram, Facebook, and What’s App went down with many in web3 roaring for decentralization. Earlier this week, Pomp’s YouTube channel was deleted (and later reinstated) without warning with the reason being ‘encouraging illegal activities. Pomp’s comment section and quote tweets echoed the same roars from the previous week around the need for decentralization. A completely decentralized platform isn’t the answer for creators (yet), but a decentralized autonomous network (aka DAO) is the answer to aligning incentives between creators, their fans, and the platforms utilizing their content. Read the full version at Global Coin Research

Read MoreCommunity
The Future is Community Led

August 23, 2021

The deeper I go into the creator economy and crypto, the more I realize the power of community. Community is what will drive creators long-term growth and them turn into a scalable business. In web2 (the current state of the internet), community is mostly transactional and a nice to have. In web3 successful companies only exist because of their community. In web 2.5 the on-ramp to web 3, the community will be the key to unlocking the importance of ownership. Community is the future for both creators and companies and to better understand what makes a community successful, I plan to study successful communities and build one myself.

Read MoreCommunity
Creator Crew #62: 🤳group chat

August 23, 2021

Party people, happy Friday, and shoutout to you for supporting this newsletter. Top Clicks: The top click in the last send was. Colin & Samir's merch drop today's Highlights: Dixie D'Amelio launches a text communityOnlyFans makes a serious business model change applies Podcast subscription fumbles

Read MoreNewsletter
Creator Crew #61: 🩳 Not sponsored by Only Fans

August 23, 2021

Party people, it's the one day of the year where it rained in LA. That's it. That's the opening line. Updates: I've updated the rewards so you can earn better rewards when you share Creator Crew with your network. 15 shares = a free Creator Crew HoodieTop Clicks: The top clicks in the last send were the rise of IG text memes and the Snapchat Spotlight creator migration.Today's Highlights: Tana Mongeau kicks off round 2 of her Only FansTikTok launches effects houseBillboard launches Song Breaker to track creators driving music streams

Read MoreNewsletter
Creator Crew #60: 🐧 My pet penguin

August 23, 2021

Party people, If you missed it or if you're on the fence, I'm brainstorming the idea around a private community where creators, operators, and investors can connect with one another (not pitch each other). Reply to this email if you're interested. Top Clicks: The top clicks in the last send were Li Jin's post on The Creator Economy Crisis, the launch of Media Kits, and how creators run outreach to brands.Today's Highlights: Penguins aka diving deeper into the metaverseSnap creators are doing the dash

Read MoreNewsletter
Creator Crew #59: 🛑 Crisis not adverted

August 23, 2021

Party people, I've been going back and forth about creating a private community for Creator Crew. The full scope is yet to be determined but you’ll be able to connect with active creators and other people interested in the creator economy.You won't be allowed to pitch creators (at least in the beginning) but you can ask questions and get feedback. Reply to this email if you're interested. Top Clicks: The top click in the last send were Ryff's AI product placement, David Dobrik's $1,500 ticket house party, and Quora's entry into the creator economy. Today's Highlights:The creator economy is in crisisWhy the creator economy is fintechs next playground Slip.stream raises money for license-free music

Read MoreNewsletter
Creator Crew #58: ✍️ The new COO

August 23, 2021

Party people, it's Friday, so reach out to a creator whose work you admire and give them a compliment.Top Clicks: The top click in the last send was the glass door of the creator economy known as FYPM.Today's Highlights:Roblox is bridging the gap to the metaverseStir releases a new product for managers

Read MoreNewsletter
Creator Crew #57: 🎰The $10k short

August 23, 2021

Party people, I'm back on west coast time, so if you're EST, thanks for being patient with today's evening send of Creator Crew. Top Clicks: The top click in the last send was the future of podcast monetization. Today's Highlights: Where creators are making the most money celebs are becoming omnichannel creator youtube officially launches its creator und TikTok wants in on stories

Read MoreNewsletter
Creator Crew #56: 🥊The Social Dilemma

August 23, 2021

Party people, This is the last send while I’m in NYC. Next one is coming live and direct from the west coast. Other news: Earlier this week I chatted all things creators and the creator economy with Gregarious and Kenyeung of Created Economy. You can check it out here. Top Clicks: The top clicks in the last send were the new leader of NFT gaming and Klarna acquires APPRL.

Read MoreNewsletter
Creator Crew #55: 😎One for your playbook

August 23, 2021

Party people, if Kanye is living in a stadium until the drop of DONDA, I'm living in my childhood room until I send this newsletter. But seriously, I'm visiting my parents and sleeping in my childhood room. Other news: Calling all podcasters. I'm looking to talk with you whether you're seasoned or just starting out. If you're not a podcaster but know someone in your network, forward them this email and have them shoot me a note. Top Clicks: The top clicks in the last send were Peloton is the best paying audio streaming platform and Rhett & Links new creator accelerator.Today's Highlights: Jake Paul launches Boxing BulliesAxie Infinity becomes the leader in NFT gaming Pinterest gets into shoppable pins

Read MoreNewsletter
Creator Crew #54: 💨 Bring out the accelerator

August 23, 2021

Party people, on the 5th day we treat ourselves. That's today for the people in the back. Top Clicks: The top clicks in the last send were who wins the creator economy, the rise of the curator, and Substack's foray into podcasting. Today's Highlights: Rhett & Link launch a creator accelerator Snapchat goes deeper into social commerce with VerishopFamous birthdays launches a subscription service

Read MoreNewsletter
Creator Crew #53: 🏀 The Lebron Bet

August 23, 2021

Party people, I'm coming to the end of my summer trip, so if you're in NYC let's grab a coffee before I head back to LA. If you're not in NYC but want to connect, shoot me a note!Top Clicks: The top clicks in the last send were Kyra's TikTok trend report, The Weeknd's investment into Songfinch, and a step-by-step approach to invest in creators.

