3 Creator Economy Trends Shaping the Future

0:00The Colin and Samir Show is supported by Microsoft Copilot. This is something I thought I would never say, but can I share with you my favorite prompt? I mean, like when you say something like that, I have to say yes. Were you going to say no? No, but okay. Just let me hear it. So when I'm researching for a guest or I need to know a lot about a subject matter, I say, make me a podcast about. And when you do that, you're going to get a short blurb about that subject. And then in like two minutes, you're going to get a podcast. So check this out. Welcome to Co-Pilot Podcasts. Picture this, a guy working the front desk at a hotel, making lacrosse videos in his spare time, completely unaware that he's about to become one of the most influential voices in the creator economy.

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1:10Try it for your research. Try it for getting variations of your titles, your ideas. It's one of my favorite tools on the internet right now for our creativity. And now back to the show. It is June, which means it's halfway through 2025. So in this episode, Colin and I are going to be breaking down three trends we're seeing in the creator economy, all leading up to our first big event, Press Publish NYC, coming to Brooklyn on September 4th. Colin? That's Press Publish NYC, September 4th in Brooklyn. You're going to get all the details in this episode. Samir and I are going to be there. We hope to see you there as well.

1:47All right. If you guys make it to the deep end of this episode, let us know.

1:56All right. So I said this to you before we started, but I really do feel like the creator economy is at cruising altitude. Explain that. It just feels like there's no longer these like major pop moments in our industry. And that used to happen a lot with like, this company raised X millions of dollars to enter the creator economy. This creator launched X business or did X deal, you know, or even this creator reached some insane milestone. Obviously, one of the most recent ones that happened this week is MrBeast crossed 400 million subscribers, which is more people than live in the United States of America.

2:35That's a massive number. He's the largest channel on YouTube. But a lot of this stuff just feels like, yeah, that's big, but it's almost as expected now. Like our industry is just humming. Does it feel like that to you? Yeah, I feel like at the high end and even the lesser known, maybe middle tier, there are so many creators who are launching new businesses, reaching new milestones, things that would be news and noteworthy, especially for us three or four years ago. Yeah. That maybe would warrant an entire episode. Yeah, exactly. That just feel like they're whizzing past us left and right. Yeah, I think that's what I mean.

3:10It's just like, all right, the industry is just humming along now. And like, it's tough to know what the story is. I feel like there's been some definitive moments, And we're going to talk about some of those in this episode. But just to stay on the Jimmy thing real quick, I wanted you to read just on that like 400 million subscriber marker. Every year on his birthday, Jimmy releases like where he was at in terms of viewership. Yeah. And so his birthday is like in early May. And so he did that recently. And you pulled some stats around what this means. So just to contextualize his size and scope and his journey, I think it's kind of interesting.

3:43Yeah. So from ages 12 to 16, in total, he got under 400 ,000 views. Wait, 12 to 16, so four years. Four years, under 400 ,000 views. This is early on in his career. Now, that level of time, that amount of time, represents 30 % of his YouTube career timeline. So 30 % of his YouTube career timeline, but less than 0.0003 % of his lifetime views. Wow. So just shows essentially the amount of like grit and determination you have to have. The fact that four years of your journey, which is 30 % now of the overall experience, can represent such a small, minuscule amount of viewership. Yeah. I think a lot of creators ask me when they're about to start out, or maybe people who are interested in starting a YouTube channel right now, oftentimes I say to them, do you have three to five years?

4:48Meaning, do you have three to five years where you're okay that this doesn't work? And do you like what you're doing enough to speak to what feels like no one at times? For three to five years. Yeah. Because it starts off feeling like a lot of people, even if you get 50 views your first video or a thousand, it feels like, oh my gosh, everyone's watching and everyone's in the comments. But then you go through years worth where it doesn't really increase and you're feeling that, oof, like, do I really like doing this? Yeah. I also think that that stat is also why it feels like we're at cruising altitude a bit right now because those moments, you know, 10 and five years ago, there was these things that were undiscovered that were becoming discovered.

