103 - Natasha Vaquer, VICE Media

In Ep. 103 of Earned, we sit down with Natasha Vaquer, SVP of Talent Partnerships and Influencer Strategy at VICE Media—the largest independent youth media company in the world. To start, we dive into the ever-evolving relationship between publishers and creators, and Natasha reveals where she thinks it’s heading next. With a decade of experience in the industry, Natasha sheds light on how editors have now become the talent in their own right, and why she believes these subject-matter experts may become the new focal point in companies’ creator strategies. Switching gears, Natasha, who previously ran the talent partnerships division at Refinery29, recounts being acquired by VICE, and adapting to the publication’s different audience. We discuss VICE’s relationship to different social platforms, and Natasha emphasizes how the “key” is to be nimble with finding what works for your audience. Next, Natasha reveals the mistakes brands often make with talent partnerships, and reiterates the importance of giving creators the autonomy to make content that’s suited to their audience. To close the show, we touch on the current state of affairs with the SAG-AFTRA strike, and unpack how social media creators are being affected.

In this episode, you’ll learn: 

1. How the relationship between publishers, brands, and creators is evolving.

2. Why subject-matter experts may become the new focal point in companies’ creator strategies.

3. Why brands need to give creators the autonomy to create content that works for their audience.

Resources:

• VICE Media - https://www.vicemediagroup.com/

Connect with the Guest(s):

• Natasha’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/natasha-vaquer-a98402/

Connect with Conor Begley & CreatorIQ:

• Conor’s LinkedIn - @conormbegley
• CreatorIQ LinkedIn - @creatoriq

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• CreatorIQ YouTube - @TribeDynamics
• CreatorIQ Instagram - @creatoriq
• CreatorIQ TikTok - @creator.iq
• CreatorIQ Twitter - @CreatorIQ