Read MoreNewsletter
Creator Crew #52: 🏎️ Investing in creators

August 23, 2021

Party people, you know what today is. It's reaching out to a creator whose work you admire Friday.Top Clicks: The top clicks in the last send were the NIL influencer playbook and the drama behind the $60M Call Her Daddy acquisition.Today's Highlights:Khaby Lame becomes the second biggest TikTokerHow to invest in creators The Weeknd bets on the cameo for music artistsKrya's weekly trend report

Read MoreNewsletter
Creator Crew #51: Saying the "B" word

August 23, 2021

Party people, last week I took a much-needed day off, but I also managed to jump out of a plane. Seriously, I jumped out of a plane. Today's Highlights:Why Spotify paid $60M for Call her DaddyFacebook says the "B" word to creatorsClubhouse says slide into the DMs

Read MoreNewsletter
Creator Crew #50: The Big 5-0

August 23, 2021

Party people, I promise you that this newsletter wasn't sponsored by TikTok. It's just a TikTok kind of day. On the plus side, this is Creator Crew #50. Here is the top link from the previous send: Karat raises $26M for creator credit cards. Today's Highlights: TikTok takes on Cameo with Shoutouts FaZe x crypto fiasco gets an update how much TikTok creators actually make

Read MoreNewsletter
Digging In The Mud: The Path to Finding Gold In Life

July 14, 2021

Anyone that's achieved anything great knows it comes with struggle. If you didn't struggle, you wouldn't appreciate it. To justify why we have to go through hard things in order to grow, aka that struggle, there's a phrase I coined. You have to dig through mud to get to the gold. This struggle or the hard times is really growth happening on a small scale. That growth compounds and you end up achieving what you set out to achieve or learning a valuable lesson that helps you in another area of life. The challenge is being able to continue on the path of personal growth or the area you're looking to succeed in despite not seeing immediate results. In order to grow, you need to get comfortable digging in the mud until you find gold.

Read MoreThoughts
Creator Crew #49: 🏈 The College Athlete Creator

July 5, 2021

Party people, it's Friday, aka don't forget to treat yourself. Here is the top link from the previous send: Travels creator economy is booming.Today's Highlights:The FaZe x crypto fiascoNCAA's big movesInstagram's pivot

Read MoreNewsletter
Creator Crew #48: 🚩Only Red Flags

July 5, 2021

Party people, it's a creator kind of day, aka reach out to a creator and let them know why you admire their work. Here are the top links from the previous send: The brand opportunity for influencers over 50, taking a look at Internet legends MSCHF, why creator grants suck.Today's Highlights: How money flows at Only FansThe Information's Creator Economy DatabaseThe creator economy's role in changing Hollywood

Read MoreNewsletter
Creator Crew #47: 🤑Five finger discount

July 5, 2021

Party people, we've had to back-to-back successful launches! Here's a recap of what's launched over the last few weeks:Black Creator Crew: a collective of Black creators providing education, networking, and funding. The goal is to help Black creators grow. Spore: we officially launched our updated version on Product Hunt and it was a hit. We didn't win product of the day but still had a solid launch.Thanks for showing your support.Here are the top links from the previous send: Twitter will let creators keep 97% of their revenue and TikTok's rollout of Jump.Today's Highlights:The rise of main character energyCreator funds and their role in creator washingAmazon goes deeper into the podcast gameBuilding the next clubhouse

Read MoreNewsletter
Creator Crew #46: 📚The Social Playbook

July 5, 2021

Party people, it's the late-night special of Creator Crew because my team at Spore is prepping for our launch on Product Hunt. Thanks for being patient and waiting for this send to hit your inbox.Recap: The most clicked link in the last send was the launch of Black Creator Crew.Today's Highlights:T he D'Amelios get even more social...commerceKSI takes a page from the Paul brothers playbook TikTok launches Jump

Read MoreNewsletter
Creator Crew #45: 👋 Meet The Other Crew

July 5, 2021

Party people, I'm stoked to share this with you guys, but me and Steven Sunmonu just launched Black Creator Crew. A collective of black creators focused on growing their business through educational resources, networking, and funding. It's one part community and one part creator fund. Check out the newest addition to the crew below.

Read MoreNewsletter
Creator Crew #44: ☎️ $60M to call her daddy

July 5, 2021

Party people, it's Wednesday, and NYC just lifted COVID restrictions. Treat yourself but don't forget to stay safe. Recap: The top clicks in the last send were Koji's announcement of sponsored brand quizzes, the post-sell-out era, and the rise in creator burnout. Today's Highlights: Alex Cooper's $60M dealTop creators are doubling down on their brand platforms are cozying up to creators

Read MoreNewsletter
Creator Crew #43:🍎 Apple vs. Creators

June 15, 2021

Party people, this newsletter is being shared and getting more praise more than ever. Thanks for being a subscriber and supporting the crew.On another note, If you even think about unsubscribing, I hope you have a slightly annoying day. Like realizing you left your headphones at home when you get to the gym. Recap: The top clicks in the last send were the cooperation economy and Gap goes to the moon.Today's Highlights:Apple vs. The Creator EconomyThe Future of clubhouseCreatorScape 2021: The Creator Economy Market Map

Read MoreNewsletter
Creator Crew #42: 💰 Money Team

June 15, 2021

Party people, I'm finally not hiking a mountain or driving an average of 5 hours a day. Transparently, the last two sends were the hardest, rushed, and contained a few errors, so thanks for sticking it out. With that said we have a few announcements: 1. I just joined Spore as Head of Business Development. We're an all-in-one platform helping creators earn and engage with their fans in one place. I can't wait to show you guys what we're working on, but in the meantime, follow me on Twitter for updates. 2.Creator Crew TV, aka my YouTube channel, will be updated bi-weekly or once a month at the latest. It's hard to create quality videos back-to-back on top of this newsletter, but new content is coming soon. 3. This newsletter has grown in ways I couldn't imagine. We have creators, founders, and operators of creator economy startups in the Creator Crew family. I want to connect with you all, so reply to this email if you're down to jam.

