Earned: Unlocking the Power of the Creator Economy

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 Follow us on social: CreatorIQ YouTube - @TribeDynamics CreatorIQ Instagram - @creatoriq CreatorIQ TikTok - @creator.iq CreatorIQ Twitter - @CreatorIQ

In Ep. 102 of Earned, we’re back with Lia Haberman: advisor, educator, newsletter publisher, and one of Insider’s “Top Creator Economy Experts.” We start by discussing Lia’s time in the editorial world, and she recounts the shifting ownership of celebrities’ narratives from their PR and management teams to the celebrities themselves. We then discuss the approach Lia’s students take to the social media landscape, and she shares why “creators and social media managers are almost interchangeable at this point,” as well as why hiring savvy social media creators is an asset to any company, not a liability. We switch gears and hear why Lia decided to start publishing her newsletter, along with two key learnings: have a personality and point of view, and respect your audience. Conor and Lia speak to the value of creating and becoming known for recurring content series or franchises in order to make your content easy, interesting, and familiar for your audience. Next, we ask Lia about her monetization strategies as a publisher and brand advisor, and find out whether or not she would consider going back in-house on the brand side. To close the show, Lia shares the influencer marketing strategies she’s seen drive the most success for brands. She emphasizes that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution, and that businesses need to respect creators as business partners, not ad units, and align on what success means for each partnership. In this episode, you will learn:  1. Why creators should be treated as business partnerships, not ad units 2. Why it's critical to align internally on what success looks for your creator partnerships 3. Why your business should respect and prioritize its existing customer base rather than going after new audiences Resources: UCLA Extension - https://www.uclaextension.edu/ Connect with the Guest(s): Lia Haberman’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/liahaberman/ Connect with Conor Begley & CreatorIQ: Conor’s LinkedIn - @conormbegley CreatorIQ LinkedIn - @creatoriq Follow us on social: CreatorIQ YouTube - @TribeDynamics CreatorIQ Instagram - @creatoriq CreatorIQ TikTok - @creator.iq CreatorIQ Twitter - @CreatorIQ

This week on Earned, we're revisiting our incredible episode with Katie Welch, CMO of Selena Gomez’s smash-hit makeup brand Rare Beauty! We kick off the episode by hearing about how Katie uses her own TikTok platform (that now boasts over 96k fans!) to mentor young professionals interested in the beauty industry, and how Katie herself broke into the space. We then walk through Katie’s enviable marketing career, as she shares how the lessons she learned at communications firm Weber Shandwick—particularly, the power of storytelling—have been invaluable to her work with brands including Bliss, Hourglass, Honest Beauty, and of course, Rare Beauty. Next, we dive into Rare Beauty, and Katie recalls how Selena Gomez’s mission to create a space where everyone feels welcome drew her to the brand. We discuss the challenges that come with building a brand from scratch—in the middle of a pandemic no less—and the innovative ways Rare Beauty kept its community connected and prioritized mental health in the time of COVID-19. Finally, Katie reveals her top three influencer marketing philosophies. Resources: Rare Beauty  Connect with the Guest(s): Katie Welch’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/welchkatie/ Connect with Conor Begley & CreatorIQ: Conor’s LinkedIn - @conormbegley CreatorIQ LinkedIn - @creatoriq Follow us on social: CreatorIQ YouTube - @TribeDynamics CreatorIQ Instagram - @creatoriq CreatorIQ TikTok - @creator.iq CreatorIQ Twitter - @CreatorIQ

In Ep. 101 of Earned, we sit down with Avi Gandhi—prolific LinkedIn creator and Founder of the creator economy’s hit newsletter Creator Logic. To start, we dive into Avi’s vast experience building and leading creator-facing teams. Avi reveals that after 15 years of working in the creator economy, he’s worn nearly every possible hat. This experience led him to start his educational, data-backed newsletter Creator Logic, which helps bridge the gap between creators and brands. Together we unpack the future of the creator economy, and Avi shares his predictions for what’s next in terms of social networks, systemic shifts, and business models. Avi touches on the mistakes made by “outsiders” of the industry, and explains how 2020 was a learning period for everyone as the idea of creator-led marketing came to the forefront of consumer strategy. We explore the differences between reaching creators and consumers, and Avi shares that no matter these differences, the need is the same: to connect with people. To close the show, Avi reveals how he built up his (fast-growing) LinkedIn following, before leaving us with a few pieces of insightful advice for success in an ever-changing social world. In this episode, you will learn:  How Avi's Creator Logic newsletter helps creators and brands better understand each other The diversity of ways creators can monetize in today's creator economy How Avi built his fast-growing LinkedIn community of over 15k followers Resources: Creator Logic Connect with the Guest: Avi Gandhi’s LinkedIn - @AviGandhi Connect with Conor Begley & CreatorIQ: Conor’s LinkedIn - @conormbegley CreatorIQ LinkedIn - @creatoriq Follow us on social: CreatorIQ YouTube - @TribeDynamics CreatorIQ Instagram - @creatoriq CreatorIQ TikTok - @creator.iq CreatorIQ Twitter - @CreatorIQ

