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. 66: From 10k to 100k in 12 months — without growth hacks ft. Sydney Graham

    2D AGO

    Ep. 66: From 10k to 100k in 12 months — without growth hacks ft. Sydney Graham

    This week Francis and Natalia are joined by sewing creator Sydney Graham ( @HiSydGraham ). Sydney has gained over 100k subscribers on YouTube this year and has over 600k followers across platforms. Read the newsletter__ RSVP to the Creator Business Summit __ Follow Sydney YouTubeTikTokInstagram__ Follow Francis LinkedInTwitter/X__ Follow Natalia LinkedInTwitter/X__ Timestamps 00:00 Introducing Sydney Graham 01:01 How to gain 100k subscribers in a year 10:46 Early days of the creator economy 15:05 The biggest creators in the sewing space 17:40 Balancing community and individuality 21:17 The best video platforms for creators right now 25:19 Why you shouldn't chase trends 31:48 Sewing content is growing - here's why 33:45 Revenue breakdown 36:51 Content creation and sewing similarities 41:12 How to build a friendly community online 45:53 Choosing the right brand partnerships 49:38 Defining your goals as a creator

    54 min
  2. Ep. 65: From side hustle to 500K+ followers and a global business ft. Tom Fishburne

    JUL 1

    Ep. 65: From side hustle to 500K+ followers and a global business ft. Tom Fishburne

    This week Francis is joined by Tom Fishburne, also known as The Marketoonist. Tom is a cartoonist and marketer who turned his satirical drawings about corporate life into a sustainable business that has brought him over 500,000+ followers across platforms. Read the newsletter: https://www.creatorspotlight.com/p/tom-fishburne __ RSVP to the Creator Business Summit: https://www.beehiiv.com/virtual-events/creator-business-summit __ Follow Tom LinkedInWebsiteNewsletterInstagram__ Links & References The Do Lecture__ Timestamps 00:00 Introducing Tom Fishburne, The Marketoonist 01:05 How to price your work online 08:49 Humor as a leadership skill 11:45 The world of content creation in the early 2000’s 15:05 It’s not the ink, it’s the think 21:05 The importance of mimicry in creative work 23:26 How to create a recognizable style 26:36 You must be an entrepreneur in the creator economy 30:41 Email, the most valuable platform 33:16 The best platform for audience engagement 38:32 Red flags for clients 43:17 Why you shouldn’t scale your business 44:37 How to nail speaking engagements 52:25 Structuring your day for optimal creativity 57:39 Focussing on sustainability, not growth

    1h 5m
  3. Ep. 64: The strategy behind building a 80,000+ impact-driven community ft. Tiffany Yu

    JUN 24

    Ep. 64: The strategy behind building a 80,000+ impact-driven community ft. Tiffany Yu

    This week on The Creator Spotlight Podcast we're joined by Tiffany Yu, the founder and CEO of Diversability, an entirely disabled-run and disabled-led social enterprise to elevate disability pride. Tiffany is also the author of The Anti-Ableist Manifesto, in which she highlights the myriad ways our society discriminates against people with disabilities - and what we can do about it. Read the newsletter: https://www.creatorspotlight.com/profiles __ Get your free ticket to The Creator Summit at https://live.mightynetworks.com __ Tiffany The Anti-Ableist ManifestoLinkedInWebsiteInstagramTikTok__ Follow Francis LinkedInTwitter/X Follow Natalia LinkedInTwitter/X__ Timestamps 00:00 Introducing Tiffany Yu 01:01 The three levels to building a community 04:41 What is Diversability? 06:17 The breakdown of a 80k community 13:09 Key elements of a strong community 18:43 The reach of virtual communities over in-person 24:42 Influencers vs. creators 31:48 The four pillars of monetization 36:25 How the creator economy has helped the disability community 49:02 Best platforms for virality and business growth 53:57 The tenets of The Anti-Ableist Manifesto

    1 hr
  4. Ep. 63: The creator earning $250k+ posting on LinkedIn ft. Jayde Powell

    JUN 17

    Ep. 63: The creator earning $250k+ posting on LinkedIn ft. Jayde Powell

    This week on The Creator Spotlight Podcast we're joined by Jayde Powell, a creator, social strategist and entrepreneur. Jayde has worked in the industry for over a decade and is an expert in social strategy, previously working with brands like Apple TV, LinkedIn and Delta Airlines. As a creator, she's built a thriving, sustainable business, and currently has 28,000 followers on LinkedIn. __ Jayde LinkedInThe Em Dash CoWebsite InstagramTwitter/X TikTok __ References Jayde's interview with Buffer Natalia's essay on authenticity__ Follow Francis LinkedIn Twitter/X Follow Natalia LinkedInTwitter/X __ Timestamps 00:00 Introducing Jayde 01:24 Making $50k+ in 3 months 06:39 What they don't tell you about speaking engagements 09:15 Creator Tea Talk 13:22 3 parts of approaching brand partnerships 14:49 Authenticity in the creator economy 19:15 Establishing a personal brand in 2025 24:19 The journey to 100k LinkedIn followers 30:27 The journey to $250k of revenue 34:42 All creators are entrepreneurs 42:04 How to build the self-promotion muscle 44:24 Creating unique content to stand out on LinkedIn 48:03 Building a sustainable future in the creator economy 52:56 The importance of community amongst creators 55:24 The #1 piece of advice for creators

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

    JUN 10

    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
  6. 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
  7. 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
  8. 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
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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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