5:27And there was like explosive moments happening of exponential growth. And I think it's just, it's so normalized at this point, what's happening. So let's talk about some of these trends that we're seeing. We're midway through the year. Again, like we mentioned, these are trends that we're going to discuss at our event on September 4th in New York City, Press Publish, NYC. We went to go visit that venue last month. What do you think about that? Overwhelming. Yeah. Overwhelmingly beautiful. Honestly, the venue in Brooklyn is right on the water. It is so cool. I can't believe that we are at a point where we're going to be gathering people.

6:02Normally we go to other people's events. Yeah. So I'm so excited about how beautiful this venue is. And I am also very overwhelmed. Yeah. I would say like scared is probably the first emotion. It's like a little scared of, oh my God, putting on an event is wild. I just have like FireFest running through my head. I'm like, just don't be FireFest. Yeah, I don't think we're promising what FireFest promised. No, man, you think FireFest thought it was going to be FireFest? Yeah, I think FireFest was going to be FireFest no matter what. I think when he made those marketing videos of like models on the beach, he was like, I'm going to deliver.

6:39So you think we are at a threat of becoming firefest threat level firefest no i don't i don't but i i do have nightmares yeah same same i mean it's terrifying to put on an event where like people actually show up where they have to take out their credit card to buy a ticket yeah where they like you know are where they're going to judge the experience um we're gonna have speakers where we're gonna have like breakouts we're gonna have all these things that um conceptually you can think about the day of you're just like you know i believe in live experiences right now wholeheartedly i believe even events.

7:12We've seen like such an amazing just experience through our Coffee with Creators series, which is like in the hundreds of people, but obviously tangibly different. Those are free to come to. This costs money to come to. This is going to be 400 plus people. So it's a very different experience. But what gives me solace is the fact that we are curating the group of people who are going to be there, which is the same thing we do for our Coffee with Creators events. And through curation, we're able to make sure that the right connections happen. That's true. And people find value in the people that are there.

7:47Yeah. I think for me, the most value I find from going to an event is meeting someone. And I'm honoring that in us developing the programming. And then the other is you want to walk away, I think, feeling like you know more about this industry and more about your job, either as a creator or someone who works with creators. I think that's why we've shaped these three trends that we want to focus on because I truly believe these are the three trends that matter the most in the space. Now, just from a logistics and timing perspective, I think by the time you're listening to this, most likely the website is up where you can buy a ticket to press publish NYC.

8:23If you're listening on Wednesday. You've been more focused on the website than me. So if you're listening on Wednesday, then yes. Then it's already up. Yeah. That's crazy. Yeah. Yeah. And so how this is going to work is you actually apply to buy a ticket and then we will accept you or not, mainly based on our curation of the event, making sure that everyone who gets to come can provide value to each other. Yeah. Is it going to be a mix of people who can complement each other? Meaning it could be creators, it can be operators, it can be people in the industry, it can be creator team members. It's just making sure that we're forging the right connections.

9:03Yeah. And that feels really important to me that like, these are all puzzle pieces that fit together and that you go in and you're like, oh, wow, this is a high quality group of people in our industry that I get to be with for these, these like hours that I'm with them on this day. So it's going to be really fun. The programming is coming together really well, but let's talk through these trends. So the first trend that we're seeing is around brands. Now, I say this like in two ways. I think brands are becoming creators and creators are becoming brands. So a couple things were happening. Number one, we're seeing an uptick in brand spend across creators.

9:43Now, when we talked about this in the newsletter, we actually got some pushback. someone tweeted and said like do you guys really think that's happening are you really seeing that i think it's a it's a good question to to answer at least from our vantage point because we're on the receiving end of a lot of this my short answer would be i think we're seeing lower rates than we used to see from brands and way more brands involved but that to me is a more sustainable healthy industry if there's more brands and the rates are hopefully hitting a point where they're actually like seeing ROI. The reality is everyone's experience is going to be a bit different because everyone is in a different niche.