It’s our 100th episode of Earned! What an incredible ride it’s been. We truly couldn’t have done it without you, our loyal listeners. Thank you! To celebrate this milestone, we’ve compiled all of the best moments, learnings, and takeaways from our amazing guests over the last 100 episodes, highlighting their tried-and-true approaches and philosophies around influencer marketing, the creator economy, brand building, marketing strategies, leadership, entrepreneurship, and more. To help you follow along, we’ve listed timestamps for the different themes and speakers below. But if you’d prefer to watch this compilation instead, head over to our YouTube channel (linked below) to see our guests in all their glory. We can’t wait to make Earned even bigger and better. On to 200! Watch the episode on YouTube Topic and Speaker Timestamps: 1:33 - Influencer Marketing Best Practices Mehdi Mehdi, Rare Beauty Calum Watson, Gymshark Lee Stimmel, Amazon Studios Sarah Lee, Glow Recipe Samantha Sichel, Live Nation Michelle Miller, K18 Marianna Hewitt, Summer Fridays Susan Yara, Naturium 15:09 - Social Media Platforms & The Creator Economy Adrienne Lahens, TikTok Doug Weiss, Instagram Roxy Young, Reddit 20:13 - Brand Building Raissa Gerona, Revolve Angelic Vendette, Alo Yoga Scott Sassa, Milk Makeup Dr. Brent Ridge & Josh Kilmer-Purcell, Beekman 1802 Aïda Moudachirou-Rébois, MAC Cosmetics 28:05 - Marketing Strategies Ken Landis, Bobbi Brown, Tula, & DIBS Beauty Ju Rhyu, Hero Cosmetics Katie Welch, Rare Beauty Marc Hustvedt, MrBeast Kory Marchisotto, E.L.F. & Keys Soulcare Ashton Wall, ColourPop 37:18 - Leadership Philosophies Ana Maria Henao, Microsoft Toto Haba, Benefit Cosmetics JuE Wong, Olaplex Reuben Carranza, Kate Somerville 44:29 - Industry Trailblazers Janet Gurwitch, Laura Mercier & Advent International Jesse Draper, Halogen Ventures Danessa Myricks, Danessa Myricks Beauty Connect with the Guests: Mehdi Mehdi’s LinkedIn - @MehdiMehdi Calum Watson’s LinkedIn - @CalumWatson Lee Stimmel’s LinkedIn - @LeeStimmel  Sarah Lee’s LinkedIn - @SarahLee Michelle Miller’s LinkedIn - @MichelleMiller Marianna Hewitt’s LinkedIn - @MariannaHewitt Susan Yara’s LinkedIn - @SusanYara Adrienne Lahen’s LinkedIn - @AdrienneLahen Doug Weiss’s LinkedIn - @DougWeiss Roxy Young’s LinkedIn - @RoxyYoung Raissa Gerona’s LinkedIn - @RaissaGerona Angelic Vendette’s LinkedIn - @AngelicVendette Scott Sassa’s LinkedIn - @ScottSassa Dr. Brent’s LinkedIn - @DrBrent Josh Kilmer’s LinkedIn - @JoshKilmer Aïda Moudachirou-Rébois’s LinkedIn - @Aïda Moudachirou-Rébois Ken Landis’s LinkedIn - @KenLandis Ju Rhyu’s LinkedIn - @JuRhyu Katie Welch’s LinkedIn - @KatieWelch Marc Hustvedt’s LinkedIn - @MarcHustvedt Kory Marchisotto’s LinkedIn - @KoryMarchisotto Ashton Wall’s LinkedIn - @AshtonWall Ana Maria Henao’s LinkedIn - @AnaMariaHenao Toto Haba’s LinkedIn - @TotoHaba JuE Wong’s LinkedIn - @JuEWong Reuben Carranza’s LinkedIn - @ReubenCarranza Janet Gurwitch’s LinkedIn - @JanetGurwitch Jesse Draper’s LinkedIn - @JesseDraper Danessa Myricks’s LinkedIn - @DanessaMyricks Connect with Conor Begley & CreatorIQ: Conor’s LinkedIn - @conormbegley CreatorIQ LinkedIn - @creatoriq Follow us on social: CreatorIQ YouTube - @TribeDynamics CreatorIQ Instagram - @creatoriq CreatorIQ TikTok - @creator.iq CreatorIQ Twitter - @CreatorIQ

