Happy Super Bowl Sunday! Welcome to the Creator Economy NYC newsletter, your weekly dose of insights and strategies to help you build, monetize, and scale as a creator.

I imagine you're tuning into the Super Bowl right now, so hopefully this landed during a commercial. But I encourage you to bookmark this to come back to at the start of this week!

At our kickoff event, Gabrielle Judge (@msantiwork) delivered a talk that cut through the noise around virality. This week, I'm sharing my takeaways on turning attention into leverage.

But first: we're hosting a virtual event with Stan on February 18th diving into Reels strategy with creator Oren John. RSVP details below.

Let's get into it.

— Brett

$100K to post for 30 days straight

We talk a lot about consistency being the way to grow. This month, I'm practicing what I preach.

I'm committing to posting on Instagram every single day for 30 days straight as part of Stan's Dare to Post Challenge - and I'm inviting you to do it with me.

Here's the deal: Post once per day on Instagram for 30 consecutive days (February 17 - March 18). Complete all 30 days, and you earn a share of the $100,000 prize pool.

Seriously.

But this is not about going viral. It's about showing up. Building the habit. Proving to yourself that consistency actually works.

Stan's providing daily prompts, community support, and accountability throughout the challenge. You're not doing this alone.

See you out there.

What virality gives you vs. what it doesn't

Gabrielle Judge opened her talk the other week with a reality check I see too many creators miss:

• Virality gives you: Attention

• Virality does NOT give you: Leverage, stability, or sustainable opportunity

She used an example that hits close to home - the "day in the life" New York creator content. You know, creating content around a NYC aesthetic like your matcha latte, outfit, activity, etc. It works. It gets views. But here's the problem:

Unless you own the matcha company, you're just renting that attention. You have to keep making the same content every single day to maintain those numbers. Post daily for 18 months straight and sure, you'll likely hit those view and follower goals. But even all of that doesn't automatically translate to a business.

The insight that stuck: Virality is a numbers game. You can manufacture attention by posting enough, but attention alone doesn't build anything long term sustainable.

Content is the asset (not just the output)

This is where Gabrielle's approach shifts from most creators.

She explained that she’s not chasing views. She's building intellectual property that can be repackaged, resold, and repurposed across formats.

Her slide showed it clearly: one piece of content turns into podcasts, courses, digital products, books, newsletters, frameworks, speaking gigs.

Here's the example from her that makes this real: In May 2023, Gabrielle posted a video coining the term "Lazy Girl Jobs" - remote roles with good pay and minimal stress.

Within 24 hours, the concept exploded. Other creators started making their own versions, the hashtag took off, and suddenly Gabrielle owned a conversation millions of people were having.

But here's what matters: She's still cashing in on it nearly two years later. Not because she keeps reposting it, but because she turned it into an asset that feeds her business in multiple ways.

Book deals. Speaking opportunities. Brand partnerships. Newsletter growth. All of it traces back to owning a concept that resonated, then extracting value from it across different channels.

The tactical move: Stop thinking about content as just posts. Start thinking about what you're building that can live beyond the feed.

The L.E.V.E.R. Framework for content that compounds

Gabrielle shared her framework for evaluating whether content will actually build your business or just get you likes. She calls it L.E.V.E.R.:

L: Language – Does your content name something people already feel but don't have words for yet?

E: Explanation – Are you teaching people how to think about a problem, not just what to do?

V: Value Density – Could one piece of content be reused as a talk, a product, a chapter, or a system?

E: Edge – Would this provoke someone (motivate, evoke emotion, etc)? If not, it's probably forgettable.

R: Repeatability – Could you stop posting every day and still benefit from what you already made?

This framework cuts through so much of the noise. Most content fails one or more of these tests. The content that builds businesses hits all five.

Find your content focus (virality might happen along the way)

Here's what I loved about Gabrielle's approach: she's not anti-virality. She's anti-only virality.

You need reach content. The day-in-the-life stuff can work. But if that's all you're doing, you're building someone else's business, not yours.

Her advice: Figure out what you actually want to be known for. What's the thing people keep asking you about? What's the recurring conversation in your DMs? That's your content focus.

Some of that content will go viral. Some won't. But if it's all building toward something you own like shared language, frameworks, IP, etc you're not starting from zero every time you post.

The shift: Stop optimizing for only views. Start optimizing for ownership.

Thanks to Gabrielle for her time and spreading her wisdom with us - be sure to follow her here!

VIRTUAL EVENT: Winning on Instagram Reels in 2026

Join us for a virtual fireside chat hosted with our friends at Stan, featuring the legendary creator Oren John (aka @orenmeetsworld), who’s built a following of 600,000 on Instagram through consistency and iteration.

We’ll break down what’s actually working on Reels in 2026, and just as importantly, what’s no longer worth your time.

This conversation will go beyond surface-level tactics to unpack:

• What kinds of Reels are consistently performing right now

• Common strategies creators are still doing out of habit (but shouldn’t)

• How to think about consistency without burning out

• What Oren has learned from testing, iterating, and showing up over time

If you’re a creator trying to grow with intention this year - this one’s for you.

This event will only be hosted in Stan's community as part of their ‘Dare to Post’ challenge, so to RSVP, follow the link to sign up. You'll be notified when we're going live in there! You don't want to miss this.

If you’re a creator who wants to level up in the new year, start here

F*ck It, Create It is the resource I wish existed before I started Creator Economy NYC.

It’s not about growth hacks, content calendars, or chasing algorithms.
It’s about removing the mental friction that keeps creators frozen:
overthinking, perfectionism, and the constant “I’ll start when I’m ready.”

This is short, actionable, and built specifically for creators who’ve been sitting on an idea for way too long.

Two free tools top creators use to keep themselves moving

The Creator Goal Setting Guide (FREE): A simple but powerful document to help you declare who you want to BECOME in 2026.

The Creator Accountability System (FREE): Your visual companion for consistent creation in 2026.

Thanks for reading! Enjoy the game, and I'll see you next week.

And don't forget to join Stan’s Dare to Post challenge with me here!

F*ck it, create it,

Brett