Read MoreNewsletter
Creator Crew #41: 🎥 A peak into YouTubes creator program

June 6, 2021

Party people, it's hot girl, hot boy and hot non-binary summer. Treat yourself and enjoy yourself. Below is a photo of me enjoying Zion National Park.Callout: Recap: The top clicks in the last send were Kimera, a new platform focused on helping creators get discovered, the problem with wanting more when playing the great online game, and the rise of bring your own audience in creator-focused companies. Today's Highlights: The Rise of Reality EntrepreneurVoice, a NFT platform to help creators get discovered, is gearing up for launchYouTube's creator residence program pulls back the curtain Khaby Lame, the everyman of the internet

Read MoreNewsletter
Creator Crew #40: 🧭 100 creators

June 6, 2021

Party people, time to be fully transparent. I'm on the road traveling; Vegas, Zion, Grand Canyon, and Phoenix, so things are somewhat hectic at the moment. I'm working to get these emails to your inbox earlier. Recap: The top clicks in the last send were the YouTuber auctioning his future royalties and Google's area 120 testing the new digital merch platform Qaya. Today's Highlights: Half of TikTok users buy products they see advertised The rise of BYOA, aka bring your own audience How Binance plans to grab NFT market share with their 100 creators campaign

Read MoreNewsletter
Creator Crew #39: 💰 So many zeroes

June 6, 2021

Party people, some things are better late than never. This evening's send is one of those things. Recap: The top clicks in the last send were the rising cases of burnout amongst influencers and Instagram's creator fund and NFT marketplace. Today's Highlights:Poparazzi is on track for $100M valuationA YouTuber is auctioning off his royalties Walmart is working with influencers on private label dealsGoogle is testing a new digital merchandise platform called Qaya

Read MoreNewsletter
Creator Crew #38: 💵 Creator Funds 101

June 6, 2021

Party people, I've got some big news coming your way in the next few weeks. In the meantime, keep being great. Recap: The top clicks in the last send were Li Jin's brief take on the future of the creator economy, how to dominate YouTube, and the need for universal basic distribution. Callout: Don't forget to subscribe to Creator Crew TV for all things related to the creator economy.

Read MoreNewsletter
Creator Crew #37: 🤠Snap, crackle and pop

June 6, 2021

Party people, I'm not sure who needs to hear this but keep going. Keep creating and keep putting in the work. What's right for you is on the way. Recap: The top clicks in the last send were how TikTok keeps Dua Lipa at the top, Pomp's Bitcoin pizza release, and live audio apps are luring creators with big paydays.Callout: I recorded this week's Creator Crew TV but the content and quality just wasn't there. In short, I'm rerecording. So, catch the next episode and subscribe here to Creator Crew TV.

Read MoreNewsletter
The Cost of Being a Creator

May 21, 2021

For over a year I've written a weekly newsletter. In that time, I added another weekly send (two emails a week), a weekly essay, and a new YouTube video every week. The consistency and increase in content, led to more followers, more email subscribers, and connecting with others in the creator economy space. If you’re a frequent reader of my content you know that 99% of it is focused on founders and operators in the creator economy; however, this “piece" is a different speed. I want to write more about my experience as a creator and my conversations with other creators. This is the first step in that direction as I highlight the cost of being a creator. Specifically, the positive and negative costs when choosing the creator route.

Read MoreCreator Economy
Creator Crew #36: 🛍️DTC Creator Brands

May 21, 2021

Party people, good things take time. Over the last month, this newsletter was shared more than ever. Thanks for being a subscriber and forward this email to a friend. Recap: The top clicks in the last two sends were esports pros are becoming influencers, Discord's new search feature for audio rooms, leveraging empathy to build & market creator products. Today's Highlights: - Big-name creators are doubling down on DTC - The future of Reddit could like Roblox - Twitch reduces subscription costs based on location

Read MoreNewsletter
Creator Crew #35: 📊A Shift In Budget

May 21, 2021

Party people, I'm not sure who needs to hear this but keep going. Keep creating and keep putting in the work. What's right for you is on the way. Recap: The top clicks in the last two sends were The Great Online Game and 5 YouTubers You Need To Know.Callout: Don't forget to subscribe to Creator Crew TV. Today's Highlights: - Where brands plan to spend their budget -Discord launches an audio rooms discovery feature - Gaming Influencers are the future of Esports - In-house: Leveraging Empathy To Build & Market Creator Products

Read MoreNewsletter
Leveraging Empathy To Build & Market Creator Products

May 14, 2021

When you get good at sales, really good at sales, you realize it less about tactics and IQ and more about EQ. The same can be said about founders and product managers. Those that excel are able to leverage large amounts of EQ and empathy to properly address customer's pain points. This is why founder/market fit is so important. The ability to understand and leverage the first-hand experience of a market on a visceral level is important. When you’re the building for creators, first-hand experience of a creators challenges is essential. To gain that knowledge, you need to be a creator yourself.