In Ep. 99 of Earned, we sit down with Oshiya Savur, Chief Brand Officer at No. 1 mass beauty incubator Maesa. To start, we discuss how Maesa began as a private label for fragrances before transforming into the successful incubator behind brands like Kristin Ess, Flower Beauty (Drew Barrymore), and Being Frenshe (Ashley Tisdale). We then switch gears and dive into Oshiya’s unexpected career journey, from getting her MBA at India’s No. 1 business school to spending nearly a decade at powerhouse conglomerate Unilever, before continuing on to Revlon, Charlotte Tilbury, and now Maesa. Oshiya explains the pros and cons of working at established corporations compared to nimble startups, and emphasizes the importance of having a company-aligned “rallying cry,” as well as failing fast—but learning faster. To close the show, Oshiya reveals how influencer marketing drove hypergrowth at Charlotte Tilbury, before revealing Maesa’s future plans to disrupt the beauty industry with creativity and innovation. In this episode, you will learn:  How Oshiya strategically incorporated influencer marketing into Charlotte Tilbury's strategy, which helped create viral products and increased "talkability." How Maesa stays ahead of the market by making investments in talent and technology, and redefining innovation to drive continued success. The importance of having a company-aligned “rallying cry,” and failing fast—but learning faster. Resources: Maesa Connect with the Guest(s): Oshiya Savur’s LinkedIn - @OshiyaSavur Connect with Conor Begley & CreatorIQ: Conor’s LinkedIn - @conormbegley CreatorIQ LinkedIn - @creatoriq Follow us on social: CreatorIQ YouTube - @TribeDynamics CreatorIQ Instagram - @creatoriq CreatorIQ TikTok - @creator.iq CreatorIQ Twitter - @CreatorIQ

In Ep. 98 of Earned, we sit down with Lexie Barnhorn, the Head of Influencer Marketing at Notion, the $10B productivity and organization web application. To start, we dive into why Lexie joined Notion after championing the platform at her previous company, Curology, and hear how working in the scrappy, startup world allows her to stay at the forefront of fast-growing businesses. Next, Lexie explains why Notion taps into various niche creator communities to connect with new audiences, before revealing how the company’s “test and learn” approach to channels like TikTok and LinkedIn is vital to its success on social media. Lexie then shares her advice to young professionals looking to jumpstart their careers, and emphasizes the importance of taking risks and joining companies you believe in. To close the show, Lexie, an outspoken Swiftie, speaks to why she believes Taylor Swift is so successful, and how companies can utilize her marketing strategies to fuel success in their own businesses. In this episode, you will learn:  Notion’s non-traditional approach to creator-led marketing and its focus on niche communities across multiple platforms Lexie's advice to young professionals looking to jumpstart their careers How Notion’s test-and-learn approach to TikTok drives success on the platform and creates value and connection with consumers Resources: Notion.so Connect with the Guest: Lexie Barnhorn’s LinkedIn - @AlexisBarnhorn Connect with Conor Begley & CreatorIQ: Conor’s LinkedIn - @conormbegley CreatorIQ LinkedIn - @creatoriq Follow us on social: CreatorIQ YouTube - @TribeDynamics CreatorIQ Instagram - @creatoriq CreatorIQ TikTok - @creator.iq CreatorIQ Twitter - @CreatorIQ

