Creators Guild of America

The CGA is thrilled to invite you to our upcoming virtual event on September 25th @ 11am PST: Creator Merch: To Proceed or Not to Proceed? Larry Shapiro, Founder, The Creator Society (moderator) Sarah Gunter, Director, Brand & Product Development, Ready Go Ventures Ellie Heisler, Partner, Nixon Peabody LLP Evan Marshall, COO, BMW Digital Tori Nishino, Creator, High Vibe Podcast Tyler Wright, Account Director at Invisible Narratives Merchandise has always been a powerful tool for creators looking to diversify their revenue streams and build thriving businesses beyond their social media presence. But launching a merch line isn’t just about slapping your logo on a T-shirt. It’s about making strategic decisions that align with your brand and resonate with your audience. Join us for an insightful virtual event where these creator economy veterans will delve into these questions and more. They're here to share their expertise, provide practical advice, and help creators like you navigate the complexities of the merch world! Please RSVP by September 24th (space is limited) RSVP: https://lnkd.in/gA_-k-MC

The CGA is thrilled to announce our upcoming virtual event: 𝘒𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩: 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘕𝘢𝘮𝘦, 𝘐𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴. We’re bringing together an all-star panel featuring: • Courtney Carter – Chief Revenue Officer, Seattle Sounders FC & Seattle Reign FC • #ConnerFranta – Creator and Entrepreneur with over 20+ million followers across platforms • Dev Sethi – COO, Athletes.org • Ben Ebbrell – Co-Founder and Chef, Sorted Food • Scott Hervey – Top IP Lawyer, Weintraub Tobin • Byron Ashley – President, Settebello Entertainment, generated over $100 million in opportunities for his clients. Name, Image, Likeness (NIL), which originated in the sports world, has now become critical for creators and professionals with public profiles. Your name, image, and likeness aren’t just elements of your brand—they’re valuable assets that need protection. Our panel will dive into the complexities of NIL, uncovering what you may be giving up when you collaborate with brands, platforms, or partners. Without the right knowledge, you risk others taking advantage of your hard-earned reputation, or worse, misrepresenting who you are and what you stand for. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to learn how to protect what’s rightfully yours. RSVP HERE: https://lnkd.in/earh-zur

ONE IS THE LONELIEST NUMBER We're not going to go so far as to say that you can't grow your audience and impact by yourself. But we do think you'd be crazy to make that the plan. There's a reason that “collabs” have become part of the common currency of the creator economy. Collaboration with other creators and channels isn't just a powerful way to expand your reach, it's a tried-and-true path to making yourself better at your job. There's no standard textbook for becoming a better creator. You can't (yet) find academic departments and degrees dedicated to the creator economy. So how do we learn? We learn from each other. Whether it's a new production technique, a new revenue stream, or a new way of organizing your content and telling your stories, the best way to learn is hands-on, from your creator peers. The best thing? While you're picking up new approaches and perspectives from your collaborator, they're getting their eyes opened by exposure to the way that you're creating your content and strengthening your brand. Collaboration is a two-way street—that's what makes it so powerful. We started the CGA in order to give you more options to find collaborators. Someone asked an on-point question during one of our online conversations? Reach out and let them know how great minds think alike. Overhear an interesting conversation at an in-person CGA event like our recent visit to Snap School? Introduce yourself, share links to your channel(s), and start thinking about ways you can connect with your fellow member to expose your content to their audience, and vice-versa. Whether you pursue a joint project or just make a guest appearance on another creator's content, the collaborative spirit that you cultivate will pay off with future opportunities in both the short- and long-term. You're not alone in this profession, even if it sometimes feels that way. Join our CGA community to find those like-minded creators and start building the connections that will take you to the next level.

SCHOOL'S IN FOR SUMMER! School's getting out for lots of people right now. But last week, the CGA went back to school—Snap School! Close to 100 CGA members met up at Snap HQ in Santa Monica, CA on Thursday to get the inside scoop from Snap itself on how to make content thrive on the platform. We learned stuff like how to: - Leverage Saved Stories to attract followers and brands - Increase the length of viewer engagement with your Stories - Gain access to and analyze viewer engagement data And that's just skimming the surface. The unstoppable Brooke Berry conducted the session, Snap's Head of Creator Development, whose energy and good vibes made Snap School less of a Q&A session and more of a party. Add in tasty refreshments, getting to see Snap Inc. offices from the inside, and several dozen CGA members to connect with and learn from, and we're ready to pronounce the CGA's first-ever in-person event a wild success. The truth is, for a creator, school never really ends. In a profession that's evolving as fast as yours, continued education isn't just a good idea—it's an outright necessity. A guild is, first and foremost, where you go to learn your craft; it's why ongoing member education is one of the foundational missions of the Creators Guild. In the coming months, we intend to take our members inside more of the companies and organizations that define the digital economy and make certain that every CGA member has access to resources that can protect their livelihoods. Even setting aside the coolness of the venue and the value of the information shared, most of the great energy in the room came from our CGA members. Something special happens when you put together a group of smart and passionate people and let them ask questions and share experiences. Just hearing the incredible vitality and curiosity in the conversations around the room confirmed to us that in-person events are the future of the CGA. If you live in Los Angeles, New York, or another creator hub, you can look forward to future opportunities to fist-bump fellow CGA members in your community. 💛