Read MoreCreator Economy
Creator Crew TV: 5 YouTubers You Need To Know

May 14, 2021

Party people, the YouTube algorithm is great, but you know what's better? Getting recommend new YouTube channels that are actually good. In this week's Creator Crew TV, I share 5 YouTubers You Need To Know.

Read MoreCreator Economy
Creator Crew #34: 🤝$100M Shorts Fund

May 14, 2021

Party people, this is the first edition of Creator Crew coming live from Disney Land. It's also worth noting that Matthew Ball's essay on how Disney and entertainment companies monetize love is worth the read. Recap: The top clicks in the last two sends were The Creator Economy Explained, Navigating Opportunity Costs In Creator Focused Companies, and The Creator Economy Market Map. Today's Highlights: Apple is holding back creator Youtube launches a $100M shorts fund for creators TikTok launches a virtual resume feature for companies and job seekers

Read MoreNewsletter
Creator Crew TV: The Creator Economy Explained

May 14, 2021

Party people, it's been a long time coming, but the first episode of Creator Crew TV is here. Every Thursday I'll drop a new video discussing the creator economy, interviews with creators and creator economy experts, and random internet stuff you don't want to miss. Dive into the first video below.

Read MoreCreator Economy
Creator Crew #33: 🗺️Mapping The Creator Economy

May 14, 2021

Party people, I dropped the ball. I overestimated how long it would take to record and edit the first YouTube video of CCTV. It's dropping Monday this time, so keep an eye on your inbox and subscribe here in the meantime. Recap: The top clicks in the last send were Vee Friends, Startup Cities, and Apple's M&A strategy. Today's Highlights: Protocols and creator DAOsMarket-making on the internet Clubhouse Pilot Program In-houseNavigating Opportunity Cost In Creator Focused Companies

Read MoreNewsletter
Navigating Opportunity Costs In Creator Focused Companies

May 7, 2021

Over the pandemic, I’ve done more puzzles than I have ever done in my life. Everything from 10,000 Apiece unicorn puzzles to David Dobrik’s $100k puzzle. I won .25 on the latter. If you have ever done a puzzle you know that sometimes you can get fixated on a piece. Your fixation can lead to you miss out on completing other parts of the puzzle. This isn’t an article on puzzles. This is an article on how to navigate and address the opportunity cost when your creator focused company.

Read MoreCreator Economy
Creator Crew #32: 👑 Is this your king (cc. TikTok)

May 7, 2021

Party people welcome to the new additional send of Creator Crew. Going forward, keep an eye on your inbox every Wednesday, Thursday & Friday.Recap: The top clicks in the last send of Creator Crew were disaster girl cashing her out meme as NFT, Brand Shift: The New Playbook In The Creator Economy, and Influencer Marketing Hub's State of The Creator Economy. The first episode of Creator Crew TV drops tomorrow.Today's Highlights: Creators are getting creative with their NFTsNew York Times covers all things Mr. BeastTikTok has a new CEO // How TikTok chooses which songs go viral

Read MoreNewsletter
Creator Crew #31: 💰 $57M from the community

May 7, 2021

Party people, this is your daily reminder to document your life so you can monetize on those moments in the future as an NFT (see the "more on creators" section for an example).Call-outs: Starting next week, we'll be releasing Creator Crew TV (working name). A new weekly YouTube series covering the creator economy, so keep an eye on your inbox. I received a few messages regarding the creator coin tracker. The 80/20 is that the weekly chart highlights the top creator coins. Creator coins give you the ability to invest directly into your favorite Bitclout and Rally creators. Today's Highlights: The state of the creator economy In 2021Facebook/Instagram & Spotify are releasing new tools for monetizationGenies links up with Dapper LabsIn-house brand Shift: The New Playbook In The Creator Economy

Read MoreNewsletter
Brand Shift: The New Playbook In The Creator Economy

April 30, 2021

There’s a mind-blowing stat, 40 cents of every VC dollar goes to Google, Facebook, and Amazon advertising. Even with the death of the third-party cookie and increased privacy efforts (aka iOS 14.5), it’s not expected that this number will change…anytime soon. But now there’s a new game being played. One accelerated by COVID and the growth of the creator economy. Rather than dump the entire budget in traditional ad channels, the new playbook consists of brands shifting their VC dollars and budgets to partner or acquire creators that have ample distribution and troves of first-party data through their owned and operated channels.

Read MoreCreator Economy
Creator Crew #30: 🔮 Future proofing the creator economy

April 30, 2021

Party people, this is issue #30 of Creator Crew and your daily reminder that you're great as long as you continue to open this email. Today's Highlights: - Li Jin's case for universal income for creators - Welcome to the YOLO economy startups are banking on YouTubers to start making full-length movies - It's time to unbundle Instagram - In-house: Future builds for each stage of the creator economy

Read MoreNewsletter
Future-Proofing Each Stage of a Creators Lifecycle

April 23, 2021

The future of the creator economy is entwined and closely resembles our economy of today. You can no longer discuss it without mentioning the ownership economy and shift from web 2.0 to web 3.0. world. With this shift comes more opportunities to build solutions that uplift creators at every stage of their lifecycle. The companies that will win in the creator economy will be those that build tools specific to each stage of a creators lifecycle from awareness to ownership.