In Ep. 97 of Earned, Conor sits down with Jesse Draper: actor, fourth-generation venture capitalist, and founding partner of early-stage, female-focused VC firm Halogen Ventures. To start the show, we learn why Jesse pursued Hollywood stardom, with notable acting credits including Nickelodeon’s hit TV show “The Naked Brothers Band,” before jumping into the investing business. Jesse shares the inspiration behind her Emmy-nominated tech talk show “The Valley Girl Show,” and how her success empowered her to effect change in the male-dominated tech industry by finding—and funding—successful female-founded businesses. We dive into Jesse’s now-viral (and bad-ass) 2020 Medium article, “Investing In Women Isn’t A Fucking Charity,” and she unpacks the data around why female investors and entrepreneurs tend to outperform their male counterparts. Next, we hear Jesse’s investment philosophies, and the characteristics she looks for in her founders, before getting her take on the creator economy—how she and her portfolio participate in it, and where she sees it going next. To wrap the episode, Jesse reveals the investments she’s most excited about, and the businesses we should look out for. In this episode, you will learn: Why investing in women-led businesses is a profitable opportunity with superior returns and efficiency—not charity The qualities Jesse looks for in the founders she invests in Jesse's take on the future of the creator economy Resources: Halogen Ventures Connect with the Guest(s): Jesse Draper’s LinkedIn Connect with Conor Begley & CreatorIQ: Conor’s LinkedIn - @conormbegley CreatorIQ LinkedIn - @creatoriq Follow us on social: CreatorIQ YouTube - @TribeDynamics CreatorIQ Instagram - @creatoriq CreatorIQ TikTok - @creator.iq CreatorIQ Twitter - @CreatorIQ

In Ep. 96 of Earned, Conor sits down with Amy Liu, founder and CEO of fast-growing clean beauty brand Tower 28. We dive into Tower 28’s success both online and off, and Amy shares the past investments she’s made that are now paying off. We hear why she believes you have to earn your reputation, and how investing in people and products have fueled much of the beauty brand’s success. Next, we take a step back and learn why Amy was grateful to get laid off from Accenture in her early 20s, because it forced her to evaluate what she wanted to do. Her path led her to USC business school, and then into the beauty industry. After running marketing teams at Smashbox, Kate Somerville, and Josie Maran (where she grew sales 5x in three years), we learn why Amy decided to take time away from her career to focus on family, before going all in on her own brand, Tower 28 Beauty. Amy reveals why she’s happy she waited to found her brand, before explaining why she created the Clean Beauty Summer School, a professional development program designed to accelerate small, BIPOC-owned clean beauty businesses. As we wrap up the show, we discuss Tower 28’s thoughtful, personalized approach to building relationships with relevant creators, and Amy gives her take on where the influencer marketing landscape is headed next.  In this episode, you will learn: Why investing in people and high-quality products fueled much of Tower 28 Beauty's success How Amy's unexpected career trajectory inspired her to launch her own brand Tower 28's thoughtful, personalized approach to building relationships with creators Resources: Tower 28 Beauty Connect with the Guest(s): Amy Liu’s LinkedIn Connect with Conor Begley & CreatorIQ: Conor’s LinkedIn - @conormbegley CreatorIQ LinkedIn - @creatoriq Follow us on social: CreatorIQ YouTube - @TribeDynamics CreatorIQ Instagram - @creatoriq CreatorIQ TikTok - @creator.iq CreatorIQ Twitter - @CreatorIQ

For our 95th episode of Earned, Conor sits down with Samantha Sichel, the Head of Social Product and Digital Innovation at leading live entertainment company Live Nation. To start the show, we dive into Samantha’s nearly two-decade career at Live Nation, and she shares how the company and industry have evolved during the rise of digital media. We unpack Live Nation’s rapid growth via vertical integration, and hear how CEO Michael Rapino is a “visionary” in discovering successful artists and investing in their growth, while still allowing them to remain autonomous. We learn why live entertainment attracts a highly influential audience, and Samantha explains how Live Nation leverages this engaged community of “fanfluencers” to help market shows and events. Next, we dive into the success of Live Nation’s Last2Leave creator house, and Samantha shares why the company’s secret sauce lies in its unique ability to give creators “the best night of your life every single week.” Conor and Samantha then reflect back on the pandemic, and we hear how Live Nation creatively connected fans to artists in a time without in-person events. To close the show, Samantha, a mother of three, shares her advice for excelling in your career as a working mom. In this episode, you will learn: Why live events attract a highly influential audience, and how Live Nation has tapped into its "Fanfluencer" community to promote its events. How Live Nation powered massive growth, going from event promoter to giant ticketing entity, by leaning in to the digital revolution. How Live Nation's unique, money-can't-buy experiences have turned its creator house Last2Leave into a major success. Resources: Live Nation Entertainment Connect with the Guest: Samantha Sichel's LinkedIn Connect with Conor Begley & CreatorIQ: Conor’s LinkedIn - @conormbegley CreatorIQ LinkedIn - @creatoriq Follow us on social: CreatorIQ YouTube - @TribeDynamics CreatorIQ Instagram - @creatoriq CreatorIQ TikTok - @creator.iq CreatorIQ Twitter - @CreatorIQ