10:27Yeah, of course. Some niches have a lot different brand creator sort of environment, right? If it's a niche where a lot of brands are all of a sudden coming in and these brands are well-funded brands, they have big marketing budgets, then yeah, you're going to see a lot of creators who have a lot of opportunity and are seeing an increase in spend. So a tangible example is Unilever has a new CEO and he's young, he's in his 30s, and he wants to up their creator spend working directly with creators from 30 % of their marketing budget to 50 % of their total marketing budget. I think that's going to be common amongst brands, but that doesn't mean that each individual creator will get more money.

11:06It just means more creators will get money. Yeah. Right? More creators will do deals. Because I think the reality is, even when someone says, like, do you really think that's happening? Most likely, right now, that's happening across short-form content. It's not necessarily happening across long-form content. I think long-form... You mean where rates are going down, but more creators are experiencing an increase in opportunities. Yes. I think that is happening at scale in short-form content. I think the challenge with long-form content is it's expensive and it's hard to fit into a schedule with creators.

11:39And there's only a handful of creators who can drive real results in long-form content. And long-form content, I think, is much more about association and awareness than it is about direct conversion. And when you get brands like Unilever or start to get more brands entering in the space, they're going to peg it against conversion. So when they get to do a short form ad with you, they also get to run it as a paid ad, most likely. So they actually have more control over that asset. They're essentially working with you as like a creative agency to make an ad. You get some distribution, they get some awareness and association, then they get to use that asset in a way that they've tested and that makes sense.

12:16So that's part of what we're gonna be talking about is creators and brands working together, brands investing in creators. On the other side of it, we have brands thinking and operating like creators and doing some pretty interesting things. We covered this in the newsletter. Ulta has a program now where it's retail associates can get paid as creators. So Ulta Beauty, this is one of the largest, if not maybe the largest, next to Sephora makeup retailers in the world. And so, yeah, exactly. It's like essentially saying, UGC works. People want to buy from other people, right? They want to, they want to trust someone who looks like them or someone who, and I'm not saying looks like them from a demographic perspective.

12:57I'm just saying like someone who talks into a phone, like it just feels more real. And so Ulta is going, Hey, you know what? We have a bunch of employees who are around our product all day. And incredibly well-versed and already guiding people on their experience when they come into the store. Right. What better place to start from? Especially because they can put paid spend behind it too. Yeah. But they're incentivizing their employees to become creators. Yeah. So Ulta Beauty is its own studio now where it is bringing in talent who is working with people, advising them, but eventually could get so well-versed in content creation and so big that they leave the system, right?

13:35Yeah. Where it's almost like an accelerator, like Ulta Beauty stores getting a job in retail, which was always seen as kind of like the end of the road, honestly. Like getting a job in retail was not seen as like really the way to like level up. Sure. Sort of like a transitional job. Sure. But it actually could now be a way to transition as a creator. To become a creator. Yeah. I think this is going to happen a lot more. I think it makes a ton of sense. Like, of course, if I was, you know, maybe looking at marketing from like Starbucks or marketing at Dunkin', I know they've done it before too, but like I would absolutely incentivize my employees to create.

14:12It's not even a question. and figure out like some type of incentive-based bonus program to create while you're on the job. Like that feels so obvious and it'll probably happen. So that's like brands becoming studios. Obviously we have other versions of that like Red Bull. Red Bull's the most notable on YouTube specifically, brand that has become a content studio. And I say that as like become a content studio, they've always been a content studio. Red Bull Media House has existed forever. Entertainment has always been a part of their growth strategy. They've had Red Bull TV. Like they are, they're one of the legacy brands that understood that entertainment matters to them.

14:50But they've done an exceptional job on YouTube where they're developing like series. Yeah, their F1 versus series where they have an F1 driver traditionally driving something bizarre, like a golf cart or something, right? They have this whole series of like putting F1 drivers in strange and interesting situations. that series i'm pretty sure at this point i wrote it in the newsletter averages over six million views an episode yeah so that is a show that they now have that's a hit show yeah that's not just a show like that's like one of the most popular shows if that was on tv that would be like a or a streaming service i'd be like an unbelievably popular show and then you have you have brands like liquid death right who feel like a creator in our universe like they have their own uh character traits.

