The Business of Creators

The future of the creator economy isn't content—it's something much bigger. In this episode of The Business of Creators, Ian Shepherd sits down with Sid Yadav, Founder and CEO of Circle, to explore why the future of the creator economy is shifting from audiences to communities. Sid shares how creators can build sustainable businesses beyond social media platforms, increase customer lifet...

Most VCs hide behind pitch decks and private networks — Marshall Sandman is building a venture fund on social media, one daily post at a time. In this episode of The Business of Creators, Ian Shepherd sits down with Marshall Sandman, founder of Animal Capital, to explore how social media is changing venture capital. Marshall shares how posting daily content online has helped him source startup dea...

Now anyone can now build a binge-worthy series from scratch. In this episode of The Business of Creators, Ian Shepherd sits down with Angela Yu to explore how AI is revolutionizing storytelling—and unlocking a new era where anyone can create, own and monetize their own story IP. Angela shares the vision behind Storeel, an AI-native platform enabling creators to produce serialized, interactive dram...

Most AI-generated content looks impressive — but almost none of it is actually usable for real brands. In this episode of The Business of Creators, Ian Shepherd sits down with Simon Davis, founder of SecretSauce, to explore how his AI-native platform is solving one of the biggest gaps in AI content creation: turning raw AI output into cohesive, fully on-brand creative you can publish in 30 seconds...

Are brands making a massive mistake by overlooking YouTube? In this episode of The Business of Creators, Ian Shepherd sits down with creator Larray and CAA talent agent Andrew Graham to unpack why Fortune 500 brands have shifted budgets to TikTok and Instagram and what they’re losing by ignoring the long-form power of YouTube. They break down the post-pandemic budget shift, the rise of UGC and pai...

What if the creators promoting your brand didn’t just get paid, but actually owned a piece of it? In this episode of The Business of Creators, Ian Shepherd sits down with Jeff Frommer, founder of OWM, to break down why the future of the creator economy isn’t more #ads — it’s ownership. Jeff explains how founders can use equity as a growth engine, why creators should start asking “What do I own?”,...

Smosh didn’t just survive two decades on YouTube, it rebuilt itself into a premium comedy company, and this episode breaks down exactly how they did it. In this episode of The Business of Creators, host Ian Shepherd sits down with Alessandra Catanese, CEO of Smosh, to break down how one of YouTube’s most iconic comedy brands is evolving into a premium, future-proof media company. Alessandra shares...

You won’t believe how a $2,500 angel investment and a WhatsApp group turned into one of the most powerful female-led creator brands today. In this episode of The Business of Creators, Ian Shepherd talks with Maggie Sellers Reum, founder of Hot Smart Rich about how she turned her creator-led female ambition brand into something so powerful that Steven Bartlett and FlightStory came calling. She shar...

What if your podcast could be the next billion-dollar media company? Georgie Holt is already building them with Steven Bartlett and she reveals exactly how. In this episode of The Business of Creators, Ian Shepherd sits down with Georgie Holt, CEO of FlightStory & Co Founder of FlightStory Studio, who shares the playbook for turning creators into powerful media brands, using data, AI and obses...

If you want to understand where the creator economy is heading — and how to build a real business in it — this episode is a must-listen. Ian Shepherd sits down with Beehiiv CEO and co-founder Tyler Denk to break down the company’s massive new product launch and its mission to become “the operating system for the content economy.” Tyler shares how Beehiiv is transforming newsletters into full-scale...

In this episode Ian Shepherd sits down with Amy Madison Luo, CEO of Blueberry, to explore how digital fashion is exploding across platforms like Roblox and Snapchat. They break down how Blueberry creates culture native to gaming, why this moment mirrors the early days of streetwear, and how the next generation of fashion brands might be built entirely inside virtual worlds. Topics Discussed: - How...

Podcasting isn’t just a side hustle anymore, it’s becoming the next major media industry.  In this episode of The Business of Creators, Ian Shepherd sits down with Greg Glenday, CEO at Acast, to reveal how the world’s biggest podcast-only company is scaling globally with open RSS, smarter monetization, and AI that enhances, not replaces, human creativity. Topics Discussed: - How Acast turned dynam...