The wild, wild West – it's a fun place to watch or read stories about, but not an easy place to build a sustainable career. For years, industry observers have used the “wild, wild West” description to characterize the creator economy. The label has stuck because it fits. As with many brand-new systems, the rules of the creator economy have been in constant flux. What counts as fair compensation? What are the terms by which creators, agencies, brands, and platforms are expected to abide? Where do we draw the line between aggressive business practices and exploitation? The absence of common rules and expectations is understandable in a brand-new, highly volatile space. But the creator economy stopped taking its “baby steps” years ago. It was a $21 billion industry in 2023, and within a few years, is expected to swell to 20 times that number. A system that big, with so much revenue and so many livelihoods at stake, simply can't continue to function as the wild, wild West. What the old West needed—and what the creator economy needs today—was a little law and order. We're not claiming to be the new sheriff in town, but we can see where the problems lie, and we're working on tools to fix them. Simply put, the creator economy needs standards, a common set of fundamental expectations that provide a stable infrastructure for commerce. Standardization means that creators and those who employ them can stop wrangling over the basic stuff, and focus on creating deals that maximize outcomes for both parties. Our first tool for standardizing creator work is coming later this year—the CGA contract rider, a page of contractual language to be added to creator employment agreements that safeguards creators' ownership rights and credits and establish reasonable terms for compensation. It's time to tame the wild, wild West—and standardization is the way to get it done.

Attention CGA Members, check your inboxes! 💛 We are so excited to invite you to an exclusive CGA members only event next week at the Snap Inc. HQ, in Santa Monica, CA. Join us and Brooke Berry, Head of Creator Development at Snap! You’ll get the scoop on Snap’s latest best practices, their monetization program, plus you'll also get to create awesome content, meet other creators, Snap staff, and CGA members! Our most recent newsletter has more details!

Brand Partnerships! For many creators, their brand partnerships provide a significant portion of their revenue. But creating such a partnership isn't just a matter of finding a brand to connect with, but finding the right one that aligns with your values, audience, and aesthetic. A healthy creator/brand partnership is beautiful, generating exposure for the brand, business for the creator, and great content for the audience. At the CGA, we want to give you the tools to approach brands, navigate the negotiation process, and keep partnerships healthy and thriving. Join the guild to explore best practices, share valuable perspectives with other creators, and connect with reputable brands who are active and ready to collaborate in the creator economy.

Newsletters: Sweet Like Honey! Last week the CGA's Advisory Council member Avi Gandhi welcomed Boye Akolade (Fajinmi) and our partners Tyler Denk 🐝 (CEO) and Elden Mirzoian (Creator Lead) from beehiiv to talk all things newsletters. If you weren't able to join, now you can, twice. Join the CGA for free as an Associate, or apply for membership and get your first year of dues waived with promo code: beehiiv. Members and Associates will be able to watch the event, plus gain access to additional benefits and our insider news. Join now at https://lnkd.in/eFytb8Q8 💛

The resurgence of newsletters has had an incredible impact on creators. From community building to monetization, newsletters have become so much more than just an email blast. Like many tasks, it can be daunting to start—that's why the CGA is here, this time with our special partner beehiiv. You're invited to join us moderator and CGA Advisory Council member Avi Gandhi and guest Boye Akolade (Fajinmi) plus our partners Tyler Denk 🐝 (CEO) and Elden Mirzoian (Creator Lead) from beehiiv. They'll be discussing the ins and outs of newsletters--including formatting, editorial, and building a distribution list--and how tapping into tools like beehiiv can make newsletters not only easier to execute but one of the fun parts of your job as a creator. RSVP FOR THE EVENT: https://lnkd.in/enXvd6rv

Being a creator is a tough job—the pressures of producing great content place demands on your time, your resourcefulness… and your mental health. That’s why the CGA is making mental health one of its signature issues and is committed to providing resources and support to help you maintain a healthy work-life balance. Our goal at the CGA is to create an authentic professional community. And the hallmark of a community is that its members take care of one another. That’s why we’re excited to announce the addition of a new member of our Board of Directors, Dr. Raghu Kiran Appasani. A graduate of UMass Chan Medical School, Dr. Raghu completed his residency in psychiatry at USC and has since worked as a psychiatrist and mental health advocate in a variety of clinical and non-profit settings. As Founder & CEO of The MINDS Foundation, Dr. Raghu has brought his passion and compassion to initiatives in both the United States and India, increasing mental health literacy and working to neutralize the stigma still attached to mental health and those who seek care for it. Dr. Raghu will be advising the CGA on resources that the guild can provide its members seeking greater understanding of and attention to mental health concerns. You can expect to (virtually) meet Dr. Raghu at upcoming CGA events, where he’ll share his perspectives on the unique challenges facing creators, and how creators facing the demands of their job can seek both self-care and, when necessary, professional intervention.