
Creators Are Brands
My name is Tom Boyd, host of "Creators Are Brands". This podcast uncovers the how (and why) behind wellness creators and companies building their brands online. By day, I'm a Director of Content, and by night, I host this show. With my background in content marketing and passion for health & wellness, this podcast is both a passion project and my excuse to have conversations with builders I genuinely admire.
Latest episodes

Sep 13, 2022 • 1h 17min
STARTING FROM SCRATCH: 0 to 300K+ Followers (TikTok & YouTube) With Shorts
get the "Your First Brand Sponsorship" Checklist & Video: https://www.tomboyd.co/your-first-brand-sponsorship-checklist
In this episode, I talk to Cullen Honohan from @AllHailBBall on YouTube and TikTok. I love his storytelling style and I knew there'd be much to learn from his process.
The coolest part, he's actually a listener of this show and he attributes some of his success to ideas that he's learned from the podcast. That's whasssssup! That's the GOAL of these conversations.
He started this year with 500 followers, and now has 120K on YouTube and and 200K on TikTok.
In this episode, we discuss:
His process for creating short form video
What he's learned getting over 300K followers
How he thinks about the business/making money
and MUCH more
Thanks for listening to the show.
For more, subscribe to the @BonusFootage newsletter at BonusFootage.co

Sep 6, 2022 • 56min
The FUTURE OF CREATIVE WORK in the independent economy
Get the "Your First Brand Sponsorship" Checklist & Video: https://www.tomboyd.co/your-first-brand-sponsorship-checklist
Welcome to this episode of the Creators Are Brands podcast. Hosted by Tom, the creator of @BonusFootage.
In this show, we talk to Samantha Taylor who is the head of social strategy at Contra.
She is a creator for the brand, but also super knowledgeable about the independent economy for creators.
We discuss:
How she blew up the brand's TikTok account
How creatives should be landing paid gigs
How to approach discovery calls with brands
The types of independents that people WANT to hire
The importance of communication
And MUCH MORE.
Share this episode to a homie if you liked it.
Subscribe to the Bonus Footage newsletter for the best resources and creator breakdowns on the internet.

Jul 7, 2022 • 52min
How "Miss Excel" built a multi-million dollar business on TikTok
Get the "Your First Brand Sponsorship" Checklist & Video: https://www.tomboyd.co/your-first-brand-sponsorship-checklist
I am your host Tom Boyd. This is the show that discovers how creators are building businesses online.
And today we talk to a creator that has built a multimillion dollar business with her smartphone.
Her name is Kat Norton, but you might know her online as Miss Excel
I feel like she’s been popping up everywhere, including Forbes, the Verge and Business Insider… so I was thrilled to have this conversation and learn more about her creative process and how she’s built her business, so we can apply her insights to what we’re doing.
On the surface, she teaches Microsoft Excel on TikTok… but as you’ll hear in this conversation, there’s much more that goes into it.
In this episode we discuss:
Her process for creating short form content
How she makes her content creation process streamlined and efficient
Why her content works so well on TikTok
What she uses to edit her content
Why being an entrepreneur doesn’t have to be hard
Why she didn’t wait for instructions and just got scrappy instead
How she makes money and what he business breakdown is
Her process for creating her courses
How she sees creating courses as an artform
How she can do a 100 video course in a week
Building a multimillion dollar course empire with a smartphone
Creating online courses with over 10,000 students
This is one of my favorite creator stories. It’s one of those episodes that had me inspired to stop editing the podcast because I wanted to start building something epic. I hope you enjoy this show as much as I do… and if that’s the case… please share it to a friend and like and subscribe and do all the things.

