The Creator Spotlight Podcast

Creator Spotlight
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The Creator Spotlight Podcast

Every week we spend an hour in conversation with a notable creator, discussing their approach to audience growth, monetization, and content production. Hosted by Francis Zierer (Twitter and LinkedIn). New episodes every Tuesday. This podcast is part of our newsletter, Creator Spotlight.

  1. Ep. 62: He can 10x views in any YouTube niche ft. Kevin Jon

    6D AGO

    Ep. 62: He can 10x views in any YouTube niche ft. Kevin Jon

    This week on The Creator Spotlight Podcast we're joined by Kevin Jon. Kevin is a YouTube strategist, creator, and founder of multiple media businesses. He started as a solo YouTuber, grew and sold his own channels, and now helps brands and broadcasters build profitable content on YouTube. In this episode, we dive into his playbook for growth, monetization, and turning channels into real businesses. __ Get your free ticket to The Creator Summit at live.mightynetworks.com __ Kevin LinkedInTwitter/XMegalomediaChannel Craft__ 00:00:00 Who is Kevin Jon? 00:00:58 Grow your channel with The YouTube Masterplan 00:07:07 How to identify opportunities on YouTube 00:09:13 What it takes to get 1M views on YouTube 00:19:34 The difficulties of building a media empire 00:25:15 What can be learnt from traditional media 00:30:01 The most important metrics to track on YouTube 00:32:29 Building the biggest YouTube agency in the world 00:36:40 Selling a YouTube channel for $100K 00:39:20 The value of pre-production 00:41:45 Translating traditional media content to YouTube 00:44:45 From teenage YouTuber to media entrepreneur 00:50:08 Lessons from working in China: Be scrappier 00:56:43 Bullish and bearish YouTube predictions

    1h 3m
  2. Ep. 61: She Lost Her Job. Then Built a Community of 10,000+ ft. Melanie Ehrenkranz

    JUN 3

    Ep. 61: She Lost Her Job. Then Built a Community of 10,000+ ft. Melanie Ehrenkranz

    In this episode of The Creator Spotlight Podcast, Francis speaks with Melanie Ehrenkranz, the creator of the Laid Off newsletter and Discord community. They discuss the origins of Laid Off, building a community where people feel supported and engaged, and the concept of the laid off to creator/entrepreneur pipeline. __ Follow Melanie Laid Off NewsletterLinkedIn__ References Melanie's Laid Off surveyNever Post podcast episode with MelanieInterview with The SidebarInterview with The New York Times__ 00:00 Introducing Melanie 01:44 How 'Laid Off' began 06:32 Building an engaged, valuable community 10:12 Trend reports and insights from the laid off experience 13:20 Monetization that gives back to the community 22:47 LinkedIn culture and the need for personal brand 30:36 Potential future services for Laid Off 35:48 Permeable definitions of the creator 39:56 The creativity of the newsletter format 42:28 The laid off to creator pipeline 49:01 How to gain your first 10K subscribers 51:26 One year of Laid Off

    56 min
  3. Ep. 60: Ex-YouTube employee reveals the secrets behind viral videos ft. Hayley Rose

    MAY 27

    Ep. 60: Ex-YouTube employee reveals the secrets behind viral videos ft. Hayley Rose

    This week on The Creator Spotlight Podcast, Francis is joined by Hayley Rose, a former Google and YouTube employee turned YouTube growth strategist. Hayely has worked with some of the biggest channels on YouTube, growing them from zero views to hundreds of millions. In this podcast Hayley breaks down the five steps that every creator should follow to get more views, grow on YouTube and build a sustainable career in the creator economy. __ Hayley LinkedInYTJobsThe Upload Club Website NewsletterInstagram__ Timestamps 00:00:00 Introducing Hayley Rose 00:03:00 The three services of The Upload Club 00:05:44 The actual purpose of a thumbnail — it’s not what you think 00:08:05 YouTube's most important metrics to focus on 00:12:20 The five steps every creator must know 00:15:22 Step 1: The Idea 00:19:14 Step 2: Pre-production 00:25:22 Step 3: Shoot day 00:28:35 Step 4: Edit 00:38:18 Step 5: Upload 00:43:37 Hayley's experience working at YouTube 00:50:55 Huge opportunities in the creator economy 00:57:32 What makes a creator? 00:59:55 Ex-YouTube employee's thoughts on the algorithm 01:01:50 Tactical advice for creators

    1h 6m
  4. Ep. 59: How his $40K side hustle became a full-time career ft. Colin Rocker

    MAY 20

    Ep. 59: How his $40K side hustle became a full-time career ft. Colin Rocker

    This week on The Creator Spotlight Podcast, Francis is joined by Colin Rocker, a creator focused on career and corporate content. Colin shares his journey from skepticism about TikTok to becoming a successful content creator with a mission to educate 'first-generation professionals'. -- Follow Colin LinkedInInstagramTikTokYouTube-- Timestamps 00:00 Introducing Colin Rocker 01:11 The many failed attempts before finding success 03:23 Defining the niche 'first-generation professionals' 05:46 Diversifying your platforms: Instagram vs TikTok 08:00 The most valuable skills needed as a creator 15:11 Going all in as a full-time creator 18:39 The value of personal brand identity 23:51 Monetizing your audience, ethically 29:21 Attracting a diverse audience 32:32 Managing your time as a full-time creator-entrepreneur 38:29 Creating meaningful, positive content 42:46 Building a welcoming community 46:17 The challenge and rewards of writing a newsletter 49:54 Personal experience in a post-information world

