I’M WALKIN’ HERE WITH

Hey! Welcome to Creator Economy NYC — the premier place for all things creator economy in the Big Apple.

The other week, I sat down with seasoned creator exec Sean Atkins, who’s now running one of the largest creator channels in the world.

Our convo was packed with gems about scaling creator businesses and what's coming in 2025 — stuff you'll definitely want to think about.

Quick ask before we dive in: Can you help me shape Creator Economy NYC in 2025? Just share what you want more of here — it takes 5 minutes and would mean the world to me (which you can do after reading).

Now, let's dive in…

Enjoying being part of the community?

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CITY SPOTLIGHT

This NYC exec ditched legacy media for a creator empire with billions of views

When Sean Atkins appeared on my Zoom screen, I noticed his meticulously crafted background setup — a stark contrast to the typical home office spaces I've seen in countless creator interviews (most of us are hunkered down in our tiny NYC apartments, embracing the landlord special white walls).

As someone who's spent the past few years building in the creator economy, I've learned that the most interesting stories often come from those who've bridged the old and new worlds of media. Sean, now CEO of Dhar Mann Studios, embodies this bridge perfectly.

From his carefully lit basement office in Westchester (which he humorously compares to Gollum's lair), Sean shared insights that made me rethink the creator economy's evolution.

"I live like Gollum," he jokes about his windowless workspace, "I literally don't know the time of day." But this basement headquarters is where he's helping architect the future of creator-led entertainment…

The executive who spotted the shift

During our conversation, what struck me wasn't just Sean's impressive roster of executive roles — MTV, HBO, Discovery — but his early recognition of media's future.

While traditional executives were dismissing YouTube creators, Sean was at HBO, where their HBOlabs incubator was collaborating with early stars like Philip DeFranco before most people even knew what a "YouTuber" was.

"My superpower has been seeing where consumer behavior is taking people ahead of time," he tells me, and his track record backs this up. At Discovery, he helped build what would eventually become part of Vox Media, and his early bets on creators have consistently paid off.

As President of Jellysmack, Sean transformed the company into a creator economy powerhouse, developing technology that helped creators expand their reach across platforms.

It was his deliberate move to the creator side after years in traditional media, providing crucial insights he's now applying at Dhar Mann Studios.

The Dhar Mann revolution

While many know Dhar Mann for viral motivational videos, what Sean described was far more ambitious: the largest digital scripted studio in the world, generating 7 billion views across 129 million followers.

But what caught my attention was how they've solved the creator economy's biggest challenge — founder dependency. Unlike many creator businesses that live and die by their founder's camera presence, Dhar Mann has successfully transitioned to running the business behind the scenes.

The company operates with a unique mission-driven approach, focusing on positive content that resonates across cultural and generational lines.

"We have a very Disney kind of audience," Sean noted, "Multicultural, multi-generational, multi-platform." This broad appeal has allowed them to build what Sean describes as a "global business where the audience is bought into the characters and the universes."

Building the future of creator business

Under Sean's leadership, Dhar Mann Studios isn't just creating content — they're revolutionizing how creator businesses scale.

Through their Fifth Quarter initiative, they're providing infrastructure and expertise to other creators while exploring acquisitions to help creator businesses grow, similar to how Disney was built through strategic acquisitions (eg. ESPN, ABC, Marvel, etc.)

The company is exploring multiple revenue streams based directly on audience demand. When I asked about their expansion plans, Sean emphasized their methodical approach:

"There's pretty much nothing we're not looking at. It'll be a question of which ones we order." They've already signed with CAA for traditional media opportunities and partnered with Studio71 for premium advertising, showing how a creator-led business can evolve into a full-fledged media enterprise.

NYC’s unique role

Of course, I was particularly interested in Sean's take on our city's role in the creator economy. His perspective validated much of what we've been building with Creator Economy NYC — that New York's unique combination of venture capital, media infrastructure, and advertising industry makes it indispensable for creator businesses looking to scale.

"It's not actually possible to build a creator-driven entity, particularly at scale, without having a presence in New York," he asserts. After splitting his time between coasts, Sean settled his family here nine years ago, recognizing that while "LA had more of the talent side of it... New York had the talent and the business side."

And it’s more fun, of course.

Looking ahead to 2025

As our conversation turned to predictions for 2025, Sean highlighted a trend that aligns perfectly with what we've been discussing at Creator Economy NYC — the growing professionalization of creators.

"I think we'll see more of what I call the professionalization of the creator class," Sean explained. While he points to executives like Zach Miller at Bucket Squad and Marc Hustvedt at Mr. Beast joining creator companies, he emphasized that this is just one part of a larger transformation.

This resonated with me, as I've watched creators in our NYC community evolve from treating their channels as side projects to building sustainable, professional businesses. 

The shift isn't just about bringing in outside expertise — it's about creators themselves developing business acumen and leveraging the right tools to scale their operations — many of which we purposely partner with at our events and in this newsletter for this reason.

The path forward

What I took away from my conversation with Sean was a clearer vision of how creator businesses might evolve. The key isn't just about creating content or building a personal brand — it's about constructing sustainable, scalable businesses that can transcend their founders while staying true to their audience.

As someone who's watched countless creator businesses rise and fall in New York (see: Something Navy), I found Sean's perspective particularly valuable. His emphasis on thoughtful expansion, audience understanding, and strategic growth offers a roadmap for creators looking to build lasting businesses.

"Most creatives don't want to stop," he noted. "What they want is their business to continue, but having the ability to still do other things creatively that they're interested in."

For our NYC creator community, Sean's insights offer a blueprint for building sustainable businesses while maintaining creative freedom — a balance that many of us are striving to achieve.

CITY HAPPENINGS

Typically our upcoming events go here… but obviously, we are approaching the end of the year and have completed a successful 2024 together!

All that to say, I'd love to hear your feedback on CENYC, and what you want to see more of in 2025. Your insights will help shape the future of this community to serve you better.

Seriously, the power is in your hands to shape our community.

And because I appreciate you taking the time, you'll exclusively get early access and discounts to the new resources and merch we are launching in 2025 (wait till ya see what we've got!)

PICKS & PERKS FOR YOU

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This is something I’ve co-founded, and working to make it the best damn tool out there for influencer marketers.

THE NEWSSTAND

• Social media influencer is a growing career choice. Colleges have noticed

• Top 50 innovators to watch in the creator economy

• Creator economy and exit strategies as a business owner from ProfG Pod

ICYMI

• 📰 Inside the creator’s journey to building brands (that last)

• 🎥 Content to commerce panel recording

• 📰 Why NYC's top creators embrace the cringe

btw… you can view all our past content here, and watch a handful of our recorded panels here.

STAND CLEAR OF THE CLOSING DOORS PLEASE

Thanks so much for reading! Let me know what you thought by replying back to this email. And if you filled out the feedback form, thank you so much — truly. See you next week!

Talk soon,

Brett