The award every NYC creator dreams of winning

Author

Brett Dashevsky
July 19, 2024

I’M WALKIN’ HERE WITH

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

In today's newsletter, we're diving into The Webby Awards and their impact on NYC's creator scene. We'll explore how these 'Internet Oscars' have celebrated online creation for nearly 30 years and what's next for NYC creators.

A big shoutout to Emmy O'Leary, who led the development of this piece — her contributions really brought it to life.

Let’s dive into it.

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CITY SPOTLIGHT

Celebrating creators: the impact of the Webby awards on NYC's creator economy

A lot happened in 1996. Apple re-employed Steve Jobs, the first flip phone came to market, Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls won the NBA Championship, the NY Yankees won their 23rd World Series, the historic Blizzard of 1996 hit NYC, and The Webby Awards were born to celebrate the birth of internet culture. 

It’s hard to believe that all of this happened almost 30 years ago — a lot has changed since then — but Claire Graves, president of The Webby Awards, reminds us that one thing hasn’t changed: the role that creators play in The Webbys and culture at large.

The internet has always been driven by creators, innovators, artists, filmmakers, and individuals. From its inception, the creators have been entering the Webby Awards, and that is now nearly 30 years ago.

Claire Graves

Headquartered in NYC, the Webby’s team is at the epicenter of culture and has a rich understanding of the nuances of the internet and media. Unlike the Oscars, The Webbys isn’t bound by tradition and has evolved alongside the web to celebrate all the wild, wacky corners of the internet and the companies and creators who are shaping it. 

“Categories are one of my favorite things to talk about at the Webby Awards because it's the history of the internet, right? It’s the way content changes and moves from platform to platform,” remarks Graves. 

There is no shortage of categories at The Webbys. With over 100 categories ranging from “Weird” (this category honors sites that just seem strange, offbeat, or odd) to Best Indie Podcast, Webby categories are a true index of the internet.

Webby’s category page

Creators have always been a part of The Webby Awards and nominees/winners in various categories, it was only five years ago that the Webby team introduced dedicated categories for Creators under the larger social media segment. This year, they received 2,000 entries into the various Social Media categories and slightly over 300 into the Best Creator category. 

While no NYC creators brought home Best Creator (the award was won by Garrison Hayes and Madison Tevlin), NYC creators and institutions took home prizes in other categories like: 

  • Adwoa Adusei and Virginia Marshall hosts of The Brooklyn Public Library’s podcast “Borrowed and Banned” won a Webby for Best Writing Podcast.

The talent, passion and creativity pouring out of the creator economy is undeniable and winning a Webby can have a tremendous impact on a creators career and help propel them to the next level. 

Macy Gilliam with her Webby Awards

For example, winning a Webby has had a significant impact on Macy Gilliam's career as a creator, sharing:

It feels great as recognition, inside and outside my current. In social it's hard to have proof that you know what you're talking about, but this is proof even for people who don't understand much about social media.

Macy Gilliam

She notes that the award has boosted her credibility in the industry, particularly when reaching out for interviews. Gilliam also highlights the unique position of the Webby Awards in the digital world:

The Webbys feel like the most "real" of the internet awards both in being very in touch with the actual internet culture, and just because they've been around the longest.

Macy Gilliam

Gilliam’s experience underscores the Webby Awards' role in validating creators' work and their deep connection to internet culture.

Solving for gaps in the creator economy 

The Webby's ability to create significant opportunities for creators is important and addresses one of The Webbys team's concerns for creators: longevity. 

One of the things we've been talking about as a team is the importance of creators focusing on their longevity and growth as a brand. How can they maintain relevance and make that independent of a platform?

Claire Graves

Despite this question looming overhead, the Webby’s team is committed to investing in the creator economy for the long run. They shared with us that they’ll be releasing designated categories for creators with their call for entries, opening in September. That means Creators will have an entire section for themselves. This is a big moment for creators and The Webbys, with Graves sharing:

We're super excited about it because the creator economy is such a massive, growing share of the advertising market, so we're really excited about recognizing this work and the creativity that is within it.

Claire Graves

While this is exciting news, one of the more serious issues that Graves is keen on both brands and creators recognizing and solving is the pay disparity between white and BIPOC creators. 

Webby’s team plans to use its platform to raise awareness and find solutions to this problem. This fall, they’ll host an event in NYC with long-term partner the NAACP to bring this conversation to center stage. The event, titled “Black and Viral,” will also focus on the impact that black creators can have in getting their communities tuned into the election and voting in the presidential election.

Can anyone predict what next year will look like? If they can, let me know (I need some stock picks too…).

Perhaps it’s an unfair question to ask, but when chatting with the president of The Webby Awards, it’s almost impossible not to ask what creator trends they predict for next year. 

Graves is all too familiar with this question and says, “Predicting what’s going to be popular in a year is really challenging because the internet moves so fast.”

However, Graves was down to offer a few thoughts:

I think we’ll see more creators being exclusive to brands and long-form, narrative storytelling like Who TF Did I Marry? which was a 50-part TikTok series where a woman does a deep dive into the shocking unraveling of her marriage

Claire Graves

What do you think we’ll see? Let me know by replying back to this email.

To learn more about The Webby Awards and what’s upcoming, check out:

This week’s City Spotlight was written and developed with significant contributions from Emmy O'Leary, Contributing Author.

CITY HAPPENINGS

Upcoming events

Summer Mixer & Live Podcast - July 29, 6:30PM-9:30PM

We’re excited to partner with Creator Economy Live for an exclusive summer mixer and live podcast recording at the Mariott Marquis in the heart of NYC to bring together our community.

Expect free beverages, food, and great people to meet. Plus, a live podcast recording with a special NYC-creator guest, Nadya Okamoto!

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STAND CLEAR OF THE CLOSING DOORS PLEASE

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

See you next week,

Brett

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