15:33They have their own way. Like they do very bizarre things. I mean, as an example. Yeah. Right. They gave creators the opportunity to go up in a fighter jet and film the moment that you either like pass out or throw up. Yeah. I don't know. Like that was something that was offered to creators to me. I know Eric did it. It was offered to us. I know. And I asked my wife and she was like, I prefer you not. go up in this fighter jet and pass out or throw up. It didn't really fit our brand necessarily. Yeah, I was interested in it, but I didn't get how it, I didn't think it was going to be a real good partnership because I was like, I don't think our audience is interested in watching us pass out or throw up.

16:17But for ARAC. Yeah, sure. I think it makes sense. Yeah, that makes sense. Like a challenge creator like that. But I just bring it up to say that they are sort of a hybrid where they are making original content that is a part of the creator universe, like a creator, but they are also offering creators the opportunity to integrate in a way that actually elevates the experience. It's not a 60, 90 second, hey, please, you have to read these things about liquid death. It's here's an interesting experience that should elevate the experience for your audience. Yeah. And so on the other side of this, right, we're saying like brands are becoming creators.

16:50So brands are operating more as like just with that raw authenticity, with like character traits, with shows, with content formats. I think on the other side, creators are becoming brands. And maybe that seems obvious when I say that. But what I mean is like, not necessarily like the creator is a brand themselves. It's that the next Nike won't be a brand that needs to sign an athlete to create distribution. It will be an athlete that creates Nike. So meaning like the obvious example, Mr. Beast made a chocolate brand. Like he is more chocolate brand now than he is. He's a chocolate brand with a media arm.

17:26It's the same concept as Red Bull, but just going content first, then product. And I think we're seeing really cool versions of this. When we go back to the concept that creator economy is at cruising altitude, these are probably stories that you haven't heard unless you read our newsletter. But Gabe DeSanti, New York-based creator, great format where he goes around. He's like, hey, can I spend the day working with you to like a taxi driver or to a UPS driver? And he's basically shadowing interesting jobs. He launched a platform called stage where you can book a day shadowing someone. Like you can pay money to go shadow someone, which is now an extra revenue opportunity for employers.

18:14Exactly. Right. Like people could pay. You want to see what it's like to be a creator for a day. Right. Yeah. Come hang out with us and pay for that experience. And I, when I think about myself coming out of college, I would have loved. Oh, I would have done this. I would have done this so much. I would have done this so much. I would have done almost, I might do almost every job. That's like, you look at, I'm looking at his website right now. You have fashion and beauty. So like bridal stylist is on here. Um, you have streetwear designer, you have a yoga instructor, you have, um, a sports agent, you have a private chef, you have a founder of like a hospitality business.

18:55You have a coffee roaster. I'd be so interested in that. I love this concept that you can pay to shadow someone. You have a filmmaker on here, a wedding photographer, a creative agency founder. You have a healthcare founder on here. You have a hospitality marketing agency, floral shop owner, interior designer, real estate agent. Like, this is a really good idea. But like Gabe started just with short form content and now he's a brand. He owns Staj, this brand. Content first, product second. Content first, product second. And this is a really interesting new future for a lot of these brands. Another example is the Bucket List family.

19:36We've had them on the show. Family travel and adventure brand. They make, they've a massive following that follows their family around as they travel the world. They announced something called the bucket list collection, which is a series of travel destinations, like hotels, essentially, that you can book. The announcement for this went insane. It had over 3 ,000 shares on Instagram. It had over 3.5 million views when they announced it over the weekend. But like the bucket list collection is such a good idea. It's essentially like, you know, it's a brand of hotels. Yeah, you want to go to this lodge in Canada that's family-friendly approved, or there's an island in Tonga.

