Media 2020: Rise of the Renaissance Creator

The “monetize the individual” disruption should serve as a catalyst for the business reinvention of media companies who choose to recognize and react to this “new” (I know it’s not new but what’s old is new again) trend forming. It’s not just about enabling and “liberating” creators and talent, but more importantly about maintaining, supporting and... See more

This new model takes what we have learned from the Aggregation Era and finds a way to blend it with the independence enjoyed by the “sovereign writer”—or, to be appropriately expansive, let’s call it “sovereign creator.” It is, I believe, the natural model of the internet, taking advantage of the web’s massive scale and interconnectivity and mergin... See more

The atomic unit of a media enterprise is the creator. It always has been. But, now armed with new mediums and technologies, more and more creators are becoming standalone businesses.

Who will we even consider to be creators? I see two trends having an impact here. First, the line between mainstream and digital talent will fade away: not so much through creators ‘breaking through’ into the mainstream (a narrative that already feels out-of-date), as through the opposite - talent that has (or would have) found an audience through ... See more

In the creator economy, we’re seeing a reinvention of media in a way that has never been done before. Media is no longer exclusive to well funded publications and production studios. Instead, the power is in the hands of individuals who are inherently strong community builders.

The media’s status quo is accelerating towards disruption. We’re seeing the development of new media brands (micro-labels) on platforms and services, the prioritization of talent as a core business pillar by media companies and the shifting business models moving from content direct to creator direct.

People are becoming personal media corporations. Ex: Substack and Twitter enable people to make a living creating media and content