Jun 7, 2022 • 1h 13min
Jera Bean on how to make short form videos, TikTok vs. Reels, and how to price creative work (1.5M on TikTok)
Get the "Your First Brand Sponsorship" Checklist & Video: https://www.tomboyd.co/your-first-brand-sponsorship-checklist
Welcome to the creators are brands podcast, this is the show that discovers how storytellers are building brands online. In today’s episode, we talk to Jera Bean.
She has over 1.4 million on TikTok and almost 200K on Instagram.
In this convo we break down:
Her way of thinking about REELS vs. TikTok
How she thinks about using trends in a creative way
What is her production process for producing short form videos
Why there are really no rules when it comes to short form videos
How she structures hooks for short form video
Why she’s created content themes for her Tiktok
How to create inside jokes with your audience on instagram stories
What her business looks like and how she makes money
How she structures her course and coaching programs
How she likes to work with brands for sponsorships
And my favorite thing, mindsets for pricing creative work.
I hope you enjoy this convo with Jera as much as I did…
And make sure to follow Jera on social media as you follow along.
Learn how to make money as a solo creator by subscribing to the Bonus Footage Newsletter where we breakdown creator businesses in emails you can read as fast as watching a TikTok.

May 18, 2022 • 1h 2min
How to get paid sponsorships with Nina Zadeh (of SideWalker Daily)
Get the "Your First Brand Sponsorship" Checklist & Video: https://www.tomboyd.co/your-first-brand-sponsorship-checklist
In today’s episode, we talk to Nina Zadeh from SideWalker Daily, who has helped thousands of influencers and creators around the globe turn their social media into full-time income.
We discuss exactly how her business helps creators build their businesses
Her signature course is “Pitching to brands” mastercourse (which is linked wherever you’re listening to this pod)
How many followers do you need to have before you start landing brand deals
The importance of positioning your brand
How there isn’t a ONE WAY approach for landing brand deals
Where to start when you’re first approaching brands
How to identify brands who are actually paying
Why you should start doing discovery calls with brands
Why the creator needs to take control of the strategy. Make the brand feel safe
How you should be DM’ing brands
The importance of having an abundance mindset when it comes to ideas
How to collaborate with other creators on affiliate partnerships and much more.
Learn how to make money as a solo creator by subscribing to the Bonus Footage Newsletter where we breakdown creator businesses in emails you can read as fast as watching a TikTok.
Have a wonderful day.

Apr 27, 2022 • 1h 47min
Austin Hankwitz | 42,000 downloads from one video, the best gear for TikTok, and building an engaged audience of over 500K followers
Get the "Your First Brand Sponsorship" Checklist & Video: https://www.tomboyd.co/your-first-brand-sponsorship-checklist
Welcome to the CreatorsAreBrands.com podcast, this is the show that discovers how storytellers are building brands online.
Learn how to make money as a solo creator by subscribing to the Bonus Footage Newsletter where we breakdown creator businesses in emails you can read as fast as watching a TikTok.
In today’s episode, we talk to Austin Hankwitz…who is a creator slash media company slash venture capitalist that has invested in over 18 companies.
These are some of the points we discuss:
Why he focused on building his audience first before thinking about monetizing
How he brought 42,000 funded accounts, from one organic video for a brand.
How he thinks about short form video content
Genius Advice from his friend Tejas Tellur for how to approach TikTok
The importance of being friends with your audience
Why his first video went so viral
His simplified production process that only requires his phone, wired headphones and the TikTok app,
How he approached his Patreon and pricing formats
The most money he made in a month on Patreon
Why he started a newsletter and how he produces it.
The value of building with a business partner who can handle the administrative duties of your creator brand, so the creator can focus on what they do best.
Have an inspired day and thanks for listening!
Learn how to make money as a solo creator by subscribing to the Bonus Footage Newsletter where we breakdown creator businesses in emails you can read as fast as watching a TikTok.

