Earned: Unlocking the Power of the Creator Economy

This week, we're taking a trip down memory lane and re-sharing one of our top episodes of 2022: Ep. 47, featuring Ju Rhyu, co-founder and CEO of Hero Cosmetics—an acne-focused skincare brand that achieved $100 million in revenue last year. To start the episode, we learn how running Hero Cosmetics today differs from when Ju launched the brand four years ago, and Ju shares why she says no to a lot m...

In our last episode of 2022, Conor sits down with one of Glossy's Top Marketers of 2022: Michelle Miller, SVP of Global Marketing at biotech-backed superstar K18 Hair. We start by learning why K18 prioritizes top-of-funnel brand marketing over paid advertising, and Michelle emphasizes the importance of fostering your core community—which, for K18, has always been professional hairstylists. We then...

In today's episode of Earned, we're joined by our first gaming industry guest: Zeena Koda, head of global digital community marketing at gaming powerhouse 2K. With previous experience at renowned companies like Sirius XM Radio, Capitol Records, Atlantic Records, and The North Face, Zeena's expertise spans far beyond the gaming industry. We learn how this broad career experience has influenced Zeen...

In Ep. 62 of Earned, CreatorIQ's own Tim Sovay sits down with Meta's Doug Weiss, head of creator commerce at Instagram. We start the episode by learning how Meta has grown and changed over the years, with Doug unpacking the evolution of creators, shoppable content, and content format on Facebook and Instagram. We learn what attracts creators to Instagram, and Doug emphasizes how the platform allow...

In Ep. 61 of Earned, we sit down with beauty industry veteran Catherine Gore, Global Brand President of sustainable skin and hair brands Biossance and JVN Hair (yes, as in Jonathan Van Ness, professional hairstylist and star of Queer Eye). We start the episode by unpacking the key areas of focus that help Catherine scale a brand, before learning why she prioritizes building a positive, supportive...

For our 60th episode of Earned, we're bringing you a titan of the retail industry: Craig Brommers. Craig is currently the CMO of Gen Z-favorite apparel brand American Eagle Outfitters, but his previous work experience spans across iconic brands like Calvin Klein, Gap, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Speedo. We start the interview by learning how American Eagle has navigated shifting momentum around legac...

In Ep. 59 of Earned, Conor sits down with Megan Streeter, CMO of customizable haircare brand Prose, which achieved $100 million in revenue in its first five years. To start the episode, Megan unpacks her long career in the beauty industry, which spans from corporate giants L'Oréal and Estée Lauder to independent, direct-to-consumer haircare brands like DevaCurl and now Prose. We learn why Megan wa...

Today's episode of Earned might sound a bit different…that's because it is! This week, we wanted to share Conor's conversation with BeautyMatter founder and CEO Kelly Kovack from her own podcast, "It's a Matter of…" This time, it's a matter of "Earned."  To start the show, Conor shares the origin story for Tribe Dynamics, which he co-founded nearly a decade ago at the forefront of the influencer m...

In Episode 58 of Earned, Conor sits down with beauty investor Rich Gersten, co-founder and Managing Partner of beauty-focused growth fund (and newly announced Tribe Dynamics partner) True Beauty Ventures. To start the episode, Rich walks us through his career trajectory, unpacking his transition from private equity to venture capital, before explaining how he wound up investing exclusively in beau...

In Episode 57 of Earned, we sit down with Jake Danehy, co-founder and CEO of sustainable beachwear brand Fair Harbor. To start the episode, we dive into how Jake and his sister/co-founder Caroline conceived the idea for Fair Harbor—named after their hometown on Fire Island—while in college, after learning about how plastic bottles can be converted into yarn. We learn how the brand generated the ma...

In Ep. 56 of Earned, we sit down with Jeff Lee, co-founder and CEO of DIBS ("Desert Island Beauty Status"), the beauty brand created in partnership with star influencer Courtney Shields. We start by unpacking Jeff's many noteworthy accomplishments, including earning his MBA at Stanford and his law degree at Yale, coaching several successful Miss Universe pageant contestants, visiting every Equinox...

In Ep. 55 of Earned, we sit down with Dan Reich—entrepreneur, investor, and co-founder of top-ranking, probiotic-powered skincare brand TULA. We start the episode by diving into Dan's entrepreneurial trajectory, beginning with his first company in high school, to co-founding software companies Spinback and Troops, both of which were acquired by Salesforce, to launching TULA with Ken Landis and Dr....