20:19Yeah. Like, there's some really incredible destinations, and, like, they've built the trust for family-friendly adventure travel. Yeah. So I think it's a perfect fit. And again, it's something that you may not have heard of, but these announcements are coming out just all the time. Yeah. But I think that's where we're seeing this concept of brands of creators becoming brands. And I don't think this is going to just be the like the massive creators that we hear about. I think this is happening all around the creator world because again, it's not, it's not just Haley Bieber road. No, it's not. People may argue if she's a creator or not.

20:57I would argue. I would argue she's a creator. Yeah. Because she's making a ton of content all the time. that directly leads to sales. I don't engage with her outside of social platforms. I've never, I didn't, I don't even know if I've ever seen anything about Haley Bieber outside of social platforms. To me, that makes her a creator. Yeah, so she sells road for a billion dollars. Yeah. Is the most recent headline. But I think, yeah, that's at the top end. I'm sure we'll see major headlines with the joyrides of the world, the feastables of the world, the primes of the world. But I agree with you.

21:23These things are happening now because we're at cruising altitude at every level of the creator economy. I think people are comfortable trying to build a multi six-figure business or seven-figure business versus like they're going to be the people who are trying to build the$100 million, the Haley Bieber outcome of a billion dollar company. But like if you can build, like especially - I think people are overjoyed. People would be ecstatic. Yeah, it's your own company. Yeah, it's awesome. So if you're good at making videos, of course you want to tap into the fact that advertisers spend to sponsor your content.

21:54But really you want to be a brand. You want one of these companies that you can launch. Yeah, you want to control your own destiny a little bit more and you want to ideally hedge your bets and make money if for some reason you either can't create content or you don't want to. So the creator economy, like, you know, so much conversation is around creators replacing Hollywood. But what's really interesting is I don't know if there's as much conversation, maybe there is, about like creators modernizing entrepreneurship, right? Because a large subset of the creator economy is like none of these people want, or a lot of these people don't necessarily want to show on like a streamer or to pitch movies or like that's one part of the creator economy.

22:38The other part is like I've built an audience and now I can launch a company. And I think that part is going to continue to grow quite a bit. The other part is going to be reserved for a smaller subset. And that's our next trend, which is YouTube is not necessarily becoming TV. It's replacing it. So obviously the number one headline that's been a headline for the past two years is that YouTube is the number one platform on connected TVs. More people turn on their TV in their living room and click YouTube than any other streaming app. That's a big deal. And YouTube's excited about it. YouTube's getting behind it.

23:14I'm sure if you listen to us, you know that YouTube is going on an Emmy push. Yep. They're really excited about Sean Evans and Hot Ones, Rhett and Link, Good Mythical Morning, Michelle Carre with Challenge Accepted. these YouTube creators who are making what feel like slightly more traditional shows with repeatable formats. And now we're starting to even see scripted content, right? Like there was a Hollywood Reporter article recently about Darman and Alec Chikanchao who have built studios and are essentially making like the modern soap operas, right? In some way, or teen dramas. And these are starting to come to YouTube.

23:45Lucas Shaw from Bloomberg just wrote an article about this. So I think like this concept is happening. I think people didn't believe it was going to happen. Like the world of Hollywood didn't believe it was going to happen. But at the end of the day, it's just like time spent, right? If people are watching YouTube, they're watching YouTube. That's just what's happening. They're competing with everyone else. But I think what this is creating, and I personally believe this is largely due to Beast Games. So Beast Games, Mr. Beast, massive reality show, over$120,$150 million budget on Amazon Prime Video was renewed for two seasons.

24:22And I think that has informed and created precedent for the other streamers to try and strike deals with creators. So I think this next chapter of this conversation is defined by, do creators do that or not? Is YouTube just the place they should be? Is there more economic opportunity on YouTube? Is there more audience opportunity on YouTube? Does the whole ecosystem make more sense if they stay on YouTube? Or does it make sense for them to do their own show on a Netflix or an Amazon Prime Video or a Disney Plus? This episode is brought to you by LifeLock. When you visit the doctor, you probably hand over your insurance, your ID, and contact details.