Apr 18, 2022 • 51min
Mila Holmes: Treating TikTok like Instagram stories, creating a digital course the authentic way, and overcoming impostor syndrome.
Learn how to make money as a solo creator by subscribing to the Bonus Footage Newsletter where we breakdown creator businesses in emails you can read as fast as watching a TikTok.
Welcome to the CreatorsAreBrands.com podcast, hosted by Tom Boyd. This is the show that discovers how storytellers are building brands online. In today’s episode, we talk to Mila Holmes. She’s built a thriving business through social media where she helps entrepreneurs establish themselves as masters of their crafts by using Tiktok instagram and Pinterest.
She has over 500K followers on TikTok and over 50K on Instagram.
These are some of the topics from the this convo:
How she blew up on TikTok although she wasn’t trying to build on that platform initially
Why she treats tiktok as instagram stories
The book that has helped her overcome trying to be a perfectionist online
Why creating a product gives you leverage for working with only brands you want to work with.
How she created her digital product through workshops
The one thing she recommends doing before you build a digital product online and much more.
I hope you enjoy this convo as much as I did..
HMU at tomboyd.co for free resources and such.

Mar 31, 2022 • 39min
Blake Michael: The future of how companies work with creators
Welcome to this episode of Creators Are Brands hosted by Tom Boyd.
In this episode we talk to Blake Michael (https://www.instagram.com/blakemichael14) who is a creator and the Chief Evangelist of Lumanu.com (Yes, the platform who sponsors this show!)
When I saw his role with Lumanu, I thought that sounds like the perfect role for a creator and I wanted to know more…. And Blake goes into detail how he got the role and how he thinks the industry will shift to hire more positions like this one.
We also discuss…
How he was the youngest magician on YouTube
How he was one of the first people to be in the YouTube partnership program
Why he became so passionate about being a creator as opposed to going the traditional film hollywood route
His love for the start-up ecosystem
How Lumanu.com is focusing on putting more money in your pocket and taking the stress out of the business side of being a creator.
Enjoy the show and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform.
Hit me on the gram: Instagram.com/BonusFootage

4 snips
Mar 18, 2022 • 60min
How to produce a top 1% podcast in the world with Danny Miranda
Welcome to this episode of creators are brands. The show that discovers how storytellers are building brands online.
In this episode we talk to my friend Danny Miranda, he is the host of the Danny Miranda Podcast, a top 1% podcast in the world where he interviews the top creators, entrepreneurs and thinkers in the world.
At the time of this recording, Danny published 3 podcasts a week for a year… so the obvious direction of the conversation was all about his process for making his show.
We discuss…
How his show started just by simply having phone calls, how he gets lands well known guests, how he researches, how podcasting improves your communication skills. We talk about the time GaryVee called his mom and left a voicemail, and much much more.
Danny’s enthusiasm is contagious and if you’re looking for an episode to amp you up to start putting your ideas into the world and connecting with people through a podcast, this is the show for you.
This episode is powered by Lumanu.com, the go-to place to get paid as a creator.

Feb 23, 2022 • 1h 1min
How to pitch & negotiate brand deals (with Kristen Bousquet)
Get the "Your First Brand Sponsorship" Checklist & Video: https://www.tomboyd.co/your-first-brand-sponsorship-checklist
Welcome to the Creators Are Brands podcast hosted by Tom Boyd (@BonusFootage)
In this episode, we talk to Kristen Bousquet (https://www.instagram.com/kbousq/). Kristen is an influencer/creator coach that helps people turn their impact into income.
Get Kristen's book on Pitching & Negotiating brand deals here: https://etsy.me/3sbIkFU
I bought Kristen’s ebook on pitching & negotiating brand deals, which is linked wherever you’re listening to this episode… and I loved it so much, applied what I learned immediately, and told her that she should charge more for it.
Then I asked her to be on the podcast to talk through some of my favorite parts.
That’s what this episode is all about….
We discuss getting clarity on your creator brand and creating a mission statement.
How to START talking to brands
The importance of building LOYAL AF audience
What deliverables should you include when pitching a brand?
Working with brands for package deals & long term partnerships.
How do you get in touch with the brands and start building the relationship
What to include in your media kit…
The importance of confidence when negotiating rates as an influencer
The mistake the majority of influencers make when pitching brands.
This episode is powered by Lumanu.com