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

As we wrap up Thanksgiving, I want to take a moment to say how grateful I am for this incredible community. Creator Economy NYC wouldn’t exist without the creators, sponsors, and volunteers who show up, share ideas, and make it all happen. Your support has turned this vision into something real and meaningful.

Here’s to everything we’ve built this year — and what’s ahead in 2025! Thank you for being part of it. 💛🧡💙

In today’s newsletter, we're climbing "Cringe Mountain" – exploring why embarrassment is the cost of entry for creators, and why that's actually a good thing. It’s short and sweet.

Plus, our final event of the year is happening next week, ahhh! Let’s dive in.

Enjoying being part of the community?

Why Teachable is having their biggest sale ever (and why you should care)

You know those moments when everything just lines up perfectly? This is one of them.

After partnering with Teachable at our NYC events and watching countless creators in our community transform their expertise into thriving online businesses, I can tell you – their platform just works.

Here's the deal: They're offering 25% off annual plans (their steepest discount ever), but it's disappearing soon. Plus, Pro/Pro+ subscribers unlock $250+ worth of resources from top Teachable creators: proven templates to grow your email list, social media strategies that actually work, and fill-in-the-blank sales copy that converts.

But honestly? The real magic is how seamlessly everything flows – from launching your first digital product to handling those annoying backend operations. No tech headaches, just pure creation.

Lock in your 25% discount before it vanishes. 

Climbing Cringe Mountain

Last week at our Creator Economy NYC panel, Piper Phillips dropped a truth bomb about being a creator that had the whole room nodding:

Let's talk about that for a minute. Because if you're thinking about creating content but haven't started yet, I know exactly what's holding you back. And if you have started, you know exactly what I'm about to describe.

It's that moment right before you hit "post." That flutter in your stomach. That voice in your head saying "Oh god, what will people think?"

Or more specifically: "What will that guy from my high school AP History class think when he sees this?"

(True story: Just last week, someone I haven't spoken to since high school liked my LinkedIn post and my first thought was "helll nah, that post was NOT for you to see!” 😅)

Welcome to Cringe Mountain, population: all of us.

I started my climb back in 2019, posting on LinkedIn about tech trends and thought leadership (I was in college, I didn’t know sh*t). Talk about peak cringe — who was I to speak on these topics? Most posts felt like shouting into the void. But I kept climbing.

Then came Twitter (pre-Elon era). More void-shouting. More cringe. Then video content more recently (oh god, the cringe levels were astronomical). Even the first Creator Economy NYC events – where only a handful of people showed up (but hey, at least they did show up… there’s a lesson in there somewhere). Each new medium, each new format felt like starting the climb all over again.

As Piper shared at our event, even now she sometimes gets so nervous after posting vulnerable content that she throws her phone across the room and can't look at it for hours.

But here's what I've learned along the way: The posts that felt the cringiest? They're the ones that opened the most doors. The events that started small? They grew into something bigger than I could’ve ever imagined.

Because here's the truth about Cringe Mountain:

• The climb never really ends

• We each have our own peak to reach

• And the view gets better with every step

The irony? Looking back, I realize I wasn't cringe at all. I was just... beginning. And since 2019, countless others have joined the climb. We're all in this together, throwing our phones across rooms and avoiding our high school classmates’ likes on our posts.

So here's my Thanksgiving weekend gift to you: Permission to be cringe.

Because here's what I've learned:

• The people who matter don't think you're cringe

• The people who think you're cringe don't matter

• And most importantly: Nobody's thinking about you as much as you're thinking about you

They're too busy worrying about their own climb up Cringe Mountain.

So this week, as you're recovering from overeating and shopping deals, maybe it's time to take that first step. Post that thought you've been sitting on. Share that idea you've been workshopping. Start that newsletter you've been dreaming about. We got a MONTH left in 2024 — start ‘er up now!

As Piper reminded us: "Think about all the cool opportunities, amazing fulfillment, money, whatever drives you personally, that's gonna happen by making that content."

The embarrassment? That's just your entry fee to something amazing.

The view from the other side is worth it. And hey, if you need a climbing buddy, you have me and others in our community.

—

Was this email cringe? Hit reply and let me know. Better yet, forward it to someone else who needs to start their climb.

Want to see how creators are navigating their own climb up Cringe Mountain? Watch our full personal branding panel on our YouTube channel.

And if you want to just skip straight to the Spanish freestyle rap… head to 1:01:01 to see what happens when you embrace the cringe.

Content to commerce: building your brand, selling to your audience

For our final event of 2024, we’re stoked to be partnering with our friends at Shopify for a mixer and panel focused on content to commerce.

We’ll be sitting down with leading creators — Brett Conti, Elliot Choy and AmandaRachLee, who have launched — or are in the process of building — their own brands on Shopify, diving into the tactics, strategies, and insights that turn audiences into customers. Plus, Jacob McCourt, who leads creator partnerships at Shopify.

Finally a huge shoutout to our supporting partners for this event — Teachable and beehiiv.

Let’s close out an incredible year together strong — RSVP to get on the list!

Creator Economy NYC has seen exceptional growth this year, becoming NYC's go-to community for creators, brands, and industry leaders — and we're just getting started. In 2024 alone, we've hosted 17+ events, accumulated thousands in RSVPs, and built partnerships with brands who saw the opportunity early.

We're now mapping out 2025 partnerships, and as more brands recognize the value of our community, spots are becoming limited.

So, if you've made it this far — and you're a brand looking to get in front of the creator economy's most engaged community through our panels, meetups, newsletter, and more — reach out here and let's chat about how we can work together in 2025!

• Bodhi, the ‘Menswear Dog,’ Dies at 15 (RIP Bodhi. We are grateful Yena could share his memory and impact with us last week).

• How YouTube ate podcasting

• How college athletes are raking in big bucks without going pro

• 📰 The power of you: 5 insights on personal branding from NYC creators

• 📰 This NYC consultant went full-time creator by owning his story

• 📰 Meet the engineer turned travel creator calling NYC home

Thanks so much for reading! Next week is Thanksgiving, so it’ll be a lighter send. Thankful for all of you. Thanks for being here. Let’s go.

Brett