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

The energy at our latest event this week was electric as 200 of you creators, marketers, and digital media leaders gathered for our panel and mixer event — all on a Monday night! Thanks to everyone who could join us, much more to come in October.

In today’s newsletter, I’m recapping our panel diving into the creator-to-entrepreneur journey. There are takeaways for creators of any size and, in general, for founders and brand builders.

PLUS, some incredible upcoming events I’m excited to announce.

Let’s dive into it.

Enjoying being part of the community?

As you know, I’m always on the lookout for innovative ways for creators to connect with their audience and monetize better, and CreatorCart is doing just that.

Now, imagine using SMS to monetize your community more effectively.

That's exactly what CreatorCart is achieving with their new SMS auction feature, and they're looking for creators in our community to help pilot it.

What's the deal: CreatorCart, known for helping creators set up personalized storefronts, is now adding auctions to the mix, all manageable through the power of text messages.

The perks for pilot users:

• First dibs on the new auction functionality

• Grow your SMS list (owned audience)

• Experience a potential revenue boost

Are you a creator with an engaged following, open to shaping a potentially game-changing tool? This could be your moment.

If you're interested (or know a creator who might be), apply below! But move fast — these spots are filling up quickly.

What it takes for creators to go pro: 5 key takeaways from industry experts

In the creator economy, the path from hobbyist to professional can seem daunting. To shed light on this journey, we recently hosted a panel featuring industry experts Olivia Owens, Brandon Smithwrick, and Dara Denney.

These seasoned creators and industry professionals shared invaluable insights on how to transition from content creation as a side hustle to a full-fledged career. Whether you're just starting out or looking to take your creator/business game to the next level, these five key takeaways will guide you on your path to success:

1. Embrace imperfection and leverage content

"You don't need to be good to start, you need to start to be good." - Brandon Smithwrick

This sounds like the most obvious one, but you’d be surprised how difficult this is for many. Going from zero-to-one is always the hardest step.

Perfectionism is the enemy of progress in the creator economy. The panelists emphasized the importance of starting your content creation journey immediately, regardless of your current skill level. By consistently creating and publishing content, you'll naturally improve over time and find your groove, and niche.

This approach can also serve as a powerful career hack and leverage, potentially leading to unexpected opportunities. For instance, Dara shared how creating content about her field led to a job offer that significantly increased her salary, and Brandon experienced the same by creating on LinkedIn, which led to jobs at Ralph Lauren and Squarespace.

2. Own your audience for long-term success

"If you don't have a function to capture emails from your audience today, do it tomorrow. Starting early on that is critical." - Olivia Owens

If you've been a longtime subscriber, you know how much we have emphasized audience ownership in this community.

Owning your audience is crucial for long-term success as a creator. While social media platforms are great for reaching new people, they're essentially "rented land."

The panelists stressed the importance of building an email list or newsletter from the start. This direct line to your audience ensures you're not entirely dependent on platform algorithms or at risk of losing your following if a platform shuts down or changes its policies. Leverage newsletter platforms or Teachable’s email capture mechanisms.

3. Hedge your bets and expand your reach

"If you’re creating on TikTok and you're concerned about TikTok bans — congratulations you are also an Instagram creator, a YouTube shorts creator, a LinkedIn creator now…" - Dara Denney

This question stemmed from a community member in the audience asking about navigating the impending TikTok ban, and it also coincides with the idea of audience ownership. All in all, relying on a single platform can be risky.

The panelists advised creators to repurpose their content across multiple platforms, including TikTok, Instagram, YouTube Shorts, and LinkedIn. This approach not only hedges against potential platform-specific issues but also allows you to reach different segments of your audience where they prefer to engage.

The goal with that is to experiment with various platforms to see where your content resonates most. It's OK to be platform agnostic.

4. Focus on value, not numbers

“When I joined Teachable and saw the top creators there, they didn’t have millions of followers, but they did have millions in revenue…” - Olivia Owens

Don't be so focused on your follower count or metrics. Focus more on what your value, voice, and content are.

While metrics like follower count can be important, the panelists emphasized that they shouldn't be your primary focus. Instead, concentrate on finding your niche, developing a unique voice, and providing genuine value to your audience.

Dara shared that she secured her first brand deal with less than 1000 subscribers to her YouTube channel, highlighting that engagement and the right audience can be more valuable than sheer numbers. Follower count is not a metric to optimize for, and you can make a great, sustainable living without the big numbers — followers, views, etc. At the end of the day, its about your personal monopoly and the value you provide to the right people.