Read MoreCreator Economy
Creator Crew #29: 🎾 Throwing money at your problems

April 23, 2021

Party people, we're still so early in the creator economy. This realization comes after seeing a growing number of companies receive funding and throwing money at creators (I'm looking at you Substack).

Read MoreNewsletter
Solving The Discoverability Dilemma In The Creator Economy

April 16, 2021

The largest threat to the creator economy is the growing issue of discoverability. If not acknowledged, the lack of discoverability for small-mid size creators means less distribution of revenue and less of a chance they will remain in the creator economy.

Read MoreCreator Economy
Creator Crew #28: The Virtual YouTuber

April 13, 2021

Party people, the last issue of Creator Crew most likely ended up in your promotions folder. To avoid the agony and disappointment of potentially missing a weekly send, so move this email into your primary inbox. Today's Highlights: - CodeMiko, aka The Technician, aka the Virtual YouTube legend. - Clubhouse announces direct payments to creators. - Patreon triples in valuation with a new round of funding. - In-house - The partial metaverse: rise of the full-stack creator & omni-world activations

Read MoreNewsletter
The partial metaverse: rise of the full-stack creator and omni-world activations

April 7, 2021

The year is 2026, some guy made a million-selling custom tamagotchi NFTs, Zed Run streams are bringing in 1 million twitch viewers, and indie fashion creators are releasing products in Decentraland and real life. The acceleration of the creator and ownership economy combined with the post-pandemic human behavior has given rise to the metaverse creator and their omni-world activations.

Read MoreCreator Economy
Creator Crew #27: Raised by the internet

April 2, 2021

Party people, the last issue of Creator Crew was the best performing send to date. I couldn't have done it without you (literally). Today's Highlights:Lil Nas X ruffles some angel feathers with his latest drop.Snapchat is doubling down on all things gen-z and teen with new hardware.Linkedin is going headfirst into the creator economy and wants you to be an influencer.Newsletter updates:Creator Coin watchIn-house: How YouTube creator Comics Explained makes $1M+ a year.Talking Drops is removed for the foreseeable future.

Read MoreNewsletter
Creator Crew #25: Zuckerberg talks creators

April 2, 2021

We've got some changes around here. Formerly known as Talking Growth, this newsletter is getting renamed to Creator Crew to better fit in with other parts of the business. Today's Highlights: - MrBeast and Night Media get into the venture game. - Facebook, Spotify, and Shopify CEOs discuss the creator economy. - What would happen if Spotify acquired epidemic sounds?

Read MoreNewsletter
Creator Crew: #26 Future clout or future scam

April 2, 2021

Party people, last week I mentioned the name change of this newsletter from Talking Growth to Creator Crew. This week, I'm announcing the new referral program. Every time someone signs up using your unique link (scroll to the bottom of this email), you'll earn free rewards. Rewards are still being tested and may be updated; however, in the meantime go ahead and start sharing. Today's Highlights: - The Bitclout controversy. - Investors distance themselves from Dispo. - Pay-to-follow accounts are blowing up.MrBeast is cutting $2M checks for upcoming creators.

Read MoreNewsletter
How YouTube creator Robert Jefferson, aka Comics Explained, makes an estimated $1,283,436 per year

April 2, 2021

In the old days, you took a job or pursued a career over your passion because there wasn't a clear route to make a living. Now with the growing emergence of platforms like TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Patreon accelerating the creator economy, it's possible to make money doing what you love. Don't believe me? Here's how YouTube creator Robert Jefferson, aka Comics Explained, makes an estimated $1,253,436 per year from YouTube and a legion of loyal followers.

Read MoreCreator Economy
Talking Growth #24: $69M

March 15, 2021

All things NFTs, digital products, and creators are the rage. Especially as NFTs make million-dollar waves on a recurring basis. Creators are developing multiple revenue streams with everything from paid communities to digital art and access to a creator's daily life. Today's Highlights: - Taylor Lorenz writes "For Creators, Everything Is For Sale" - Beeple sells an NFT for $69 million - Walmart goes live with shoppable streams - Roblox is laying the path for digital currencies & becoming the nexus of the creator economy

Read MoreNewsletter
Talking Growth #23: $100,000 tips

March 15, 2021

Party people, I've got drops on drops coming out in the next couple of weeks. Don't worry, you don't have to do anything. Just keep an eye on your inbox and enjoy. In the meantime, let's dive in. Today's Highlights: - How GumRoad has powered the creator economy with $142M in GMV - Virtual tips are driving creator monetization - Netflix goes vertical (like TikTok) - Drake drops Scary Hour 2

Read MoreNewsletter
Talking Growth# 22: How to make $200M with Kodak

March 15, 2021

Last week I spelled NFTs as NFT's which was an error on my part. I'm still learning. This space is quickly expanding and showcasing a new path for creators to monetize. Think Logan Paul's $5M NFT. Creators are rapidly starting to identify new monetization opportunities without relying solely on brand partnerships. This means more money with less effort. Today's Highlights: - David Dobrik's Dispo raises $20M at $200M valuation. - Twitter rolls out Super Follow to give creators the opportunity to monetize. Read here for my thoughts and potential opportunities once other platforms release their Super Follow equivalents. - Casey Newton gives a deep dive into how social networks got competitive again.

Read MoreNewsletter
Talking Growth #21: Making millions from NFTs

March 15, 2021

Another week of creators doing what they do best. Creating. Today's Highlights: - Hugo of Arm The Creators walks us through the creator lifecycle and how to address each stage. - Li Jin, the pioneer of the creator economy, launched her new VC firm Atelier. - YouTube shorts are coming to the US.

