Earned: Unlocking the Power of the Creator Economy

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

In Ep. 94 of Earned, we sit down with Eurie Kim, managing partner at Forerunner Ventures, the wildly successful early-stage venture capital firm that has helped skyrocket consumer-favorite brands like Glossier, Dollar Shave Club, Outdoor Voices, and more. We start the episode by looking back on the past few years in the venture capital market, and Conor asks Eurie whether Forerunner has reconsidered its brands’ exit paths. Eurie then shares how she and the Forerunner team continue to be involved with their portfolio brands after an initial investment, and how Forerunner leverages learnings from each investment to guide its approach with younger brands. Next, we learn what kind of companies Forerunner wants to focus its investments on over the next decade, and Eurie explains why the firm proactively anticipates consumers’ future behaviors and priorities to guide its investment strategy. Switching gears, Conor and Eurie discuss the shift back toward in-person retail, and how DTC-native brands can successfully adapt to that environment, before Eurie shares her thoughts on how the rise of AI will impact the market. To close the show, Eurie unpacks the key business philosophies she believes contributed to Forerunner's massive (25x) success since its launch, before revealing the hard lessons she’s learned along the way. Resources: Forerunner Connect with the Guest: Eurie Kim’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 today’s episode of Earned, we sit down with Oura CMO Doug Sweeny, whose marketing prowess helped drive the $3B+ acquisitions of Nest Labs and One Medical. We start the episode by digging into this success, and hear the qualities Doug looks for before joining  a company. Doug emphasizes his interest in companies that are solving real-world problems, and shares his experience working at One Medical during the peak of the pandemic. We then learn what attracted Doug to Oura, before hearing how the company navigates the tech ecosystem and integrates with tech giant Apple. Next, we dive into Doug’s process for crafting Oura’s simple yet compelling brand message of “giving every body a voice,” and discuss the importance of aligning the company around this message. Doug also explains how Oura’s clear mission has helped in establishing partnerships with companies like Strava, Gucci, Best Buy, and Equinox. We switch gears and learn how Oura facilitates content creation among its “rabid fans” and members by introducing new offerings like Circles and the “Refer a Friend” program, as well as partnerships with athletes and wellness influencers. Doug shares how the company constantly leverages its member community for beta testing and product development feedback. To close the show, Doug walks us through why he enjoys taking on advisory roles for other companies outside of Oura, and reveals what kind of startup he’d enjoy leading next. Resources: ŌURA Connect with the Guest(s): Doug Sweeny’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

SVP of Global Brand Engagement & Communications at Kiehl's, Steven Waldberg, discusses Meta's Threads app, growing up bicultural, and the evolution of social media. He emphasizes the need for brands to embrace culture, creativity, and learning on emerging platforms to connect with consumers globally.