    55 min
  5. Ep. 58: Why Brazil’s Biggest Podcaster Is Going Viral in the U.S. ft. Chico Felitti

    MAY 13

    Ep. 58: Why Brazil’s Biggest Podcaster Is Going Viral in the U.S. ft. Chico Felitti

    This week on The Creator Spotlight Podcast, Francis is joined by award-winning journalist and podcaster Chico Felitti. Chico has found much of his success creating content for the Portuguese speaking audience, topping the podcast charts of Brazil multiple times with his shows Além do Meme, De Saída and O Síndico. Relaunching his hit podcast 'A Coach' for the English speaking audience, 'Don't Cross Kat' has now become a success in the US market, landing itself in the top 10 of the US charts. __ Follow Chico on Instagram Listen to 'Don't Cross Kat' SpotifyApple Podcasts__ 00:00 Introducing Chico Felitti 01:33 Being a journalist first influencer 05:59 The ethics of influencing as a journalist 10:06 The cultural shift to independent creators in Brazil 12:47 Why Brazilian's are so wild on social media 15:48 Rebuilding the story of Kat Torres for the US market 22:59 AI dubbing facilitating the cultural exchange 27:30 Building audience relationships through different mediums 29:33 From zero podcasting experience to Brazil's number one 36:50 The power of storytelling and the lives it can change 38:55 Chico Felitti's latest project

    43 min
  6. Ep. 57: She Listens to the Internet for a Living — Here’s What She’s Hearing ft. Jazmin Griffith

    MAY 6

    Ep. 57: She Listens to the Internet for a Living — Here’s What She’s Hearing ft. Jazmin Griffith

    This week on The Creator Spotlight Podcast we're joined my Jazmin Griffith, social media expert and founder of social listening agency Que Lo Que. Jazmin has over a decade of professional social media experience, working with some of the biggest brands such as Sony, Google, Microsoft and PepsiCo. __ Jazmine: Que Lo QueLinkedInInstagramTikTok__ Timestamps: 00:00 Introducing Jazmin 01:06 What is social listening? 04:48 The most important datapoints as a creator 08:34 The newest tools to analyze your social media 10:44 Finding valuable content amongst the slop 14:35 The inspiration behind Que Lo Que 21:12 How you can use social listening as a creator 24:02 The value of LinkedIn over TikTok 27:15 Blurring the lines between influencer and creator 32:54 Gen Z's unique relationship with social media 38:45 Jazmin's social media evolution, from hobby to business-card 44:05 The difficulties of making content as a solo creator

    49 min
  7. Ep. 56: Zero to Acquired: Building a $30K/Month Newsletter in 1 Year ft. Adam Biddlecombe

    APR 29

    Ep. 56: Zero to Acquired: Building a $30K/Month Newsletter in 1 Year ft. Adam Biddlecombe

    This week on The Creator Spotlight Podcast we are joined by Adam Biddlecombe, co-founder of Mindstream, a successful AI-focused newsletter which was recently acquired by HubSpot only 17 months after its inception. Adam shares his journey from being a musician to an entrepreneur, the ability to identify and seize an opportunity, and how to prep for acquisition. __ Adam LinkedInX/Twitter__ Links & References Mindstream__ Timestamps 00:00 Introducing Adam and Mindstream 01:48 Adam's first business in the music industry 06:38 The creator/entrepreneur spectrum 10:34 Getting started in the newsletter world 15:13 The first 1k subscribers and early investments 20:51 The skill of identifying an opportunity 27:31 Monetizing strategies following rapid growth 31:57 The value of using LinkedIn as a creator entrepreneur 37:56 How to prepare for acquisition 49:06 The three types of exits in business 52:20 The biggest opportunities in the creator economy right now

    1h 1m
  8. Ep. 55: Why creators make the best entrepreneurs ft. Jesse Feister

    APR 22

    Ep. 55: Why creators make the best entrepreneurs ft. Jesse Feister

    This week on The Creator Spotlight Podcast we are joined by Jesse Feister, the Executive Director of the Webby Media Group. In the lead up to the 29th annual Webby Awards ceremony, Francis and Jesse reflect on the evolution of the Webby Awards and the creator economy, exploring the creator to business pipeline and three skills necessary to succeed as a creator. __ Links and References Check out the Webby AwardsRead Jesse's AI and Creativity pieceFollow the Webby Awards on X/Twitter, Instagram and YouTubeFollow Jesse on LinkedIn and Instagram__ Timestamps 00:00 Introducing Jesse and the Webby Awards 00:47 Jesse's mandate as Executive Director 03:37 How the Webby's define a creator 11:35 Understanding the grind of the entrepreneurial creator 16:00 Being a musician in the MySpace era 21:19 The 3 most valuable skills as a creator entrepreneur 30:20 Sustainable business models for small creators 34:04 The evolution of brand building online 38:46 AI and creativity: Creativity always wins 42:08 The biggest opportunities in the creator economy 44:56 The instant feedback loop — use it wisely 48:15 Plans for the Webby's 30th year

    50 min
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5
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Every week we spend an hour in conversation with a notable creator, discussing their approach to audience growth, monetization, and content production. Hosted by Francis Zierer (Twitter and LinkedIn). New episodes every Tuesday. This podcast is part of our newsletter, Creator Spotlight.

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