Creator Economy

The Rise of Co-Op Media Outlets – Business Model to Watch

The Hustle has an interesting story on how many writers from the now-defunct Deadspin sports site quit en masse after a management demand to only focus on sports content. About 20 of those writers are now working together on a new platform called Defector Media. I think these types of content creating cooperatives are a business model to watch. It’s getting harder for a single writer or entrepreneur to gain traction, but 10 or 20 of these writers is an instant media platform. Could you accomplish more as a team?

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Large Directory of Resources for Creators

Resources for influencers, newsletters, podcasting, community, digital goods, virtual events, and more. Each category has it’s own subdirectory of even more resources. This is a good site to bookmark.

Marketing Idea: These resource directories are getting more common, but they can still be a good way to get everyone in a niche to know your business. They are still popular to launch ProductHunt, also.

Found on Josh Spector’s For the Interested newsletter.

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The Story of Humans of New York in a Twitter Thread

You’ve probably heard about Brandon Stanton and his project to photograph 10,000 people in New York City. This Twitter thread tells the full story.

He has gone on to raise millions of dollars for charity.

This is a great lesson in the power of consistency and how opportunities will come if you just persist long enough and adjust.

Marketing Idea: Telling the story in a Twitter thread like this is also worth noting. This is a good way to get more attention on Twitter.

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Media 2020: Rise of the Renaissance Creator

“The hybridization of the individual as both a creator and an entrepreneur. This development and definition of ‘creativity’ is one of the more interesting things happening today because it is contrary to the supposed logic for a creator to go independent. We like to say independence (see: passion economy) is valuable because it lets a creator focus on what they do best; create. But actually it’s the opposite. By going independent, the creator is aspiring to not only create, but willingly assume the management and business of their entire self.”

“If independent writers are like independent artists, newsletters are an entry into the media business like mixtapes are an entry into the music business. That’s because newsletters offer a medium of creation that has no barrier to entry and no production costs other than the willingness for the person to enter the ring and write. The business, the audience, the words, the design, the distribution…EVERYTHING is on the individual to learn, adapt and build on their own.”

Business Opportunity: I believe this is the greatest time ever to be alive. We are in the midst of a global pandemic and face other threats, but the opportunities are here. Your laptop and internet connection are a gateway to the world. Show up every day and hone your craft. The world needs your art.