Read MoreNewsletter
Talking Growth #20: How to go viral

March 15, 2021

Is Clubhouse overhyped? If you asked me a couple of weeks ago I would say yes, but after MrBeast's convo with Sriram Krishnan, that just isn't the case. No other platform would've been able to capture the same level of authentic conversation. It ended up being one of the best Clubhouse conversations to date. Others shared this sentiment proving yet again that creators are the new celebrities and ultimately the new brands. Today's Highlights: - Creators are making bank via SMS. - MrBeast tips on how to go viral. Tipping is becoming commonplace as a way to generate revenue from communities. - TikTok is testing a new feature to allow users to test their own product links.

Read MoreNewsletter
Talking Growth #19: Fake Famous

February 12, 2021

Why are you growing an audience? More importantly, why do you want a large audience? With the shift from product first to audience first businesses, the need for a following is more important than ever. The creator economy is built off the back of the attention economy, and the larger the audience, the more attention you can capture. Today's Highlight: - HBO's Fake Famous experiments with turning people into influencers - The creator retention game comes from the highest bidder Instagram rolls out new experiments - I share my high-level approach for growing a podcast (RIP) with Clubhouse

Read MoreNewsletter
Talking Growth #18: 1 Billion Valuation

February 12, 2021

This week was a rollercoaster. If you're on Twitter or if you've been following the RobinHood, GameStop, and wallstreetbets fiasco, you know what I'm talking about. Today's newsletter doesn't dive into the nitty-gritty of what occurred; however, Twitter legend Sahil Bloom wrote one of the best threads recapping everything thus far. In short, DeFi is the future. Here's a quick highlight of what we dive into today: - Li Jin's report on studying 50+ startups on TikTok. - Creators are leaving Substack to build their own platforms with the biggest being the revamped "Every" publication. - How creators need to approach product launches. - Clubhouse is now at a $1b valuation and begins rolling out their creator grant program.

Read MoreNewsletter
Talking Growth #17: It's for 1M followers

January 27, 2021

What would you do to get 1M followers in a year? These are the questions creators are asking themselves to reach the big 1M. Especially as platforms such as TikTok STILL allow you to go viral overnight. But before we dive in there, here's what on today's agenda. - The paid newsletter train picks up steam as Forbes looks to step on Substack's toes - A YouTube creator is pulling in over a $1M a year just from eating - Morning Brews, Alex Lieberman, gives the audience funnels creators and brands need to be leverage when building an audience

Read MoreNewsletter
Talking Growth #16: The New Wall Street

January 20, 2021

Last week was the best performing send of Talking Growth since its inception. The final numbers are in with an open rate of 52%. For context, 30% of most email lists are dormant. So after months of hard work, I'm glad you all, well most of you, opened and enjoyed the content (secretly sheds happy tears). Now for today's newsletter: LG makes a shift into a new direction with its latest influencer strategy Take a look at the new wall street Newsletters are the rage and Axios wants in Teachables Growth Playbook to $50M ARR

Read MoreNewsletter
The Creators Monetization Portfolio

January 9, 2021

I've had 10 requests in the last week on how to approach monetization for creators. Most are looking for one-off recommendations on what they need to do but the answer is more nuanced than that. To help creators understand, I've highlighted a portfolio approach similar to entrepreneurs (prior to discovering the below thread). Most creators should not rely on one source of income whether that be a product, service, or branded shoutouts/advertising. Instead, they should utilize a portfolio approach that allows them to not only grow their revenue but protect themselves if one income stream fails.

Read MoreCreator Economy
Talking Growth #15: The $1M Creator of 2020

January 8, 2021

I know what you're thinking, but no, the $1M creator of 2020 wasn't me. However, when I reach that milestone, I'll do a write up on how I achieved it. But before we dive into how one creator made $1M in 2020 and how creators can leverage a similar strategy, we have a few other topics on the agenda. We dive into why content is king and how it can be a MOAT, cover Instagram's direct play to retain creators, share a great resource for getting caught up on the creator economy, and highlight the underutilize opportunity of monetization for creators.

Read MoreNewsletter
Talking Growth #14: Monetization for creators

January 8, 2021

Is it just me or since the pandemic started, there only seems to be three days out of the week? Those days being today, yesterday, and tomorrow. This year was both the fastest and slowest all at once, but still, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. As we head in 2021, this will be the last send of Talking Growth (free) until 2021. Before we dive in today's newsletter, here’s a recap of how we got here. March - June: I went full-time on my entrepreneurial journey and started working with startups/SMB’s and rolled out my first newsletter Growth Roadmap. During this time I locked a few clients but I wanted to try out and validate other ideas. July - September: I onboarded a team of 5 to help build out two opportunities. The first was helping influencers with their marketing and the second was pairing brands with freelance creative talent. Both attempts didn’t pan out and I lost a good chunk of money; however, the lessons were gems. Rather than continue to waste my team's time since I wasn't able to pay them and we had 0 results, I ended up shutting down the company. September - Present: At this point, I started brainstorming and using a framework called inversion to identify what things I didn't want to do. This framework allowed me to hone in on my love for building products, growing them, and creating content. By following my curiosity, I discovered the creator economy, which sent me down the rabbit hole of creating content, building an audience through Twitter, TikTok, and Clubhouse, releasing digital products in the form of the Creators Database and the Creators Hub, and landing the first few creators that I advising. I'm not big on talking about my goals in public, but the goal is to continue to grow the creator advising side of my business. While there were bumps in the road and setbacks, this year was still a success. I look forward to continuing to share this journey with you in 2021.

