In the Asylum with Nick Chirls

Creator Creates Content

That is: A person — often a founder, or someone similarly empowered — needs to have compelling ideas, establish a voice and perspective, and use it. Tools like brand books and style guides are important so agencies and partners know how to speak the same language. But the actual opinions and values can’t be algorithmically generated or offloaded to... See more

I’ve always believed the best early-stage founders are artists – they're obsessive about new and unusual things, they feel compelled to bring creation into the world, and they are often misunderstood for long periods of time–even lifetimes. Building businesses is their art.

In the words of Morning Brew co-founder Alex Lieberman: Every employee at Morning brew should be a “digital personality” (if they choose).

How do we build a healthier creator economy?

Elan: Something that you’ve written about is this idea that there’s two kinds of startups: one that's solving a functional problem, and one that's manifesting a creative vision. What's your take on the distinction between the two?

Sari: People want to go on a journey. They want to understand what your vision is, not just what problem you’re solving... See more

But in this new world, making is show business. Look at what founders do all day! And I don’t mean that in a derogatory way. It’s hard work to create a product, create attention, and then - most importantly - manage that attention so it feeds you momentum but doesn’t burn you out. That’s the hard part of show business; the part they don’t tell you ... See more