1.1 billion people will be creators by 2032 — but who are they, and what does that future look like? In this episode of The Business of Creators, Ian Shepherd dives deep with Ben Woods from MiDiA to explore the eye-opening findings from their latest report on the creator economy. Ben breaks down what’s really driving this explosive growth: the rise of consumer-creators, the power of video, and how...

What if your customers could become your most powerful influencers — and you paid them less than Facebook ads? In this episode of The Business of Creators, Ian Shepherd sits down with James Watt, co-founder of BrewDog and now founder of Social Tip — a groundbreaking platform aiming to democratize influence. James shares how Social Tip flips the traditional advertising model on its head by turning...

If you're a creator and not making six figures yet — this might be why. ThriveCart CEO Ismael Wrixen reveals what actually works in the creator economy after processing over $2 billion in sales — and shares the blueprint behind today’s top-earning creators. In this episode, Ian Shepherd digs into ThriveCart’s 2025 Creator Economy Report with Ismael, uncovering the future of digital products,...

What if the next Halo wasn’t built by a massive studio, but by a teenager on Roblox? In this episode of The Business of Creators, Ian Shepherd talks with Alex Seropian, co-creator of Halo and founder of Look North World, about how the gaming industry is being reinvented by creators, communities, and platforms like Fortnite and Roblox. Seropian explains why he believes we’re entering the Creator Er...

What happens when AI meets creativity and respects the people behind it? In this episode of The Business of Creators, Ian Shepherd sits down with Oscar Höglund, CEO & Co-founder of Epidemic Sound, to dive into how AI is transforming music in content creation without replacing artists. From emotional storytelling to fair artist compensation, this is a deep dive into building creator-first tools...

What happens when a 23-year-old creator lands a groundbreaking role at ESPN? Katie Feeney is living the dream — and changing the game. In this episode of The Business of Creators, Ian Shepherd talks with Katie about her rise from Musically to becoming ESPN’s first-ever Sports & Lifestyle Creator. Katie reveals how she creates real-time content at live sports events, builds engaged cross-platfo...

She turned finance advice into a multimillion-dollar digital empire. In this episode of The Business of Creators, Dominique Broadway shares how she built her business on Kajabi, what she’d do differently today, and why community and ownership are the future of creator success. Ian Shepherd also speaks with Kajabi’s Allie Fernando, who unpacks exclusive data behind their $10 billion milestone — and...

This is how a YouTube channel turned one tool into over $6.5 million with no paid ads. In this episode of The Business of Creators, Ian Shepherd talks to Ian Hillier, COO of Hacksmith Industries, about how they transformed a side project into a massive Kickstarter success. Launching products for sale? Start with a .store domain. Top creators like MrBeast, Dude Perfect and Hacksmith use .store to b...

What does it take to turn a 120-square-foot shed into a thriving multi-million dollar creator brand? In this episode of The Business of Creators, Ian Shepherd sits down with Jonathan Katz-Moses — master woodworker, inventor, and YouTube creator — and Billy Parks from Slow Ventures to reveal the mindset, strategies, and partnerships that fueled Jonathan’s explosive growth. From surviving a life-cha...

Creators Are Becoming Studios — Here’s What That Means for You. In this episode of The Business of Creators, Ian Shepherd sits down with Zach Blume — a 15-year veteran of the digital content space — to break down the shift from snackable content to premium storytelling on platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. Zach shares lessons from building one of the longest-running independent creator...

Think selling merch is just about slapping your logo on a t-shirt? Think again — this episode reveals what really drives sales in 2025. This episode is packed with surprising, actionable insights on what actually works in creator commerce today. Launching products for sale? Start with a .store domain. Top creators like MrBeast, Dude Perfect and Colin & Samir use .store to build clean, memorabl...

What if one person could build a $100 million brand — without a team? Pietra’s new AI assistant is making that future possible right now. Launching products for sale? Start with a .store domain. Top creators like MrBeast, Dude Perfect and Colin & Samir use .store to build clean, memorable web addresses like YourName.store, boosting clicks, driving sales and making it crystal clear where fans c...

What if your kid’s favorite YouTuber could also make them fall in love with science? That’s exactly what CrunchLabs is doing — and today, Jim Lee, the company’s President and COO, reveals how. Launching products for sale? Start with a .store domain. Top creators like MrBeast, Dude Perfect and Colin & Samir use .store to build clean, memorable web addresses like YourName.store, boosting clicks,...