Read MoreNewsletter
Talking Growth #13: We're Going to the Moon

January 8, 2021

This week's Talking Growth is a late one, but don't worry, it's still packing a punch. We dive into David Dorbik's genius marketing play, highlight the shift of brands utilizing influencers outside of branded shoutouts, and show you how to market without marketing.

Read MoreNewsletter
Talking Growth #12: Not Only Fans

January 8, 2021

It was a dark and stormy night. Just kidding. It's 5:00 PM and I've only seen rain once in the last 5 months since being in LA. All jokes aside, things are looking up and even though this gearing to be a tough winter, I hope all of you are well and safe. Now to change gears and dive into this week's Talking Growth. OnlyFans is experiencing some hockey stick growth (maybe it's time I get a manicure?), there's finally a map of the creator economy and the companies that support it, and HBO said, "I'm the captain now" after the announcement of their upcoming releases.

Read MoreNewsletter
Talking Growth #10:The Creator Revenue Dilemma

January 8, 2021

Before we dive into this week's news edition, a special treat was sent out to loyal subscribers (the newest members of Talking Growth (Pro)). It's a thank you for being a VIP subscriber. Recap: On Tuesday I announced Talking Growth (Pro), a $10 monthly newsletter subscription where I dive into social media trends, marketing strategies, tactics, and helpful tools and resources. You can read the first version here: Talking Growth (Pro). After next week, if you're a free subscriber of Talking Growth, you'll receive Friday's email only. Friday's email will include news on the creator economy and a snippet of what's covered in Talking Growth Pro. Lastly, after this weekend, Talking Growth (Pro) will increase from $10 a month to $19 a month. Now let's hop into today's Creator Economy news. I dive into concerns with the growing success of Lil Miquela, cover a new streaming platform that just raised $3M for Black Creators, Twitch is testing multiplayer ads to give Creators an additional opportunity to monetize, Gumroad just released a game-changer feature, and the unbundling of social continues as downloads for Parler soar.

Read MoreNewsletter
Talking Growth Pro #01: Growth Wins

December 3, 2020

Talking Growth started from my love of marketing and the creator economy. The more I researched the Creator Economy, the more I learned about the challenges Creators faced when trying to grow their audience. By sharing helpful advice across TikTok, Twitter, Clubhouse, and this newsletter, I've been able to grow this newsletter and my consulting business. While this growth has been exciting, it also means that my priorities are now helping my clients, sharing insights in this newsletter, and highlighting how other Creators are growing. With multiple projects and clients, I want to make sure that I continue to provide value every time you see my newsletter in your inbox. Therefore, I will be adding social media/content trends, marketing strategies, tactics, and helpful tools and resources you can use for your personal brand or business (e.g. like the TikTok and Linkedin playbook found below).

Read MoreNewsletter
Talking Growth #09: Content Marketing Wins & The PPV of Podcasts

December 3, 2020

What a week. Unlike last week where a majority of my work fell by the waist side, this week has been pretty productive. To recap, the .5 edition of Talking Growth is focused on news around the creator economy from a creator and platform POV. In Tuesdays send of Talking Growth #9, I covered updates on my audience growth and shared a high-level free version of my content distribution strategy. You can catch up on that here.Today we're covering Mirror, a new crypto enabled platform to give writers more ownership of their work, Patreon expands into private podcasts, TikTok is on a trek to reach 1B users, and the battle for the link in bio heats up with Direct.Me raising 2.2M.

Read MoreNewsletter
Talking Growth #08:Building your Personal Brand + News for Creators

December 3, 2020

Today's version of Talking Growth is going to be on the lighter side. While I love that you guys read and enjoy my emails, It would be great if you made time to vote today. If you're not into voting, just take time to show appreciation to the poll workers who are putting their lives on the line for our country. Now for all things Talking Growth. Last week I sent two versions of this newsletter. Email one went out Tuesday and contained updates and insights on my personal brand side of things, while email two went out Friday and contained updates on news around the creator economy. Friday's email performed stronger than previous emails and will definitely be something I include going further. Now let's dive into my audience updates, how to grow your personal brand, and other items.

Read MoreNewsletter
Talking Growth #07: The Lighthouse Strategy & The Future of Media and Social

November 10, 2020

First and foremost, welcome to the new subscribers of Talking Growth. After last week's success of The Creators Database, I've been hard at work brainstorming what's next. While I haven't narrowed in on what that exactly entails, It did give me the much-needed validation to focus my attention on an area I'm most passionate about, the Creator Economy. With that said, I built the Creators Hub. A tracker for creators and makers to get a better view of their business. Lastly, I'm testing something new by sending a newsletter on Tuesday and Friday. Tuesdays will focus on what I'm building, how I'm growing an audience, and marketing strategies/tactics you can use. Fridays will be news from around the web and content from other creators. If you hate this idea, please let me know by replying to this email.

Read MoreNewsletter
Talking Growth #05: creator economy 101

October 28, 2020

Over the past few weeks, I've been doing a deep dive into the creator economy aka, the passion economy. People monetizing their skillsets is nothing new but It's fascinating seeing the tailwinds of COVID nudge people in that direction. In the future, everyone is a creator. Whether you're trying to land that job or get traction for your startup, it doesn't hurt to have built your own audience and showcase your industry knowledge. Today's Talking Growth provides an update on my personal branding experiment, I share a new essay on the business opportunities in the creator's economy, share a marketing strategy for creators and B2C brands on TikTok, plus content from around the web.