In Ep. 91 of Earned, Conor sits down with Peter Hollens, a powerhouse a cappella singer who has amassed a following of over 3M subscribers on YouTube, and over a billion views across his various social channels. To start the show, Peter explains why he has pursued other business ventures outside of being a creator, including investing, consulting, and recently founding his own business (Inhouse Creators), and shares how these interests help him avoid burnout. We then learn how Peter leverages AI like ChatGPT to help him create his content, before unpacking Peter’s journey as a creator over the last decade—and why signing with a major record label was one of his biggest regrets. We discuss the challenges of finding balance as both a content creator and a father, and Peter shares the story of losing his voice for 18 months due to a stubborn granuloma. We also learn how during that time, Peter was able to discover his passion and business acumen for consulting companies about the creator economy, an experience that later inspired his new business: Inhouse Creators. To close the show, Peter explains how Inhouse Creators works to connect businesses to experienced, savvy creators to produce their content, and why companies that don’t invest in the creator economy will get left behind. In this episode, you will learn: How Peter leverages AI like ChatGPT to help him create content Why signing with a major record label was one of Peter's biggest regrets Why businesses should look to hire creators for in-house content production Resources: Peter’s Youtube Peter’s Website Peter’s Instagram Inhouse Creators Connect with the Guest: Peter Hollens’ 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 our 90th episode of Earned, Conor sits down with Amina Pasha, CPG marketing expert and current CMO of Thrive Market, the cult-favorite healthy food retailer that brought in nearly $500 million in revenue last year. To start the show, Amina unpacks Thrive Market’s mission to make healthy living easy, affordable, and accessible. We then hear what drew Amina—who previously served as VP of Marketing at Jessica Alba’s The Honest Company—to mission-based companies after spending over a decade at Procter & Gamble. We dive into Amina’s takeaways from her time at P&G, including the importance of being a cross-functional leader and understanding your consumer’s needs. Next, Amina shares the learnings that surprised her about Thrive Market, such as investment and involvement from respected health and wellness influencers like Mark Sisson and Thomas DeLauer. We then explore Thrive’s recent uptick in Instagram followers, and Amina reveals the company’s strategies for success on social. (Hint: creating content that educates, inspires, and entertains.) To close the show, Amina offers her advice to young professionals looking to advance their careers and make an impact. In this episode, you will learn: How Thrive Market works to make healthy living easy, affordable, and accessible The importance of being a cross-functional leader Thrive Market's strategies for success on social Resources: Thrive Market Connect with the Guest: Amina Pasha'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. 89 of Earned, Conor sits down with the legendary Danessa Myricks, founder of the inclusive, “boundary-breaking” beauty brand Danessa Myricks Beauty. We jump in by discussing how Danessa became an “accidental makeup artist,” and broke into the beauty industry by creating educational makeup DVDs. We learn how the success of those DVDs led Danessa to consult for other beauty brands, and even become Director of Product Innovation at Benefit Cosmetics. We then hear why she became more passionate about teaching makeup artists around the world at a time when education around beauty was not easily accessible. Danessa shares how her observations around the lack of representation for marginalized communities in the then-homogenous beauty landscape inspired her to “be the change she wanted to see,” and led her to create her inclusive, eponymous beauty brand. We then discuss how Danessa built her community of over one million fans, and she explains how she cultivates connection through adding value wherever possible. Danessa shares why there is “so much power in our conversations about beauty” in bringing people together around the world. Finally, we discuss Danessa’s ambitions for the future of the brand, and close the show by learning how “showing up consistently” and recognizing organic brand fans has skyrocketed the brand’s success on social. In this episode, you will learn: Why Danessa started her brand to help serve marginalized communities How Danessa cultivated her large, yet close-knit community by adding value without cost Why Danessa believes beauty can bring the world together Resources: Danessa Myricks Beauty Connect with the Guest(s): Danessa Myricks 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. 88 of Earned, Conor sits down with TikTok star and podcast host Dulma Altan (@iamdulma). We start by learning how Dulma went from a career in tech at Google to launching her own clean fragrance business, all before becoming an “accidental creator” during the pandemic, when she began spotlighting noteworthy women-led brands in the DTC space on TikTok. We discuss how TikTok’s unpredictable algorithm leads to variance in content performance, and Dulma emphasizes why creators should prioritize building engaged communities rather than chasing views and virality. We ask Dulma how she cultivated her community, and she shares her tips for creating content that resonates with your target audience, before explaining why creators should test out different content ideas and formats to help prevent burnout. Next, we learn why Dulma has invested more heavily in her Twitter presence, and hear how she uses her social channels to support her podcast growth. We then dive into Dulma’s podcast experience, and she recounts her learnings from her 100 Day Challenge, during which she published 100 podcast episodes in 100 days. To close the show, Dulma reveals which 100 Days Challenge she’d tackle next. In this episode, you will learn: Why creators should focus on building engaged communities, rather than chasing views and virality Dulma’s top tips for short-form video creation Why creators should experiment with different content types and formats to prevent burnout Resources: Dulma's Website Dulma's TikTok Due Diligence Connect with the Guest: Dulma Altan'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. 87 of Earned, Conor sits down with Ana Maria Henao, the CMO and general manager of US Consumer Channel and Partnership Marketing at Microsoft. We start the show by diving into Ana Maria’s recent transition from 25 years in the CPG sector—with much of her career spent at Procter & Gamble and PepsiCo—into the tech industry, and how the recent AI boom has shaped her experience thus far. We then discuss Ana Maria’s leadership style, and break down the “Three C’s” that she applies every single day. Next, we explore how Microsoft works to cultivate brand love and community, balancing functional efficacy and emotional connection to its products. We then dive into Microsoft’s approach to influencer marketing, and Ana Maria emphasizes the importance of embracing creator content. To close the show, Ana Maria shares her process for self-reflection and active meditation. In this episode, you will learn: The "Three C’s" that guide Ana Maria's leadership style How Microsoft works to cultivate brand love by balancing functional efficacy and emotional connection to its products Why brands should embrace creator content in their marketing channels Resources: Microsoft Connect with the Guest(s): Ana Maria Henao'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

REPLAY - In Ep. 68 of Earned, we sit down with beauty industry veteran Ken Landis. Ken has a proven track record of success, co-founding some of today’s top beauty brands, including Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, TULA Skincare, and DIBS Beauty. To begin the episode, Ken reveals the core characteristics of a successful beauty brand, emphasizing the importance of a focused distribution strategy and unpacking his mantra of “narrow and deep.” He explains why Bobbi Brown Cosmetics started out in the ’90s by being “laser focused” on high-end specialty retail stores, and prioritized winning market share in the few doors they were in, rather than maximizing distribution. We then dive into TULA, and Ken shares why the skincare brand launched with a digital-first, influencer-centric strategy, which quickly paved a path to profitability. We explore the difficulties of building a brand identity through retail compared to DTC, and Ken unpacks the differences in marketing a color cosmetics brand versus a skincare brand. We then discuss how the creator economy has evolved over the years, and how DIBS and Tula approach organic relationships versus paid partnerships with influencers. To close the show, Ken details the key factors that have attracted him to invest in a variety of companies, from beauty to tech to art to cannabis, before sharing his philosophies on effective leadership. In this episode, you will learn: How to build a brand identity that stands out in a crowded market Strategies for leveraging organic relationships and paid partnerships with influencers Key characteristics that investors look for in a brand Key Takeaways [02:47] The core elements of a successful beauty company [11:40] How digital marketing has evolved since Ken began in the industry [14:40] Utilizing influencer marketing to expand brand awareness [16:45] Common mistakes brands make in retail [22:43] Key qualities Ken looks for when investing in companies Resources: Bobbi Brown Cosmetics TULA DIBS Beauty Connect with the Guest: Ken’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ken-landis-88b7423/ 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