5. Diversify your income streams

"Go home and brainstorm 10 ways your audience can personally pay you... a download, service, etc." - Dara Denney

Successful creators often have multiple revenue streams beyond ad revenue or brand deals. The panelists encouraged thinking creatively about how to monetize your expertise. This could include creating digital products, offering services, developing online courses, or providing coaching. By diversifying your income sources, you create a more stable and sustainable career as a creator.

Creators today are pushed in many different ways to monetize. The panelists concluded by encouraging the audience to think about what will enable their longevity and what income streams can be in their control. 

Wrapping it up

All in all, so much value was provided on the panel, and our community asked such thoughtful Q&A questions. We even heard new phrases, like "making commas," as spoken by Brandon, which we learned means making thousands of dollars, or sayings like “you got that niche,” which means you found a specific area that you are known for, and that you can dive deep into.

My personal takeaway from it all: if you got that niche, you can make those commas.

Thanks again to our fantastic panelists, Olivia Owens, Brandon Smithwrick, and Dara Denney. And to our amazing partners for this event: Teachable, Notion, and Siftsy.

Now, you can watch the entire panel as if you were there via our new YouTube channel! And a special thanks to Bridget @ B&H for coming out to record it all:

Upcoming events

Creators 4 Mental Health Happy Hour

When: Oct 8, 5:00PM-8:00PM

We're collaborating with Shopify and Peace Inside Live for a joy-filled happy hour featuring top creators, wellness products, and mental health experts, including a meditation session and a panel featuring NYC’s very own: Kate Mackz of The Running Interview Show, Sahaj Kohli of Brown Girl Therapy, and Gabby Beckford, travel influencer and creator of Packslight, all hosted by Emmy-nominated host Shira Lazar.

RSVP to secure your spot.

Ad Industry Afterhours: Harnessing Creator Partnerships for Brand Success (the Ocky Way)

When: October 10, 6:30-9:30pm

Excited to announce this one! We want to wrap up Advertising Week in the best way possible. And what better way to do it than by coming together for an afterhours mixer and live panel featuring NYC's very own… Ocky!

​You might know Ocky best from his viral bodega content and his signature "Sure, sure!" catchphrase. We'll sit down for a convo with Ocky and Glenn Ginsburg, the President of QYOU Media, diving into harnessing creator partnerships for brand success + more. Expect insights that are as fresh as Ocky's ingredients and as impactful as QYOU's campaigns 😉

RSVP to get on the list (please note we are prioritizing brands and creators):

• beehiiv: Get 20% off your first 3 months on any beehiiv paid plan. This comes after a complimentary 30-day free trial, exclusively for our community members! Snag it here.

• (NEW) Notion Conference: Want to attend Make with Notion? Just for our community you’ll get 75% off tickets! Submit your information here.

• (NEW) Webbys: Submissions for the 29th Annual Webby Awards are officially open! Head to webbyawards.com to enter your work! And there’s a new dedicated suite of categories just for creators! Go get em!

• (NEW) Free Workshop: “Capitalizing on Curiosity - Turning Questions into Opportunities” — gain valuable insights on the crucial and often overlooked role questions play for creators. You’ll learn how to take your audience's natural curiosity and turn it into rewarding opportunities. RSVP Here.

As some might know, I also work as Head of Content Creators at Kickstarter. I’m hosting a virtual event, or “webinar” (for lack of a better term), diving into ​why content creators turn to Kickstarter and how Kickstarter can help amplify your creative projects and connect you with a passionate community of supporters.

​Whether you define yourself as a YouTuber, influencer, writer, artist, or any other type of content creator, this talk will provide valuable insights to help you harness the power of crowdfunding.

RSVP for it here!

We're giving away FREE tickets to NAB Show New York, the premier East Coast event for media and entertainment, to the FIRST 100 people who share this newsletter with 2 people using your unique referral link below.

NAB Show New York is where content creators, tech innovators, and media leaders converge to explore the future of storytelling with meaningful networking and panels and fireside chats.

• NYC is ‘the capital of TikTok,’ says the 27-year-old mogul behind some of its biggest shows

• How LinkedIn became influencers’ hot new video platform

• Netflix in talks for live episodes of ‘hot ones’

• Senior Creative Strategist @ Linqia

• Creative Strategy Manager @ Linqia

• Special Projects Intern @ Trifecta

• 📰 This “out of the box” content marketer has gems for NYC creators

• 📰 This NYC tech creator went “all in” with affiliates (and it paid off)

• 📰 NYC's sweetest sensation: BonBon and the impact of “local gone viral”

View the full archive here.

Thanks so much for reading! Let me know what you thought by replying back to this email!

See you next week,

Brett