👋🏽 Doors Opening

Hey! Welcome to the Creator Economy NYC newsletter — your weekly dose of actionable insights and strategies to help you build, monetize, and scale as a creator.

So OpenAI launched GPT-5 yesterday, their most powerful model ever. The timing feels perfect because I was talking with creators in our community this week about AI and productivity tools. What’s out there? What should I try?

So, I want to share how I’m personally integrating some AI tools into my day-to-day, in a way that’s not hype, not gimmicky, just actually useful.

Below is what I shared with them: the three tools I rely on the most right now, and how they make my work (and life) way easier.

PLUS, a lil August event for you. Down below!

Let’s dive in.

📚 In partnership with Teachable

What I'm learning as a “modern course creator”

I'm creating my first course right now (designed for you) , and I almost made the classic mistake: trying to put everything I know about growing as a creator into one massive program.

Then I caught myself. That's the old playbook…and it doesn't work anymore.

Instead, I'm focusing in on one major transformation: helping creators break through the mental barriers that keep them stuck in planning mode.

Not "everything about creating" but "the specific mindset shifts that turn planners into creators."

This is exactly what Teachable calls the "Modern Course Creator" approach.

The future of online learning and digital products is that people don't need more information. Instead, what they need is a GUIDE who delivers clear transformation over overwhelming content dumps.

And that guide is YOU!

Want to build, sell, and scale smarter in 2025?

Download Teachable's guide to help you simplify your systems, clarify your value, and create offers that actually sell.

✍️ Spotlight

The AI tools I actually use (and why they work)

We’ve talked a lot about AI tools for content creation this year. But I want to share some that have been more productivity-focused. This is about what’s actually helping me move faster, think better, and stay focused as a creator.

These three tools aren’t just part of my workflow. They are my workflow. And to be clear, none of these are sponsored.

1. Granola: My second brain for meetings + voice notes

There are a million AI note-takers out there. Granola is the only one that’s stuck.

Why? Because it’s dumb simple.

It records your meetings, transcribes them, lets you take notes alongside it, and then… wait for it… it synthesizes its own notes and takeaways on top. It’s like having a super sharp chief of staff on every call.

I can even chat with the meeting afterward to look back at key conversations, find action items, and write follow-up emails.

But here’s what I actually use it for most: rambling to myself.

I have the app on my phone. I tap “new note,” start talking, and it captures everything clearly. I’ve used it to reflect after events, plan newsletters, ideate projects. It’s my go-to for when I want to get thoughts out of my head fast and have them synthesized.

The point: this isn’t just a “meeting tool.” It’s a thinking tool.

Try Granola here.

2. Cora: Your email assistant that actually works

I was in beta for Cora for a few months. It's basically an AI email assistant.

I have three email inboxes: one for Creator Economy NYC, one for Siftsy, and one for personal. They all go into one big inbox in Spark. But I get a lot of emails, and a lot of junk that makes its way through. It's a lot to keep up with.

With Cora, I connected all my emails to it. What it does is act like your assistant and learns what actually matters to you. It files the noise, surfaces the good stuff, and gives you a digest twice a day that summarizes everything it moved.

Even cooler? It learns how you write and what you do. So it auto-drafts responses to emails for you, waiting for your review. I still tweak most of them, but it saves me a ton of time. It’s like having a silent intern cleaning your inbox throughout the day.

I actually turned Cora off for a week just to truly feel the “before” difference, and it was a nightmare. Lol.

Try Cora here.

3. Claude: The content partner that gets it

The final one is Claude by Anthropic. You might already know this one.

I love Claude primarily because it's so good at writing and helping me multiply my content. What I mean by that: after I host a panel or an event, or maybe I'm on a podcast, or maybe I was rambling in Granola, I'll paste the transcript from that content into Claude.

I'll work with it to draft a newsletter and help me craft takeaways to amplify that one piece of content into something else. Maybe I'll also have it help turn things into potential LinkedIn posts. Claude helps me become a more efficient creator.

While I can do one piece of content, I know there's a lot more that can come out of that one piece of content. And Claude helps me amplify that.

Try Claude here.

The bottom line

I know AI can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re just trying to post consistently, build community, and run a business.

But here’s the takeaway I keep coming back to: AI isn’t about replacing your creativity. It’s about protecting it.

The right tools give you back time, reduce friction, and let you focus on what actually matters… your ideas, your voice, your people.

These three tools help me do just that. If you try one, let me know how it goes.

And if you’ve got one you love, reply to this email and tell me. We’ll compile and share them.

🎪 City Happenings

Upcoming Event: Creator Walk – Stroll Don’t Scroll

We’re trying something different this month that we’ve been wanting to do for a long time!

On Saturday, August 16, we’re hosting our first-ever Creator Walk in Central Park. Good conversations, fresh air, and a slow stroll with fellow creators and industry friends.

Meet us at 10 am at the 5th Avenue East entrance (details to follow). Weather pending, of course.

Bring your coffee. Bring a friend. Bring that idea you’ve been thinking about.

Let’s walk and talk. Stroll don’t scroll.

What’s Next:

We're planning what's coming next for our Creator Economy NYC community. There will likely be events in August and September, and definitely something special planned for October.

Apply here to join us in October →

As always, you'll hear about confirmed events first right here in the newsletter, then on our socials. Stay tuned!

📚 Resources

LAUNCHING SOON: "F*ck It, Create It" Course (Early Access)

I've been heads down working on our first creator education course: "F*ck It, Create It."

It's designed to break through the mental barriers that keep you stuck in planning mode instead of creating mode.

I’m looking for early testers to help shape the course. Jump in early and get a limited-edition hat plus access to resources, challenges, and community accountability.

2 FREE resources to accelerate your creator growth

The Creator Goal Setting Guide: A simple but powerful document to help you declare who you want to BECOME in 2025.

The Creator Accountability System: Your visual companion for consistent creation in 2025 (I’m using this now to send one newsletter a week!)

✌🏽 Stand Clear of the Closing Doors Please

Thanks for reading! If you try one, let me know how it goes.

Let's keep creating,

Brett