Read MoreNewsletter
Talking Growth #06: The Creators Database

October 16, 2020

This past weekend I quietly chipped away at version one of The Creators Database. The goal of the project was to highlight the fragmented landscape of creators building in public. To my surprise, it was very well-received with creators. The initial success of this project wouldn't have been possible without being consistent. This is all to say that no matter what you’re working towards, get your reps in.‍

Read MoreNewsletter
The Creators Opportunity In a Creator Economy

October 12, 2020

Before the Passion Economy or Creator Economy became a go-to-phrase, people were creating content, monetizing their skillsets, and building online communities. It's only recently with the tailwinds of COVID, that we're seeing the macro trend of the creator economy accelerate and infiltrate the masses. More adults are reflecting on their day-to-day and want to pursue their passions full-time. We're in a point of time where side hustles now have the opportunity to become main hustles. The creator trend was already prominent with children as 30% of children in the U.S. and U.K. aspire to be a YouTuber or Vlogger vs. an astronaut. This isn't surprising news when you combine it with the year over year upward trends in influencer related searches. In the future, everyone is a creator and the sleeping giant of a business opportunity hangs with the ability to service creators, help them manage their audience, and scale their business.

Read MoreCreator Economy
Talking Growth #04: Transparency as a growth Lever

October 7, 2020

This week I dive into updates on my personal branding experiment, share a new brand strategy that's working for early-stage companies, and shed news updates on all things commerce and tech. Let's hop in.‍

Read MoreNewsletter
Talking Growth #03: Going Live, Measuring Word of Mouth, and Linear Commerce

September 30, 2020

First and foremost, welcome to the newest subscribers of Talking Growth. Over the past week, I've wanted to do a content series where I highlighted building Growth Roadmap and my personal brand in the open. Much like anything in marketing nowadays, I threw a few feelers out there and people signed up expressing interest. So once again, thanks for signing up, and as promised, I'll share updates on my progress so far. On today's agenda, I cover all things GR and my following, highlight how to measure word of mouth, and touch on Casey Newton leaving The Verge to start his own publication plus some other gems.

Read MoreNewsletter
Talking Growth #02: Audience First, Founder Led Sales, Commerce x Media

September 22, 2020

I'm coming up on two months in CA which sounds crazy just typing but seeing New Yorkers dining outside with layers of clothing on sounds even crazier. I don't miss that life. Palm trees and 80-degree weather in the fall is for me. On our plate today, I highlight my current social media strategy for growing my personal brand and Growth Roadmap, I highlight the tremendous upside for Walmart in the current TikTok deal, and share some insight around commerce and content creation.

Read MoreNewsletter
Talking Growth #01: Building In The Open

September 22, 2020

This is the first week of the new newsletter since migrating from Growth Roadmap. Why the migration? Growth Roadmap is a marketplace dedicated to pairing brands with on-demand creative talent. Since the business pivoted, it made sense for me to migrate the Growth Roadmap newsletter under my own name. Don't worry, in this newsletter and those going forward, you'll get updates/words from me, news, and unique content from the web.

Read MoreNewsletter
Building In The Open: From Agency to Marketplace

September 14, 2020

Growth Roadmap isn’t my first business and it won’t by last. As the self-proclaimed side project legend, my experience running eCommerce stores, blogs, and building products at different organizations, taught me two valuable skills: how to build and how-to sale. That’s why I when I was laid off from my growth role at Vaynermedia’s The Sasha Group, I wanted to go all-in on building my business, Growth Roadmap, a marketplace giving brands a faster turn around rate with a lower cost per asset. Growth Roadmap didn’t start off with this vision in mind, so here’s the first part of how I navigated the company from go-to-market agency to marketplace.

Read MoreStrategy
People are the new billion-dollar brands

September 7, 2020

The best influencers, celebrities, music artists, and athletes, have on thing in common: their core business is their ability to grow their brand. This concept isn’t new. Everyone from the likes of Jay-Z and Tony Romo, to Kylie Jenner has successfully built a moat around themselves by leveraging their brand. With platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, Twitch, YouTube, SubStack, Linkedin, TikTok, etc are creating more opportunities for people to become Influencers. The barrier of entry to becoming an influencer and celebrity is lower than ever.

Read MoreCreator Economy
Growing Brand Market Share - Empathy & Engagement Impact [Measuring Brand]

September 7, 2020

Often times brand marketers, and performance marketers don’t mix because one is perceived as having less expertise. Fun fact, it’s brand marketers. The reason being is that measuring brand is more of an art than a science. As a result, you often get conversations such as: “we need to do “XYZ” but we don’t know why”.

Read MoreStrategy
How digital avatars will reshape marketing

September 7, 2020

After stumbling upon Lil Miquela a few weeks ago I instantly started researching the digital avatar space. The took me through the world of VR, AI and digital avatars as a whole. After going down the rabbit hole and seeing the latest release from Calvin Klein featuring Bella Hadid and Lil Miquela, it hit me. Digital avatars are the new influencers. And soon they will become a pillar in the fashion industries marketing, product, and overall business strategy.

Read MoreCreator Economy
Growing Virtual Kitchens

September 7, 2020

As a lover food (mean come one, what’s not to love), I’ve been watching the Virtual Kitchen and Ghost Kitchen space religiously. Mainly, I’ve been keeping a close eye on the marketing opportunities and challenges that come with trying to grow a Virtual Kitchen and Ghost Kitchen. The primary methods that virtual kitchens and ghost kitchens will grow are through marketing and market expansion. Similar to eCommerce/DTC marketing, the winners in the Virtual Kitchen space will be those that can own as much of the customer journey as possible.

Read MoreStrategy