On Ep. 54 of Earned, we spoke to Doug Jensen, SVP of Go-to-Market Analytics & Activation for the Estée Lauder Companies (ELC). We start the episode by unpacking what Doug's analytics-focused role entails, and learn more about his path from statistical analyst to business consultant to beauty analytics expert. We then explore how Doug leverages an industry technique called "marketing mix modeling"...

In Episode 53 of Earned, Conor sits down with skincare veteran Susan Yara, powerhouse YouTuber and co-founder of ingredient-focused skincare line NATURIUM. We start the episode by diving into Susan's career path, from her stint as a broadcast news reporter to her time as an online beauty editor. After recapping these experiences, Susan shares why she decided to transition to launching her own beau...

In Ep. 52 of Earned, Conor sits down with fellow B2B social media marketing software leader Thomas Rankin, co-founder and CEO of Dash Hudson. To start the episode, Thomas explains how Dash Hudson puts creative at the center of everything they do, as well as how the brand helps its clients understand which creative will perform well and deepen consumer relationships. Thomas reveals that Dash Hudson...

In Ep. 51 of Earned, we sit down with Wall Street wizard Stephanie Wissink, Managing Director at global investment bank Jefferies. Stephanie answers all of our burning questions about the state of the market right now, including: are we entering a recession? And if so, how will that impact consumer behavior, and what will that mean for brands?  From there, we explore how companies have responded t...

It's our 50th episode of Earned! Today we're sitting down with David Chung, founder of Farmacy Beauty and CEO of innovation and manufacturing company iLABS. To start the episode, David walks us through his impressive entrepreneurial journey, and we hear how his frustrations with third-party contract manufacturers led him to launch OEM and ODM manufacturing company Englewood LAB. David then shares...

In Episode 49 of Earned, Conor sits down with Shai Eisenman, founder and CEO of the affordable, Gen Z-tailored skincare brand Bubble. We start by discussing the challenges of launching and scaling a business during the pandemic, and hear why Shai was inspired to disrupt the outdated mass skincare market and create a brand catering to today's teens. Shai then explains how every decision the brand m...

In Episode 48 of Earned, Conor sits down with Daniel Landver, CEO of influencer-brand incubator Digital Brand Products (DBP). To start the episode, Daniel shares which creator brand launches he's most excited about, and reveals that DBP's 50 brands at market are expected to achieve $250 million in retail sales this year. Daniel then breaks down what separates a $50 million brand from a $1 million...

In Ep. 47 of Earned, Conor sits down with Ju Rhyu, co-founder and CEO of Hero Cosmetics, an acne-focused skincare brand that achieved $100 million in revenue last year. We start the episode by learning how running Hero Cosmetics today differs from when Ju launched the brand four years ago, and Ju shares why she says no to a lot more opportunities that come her way. We then hear why Hero Cosmetics...

In Episode 46 of Earned, we sit down with a true industry leader: JuE Wong, CEO of Olaplex, a top-ranking haircare brand valued at $15 billion. We start the episode with JuE sharing her general leadership philosophies, as well as how her leadership style has evolved since her first executive role. We then explore the investments that JuE made when she joined Olaplex in January of 2020 that helped...

In Episode 45 of Earned, Conor sits down with April Gargiulo, founder and CEO of nutrient-powered luxury skincare brand Vintner's Daughter. We start the episode by learning why April, whose family owns the renowned Gargiulo Vineyards in Napa Valley, California, applies the same principles of quality and craftsmanship principles at the heart of winemaking to Vintner's Daughter, as evidenced by the...

In Episode 44 of Earned, Conor sits down with Somer Tejwani, VP of Global Marketing at powerhouse beauty brand Too Faced. We start by discussing Somer's long tenure at Too Faced, and hear how the brand's great products—and savvy influencer strategy—played major roles in Too Faced's $1.4B acquisition by Estée Lauder in 2016. We then dive into Too Faced's influencer marketing playbook, as Somer shar...

In Episode 43 of Earned, Conor sits down with industry legend Janet Gurwitch—founder and former CEO of Laura Mercier Cosmetics, and operating partner at Advent International. Additionally, Janet has invested in many popular brands, and currently serves on the board of directors for Olaplex, Drybar, and the Houston Astros. We start the episode by discussing Advent's acquisition of Laura Mercier (al...

In Episode 42 of Earned, Conor sits down with Robert Zajac, the SVP of Global Brand Marketing & Experience for Hollister, Gilly Hicks, and Social Tourist, with previous experience leading marketing teams at ESPN and Nike. We start the episode by discussing how Robert joined Hollister at the start of the pandemic, and learn how the brand pivoted to digital practically overnight. Robert explains how...