
Creator Economy Live
Every other week, the Creator Economy Live podcast brings you lively conversations about everything in the world of influencer marketing and the creator economy. Whether you’re an established creator or a seasoned influencer marketing expert, or on your way to becoming either, this podcast is perfect for you. Subscribe so you don’t miss every episode! Creator Economy Live is presented by the industry’s top voices Brendan Gahan (Mekanism) and Keith Bendes (Linqia) and brought to you by the biggest event for influencer marketers in the US Creator Economy Live!
Latest episodes

Dec 23, 2024 • 51min
The 12 Days of Christmas, Creator Economy Edition: A Year in Review
Send us a textWelcome to Creator Economy Live’s festive holiday edition! In this special episode, we’re celebrating the year by revisiting The 12 Stories in Social—the top moments that shaped the creator economy in 2024. Inspired by "The 12 Days of Christmas," we take a creative spin through the stories that mattered most: The rise of creators on big screens New metrics driving social platform success Social media's influence on politics The women dominating online conversations And much more!Keith and Brendan also share their bold predictions for 2025, including the explosion of live-stream shopping, hybrid compensation models, and the LinkedIn influencer boom.Plus, don’t miss their picks for Creator of the Year and Brand of the Year, celebrating those who redefined the industry.As a bonus, we’re only six weeks away from the annual Creator Economy Live Conference in Vegas! Get your tickets now and join us for a live podcast recording featuring a surprise guest.Tune in to wrap up 2024 and gear up for an even bigger 2025!COY/BOY (creator of the year & brand of the year) Creator of the year (COY) Keith: Jools Lebron Brendan: Natalie + Hawk Tuah + Rogan (kingmaker) Brand of the year (BOY) Keith: Cerave (Michael Cera campaign)Brendan: Nvidia

Dec 20, 2024 • 58min
Tubefliter Unplugged - Josh Cohen Spills the St(r)eamy Tea
Send us a textKeith Bendes and Brendan Gahan are back for Episode 48 of Creator Economy Live! This week, we unpack the ripple effects of the TikTok ban and Kai Cenat’s record-breaking Twitch “Mafiathon.” Plus, Instagram’s Trial Reels, LinkedIn’s boosted posts, and how brands like Away and Puresport are shaking up influencer marketing. Our guest, Josh Cohen, co-founder of Tubefilter and the Streamy Awards, takes us behind the curtain of digital media’s rise, sharing untold stories and his vision for the future of the creator economy. Don’t miss Creator and Brand of the Week highlights—featuring Stormi Steele, Kai Cenat, and Ground News. COW/BOW (creator of the week & brand of the week) Creator of the week (COW)- Keith: Content creator and Canvas Beauty founder Stormi Steele earned $2 million in a single livestream.- Brendan: Kai Cenat- Josh: Pokemon TV channel Brand of the week - Keith: Away x Celeb Lookalikes (Timothee Chalamet, Jeremy Allen)Puresport sent out empty boxes to creators and asked them to send back items from other gifting campaigns that they've never used, to donate to a charity - Brendan: Sprout Social, Land Rover- Josh: Ground News

Dec 4, 2024 • 1h 10min
Creator Economy Insider Information with Kaya Yurieff
Send us a textThis week, we’re thrilled to have Kaya Yurieff, the Team Lead on the Creator Economy at The Information and one of our favorite industry reporters. Kaya shares her journey from working at CNN with Jake Tapper to becoming a leading voice in the creator economy. We dive into how her team produces unparalleled insights daily, the evolving landscape of the creator space, and her bold predictions for 2025. Before Kaya joins, Keith and Brendan catch up on the latest news, including highlights from the LinkedIn Partner Summit, TikTok's new affiliate partners, and the myth-busting insights from Instagram's Adam Mosseri. Creator of the week (COW)- Keith: Fitness creator Maxx Chewning announced that he sold his candy brand, Sour Strips, to The Hershey Company.- Brendan: TalkingTalktuah 50k on IG, @cam__george and @peter.ditzler are host a Talk Tuah companion podcast.- Kaya: Josie Balka 600k instagram followersBrand of the week (BOW)- Keith: Sony just broke the record for most comments on a TikTok video - To promote The Last Dance (Venom movie)- Brendan: Anyone but Jaguar. Wharhol lookalikes. Channeling Ridley Scott’s famous 1984 ad. - Kaya: Samsung / mythical FAST channelFollow: - Keith: Visa announced it’s officially recognizing creators as small businesses- Brendan: Armie HammerTime podcast.- Kaya: Kylie Kelce podcast

Nov 14, 2024 • 1h 2min
Lauren Flanigan - The Role of Influencers & Creators in Total Brand Performance
Send us a textIn Episode 46 of Creator Economy Live, hosts Keith Bendes and Brendan Gahan dive into the latest updates in influencer marketing and the creator economy with special guest Lauren Flanigan, Head of Global Brands for Refreshments at Mondelez. Lauren brings her insights from working with iconic brands like Oreo, Ritz, and Cadbury, sharing her take on influencer strategies and brand performance. They also discuss Meta’s rumored AI search engine, the rise of retail influencers, and Instagram’s video quality downgrade.This episode is sponsored by Linqia, the #1 influencer marketing partner for the world's leading brands. Having executed over 3,000 campaigns for more than 650 brands, Linqia combines technology powered by Google Vision AI with award winning service to deliver measurable influencer results. Go to linqia.com or send a note to hello@linqia.com to speak with an influencer expert.

Nov 7, 2024 • 1h 2min
Michelle Miller: K18 is the #1 talked about haircare brand among influencers
Send us a textEpisode 45 features guest Michelle Miller, CMO of K18 - the haircare brand that has seen a meteoric rise in the last few years, being the #1 most discussed hair care brand amongst influencers. Tune in to hear about Michelle's time at UCSC with co-host Brendan Gahan, her early career in journalism, and her range of roles in luxury beauty brands (including Too Faced and Kosas Cosmetics). Also, hear Keith and Brendan discuss the huge impact long-form content such as podcasts and YouTube videos, may have had on this years USA election campaigns.This episode is sponsored by Linqia, the #1 influencer marketing partner for the world's leading brands. Having executed over 3,000 campaigns for more than 650 brands, Linqia combines technology powered by Google Vision AI with award winning service to deliver measurable influencer results. Go to linqia.com or send a note to hello@linqia.com to speak with an influencer expert.

Oct 31, 2024 • 53min
From Lipstick to Last-Minute Groceries: Esraa Elzin on Influencers, Industry Shifts, and TikTok Ambitions!
Esraa Elzin, Influencer Marketing Lead at Instacart, shares insights from her journey through PR and beauty brands like Estee Lauder and LVMH. The conversation dives into TikTok's rise in social commerce and its impact on influencer strategies. Esraa discusses the transition from beauty products to grocery marketing and the essential role of storytelling. The episode also highlights challenges in engaging diverse influencers and the need for authentic connections in marketing, underscoring a shift towards quality creative content in the industry.

Oct 17, 2024 • 1h 8min
Influencer Marketing vs. Brendan’s Dating Life – Which One's Really Pulling the Numbers?
Send us a textIn Brendan and Keith's latest solo episode, they dive into Linqia's highly anticipated, 2025 State of Influencer Marketing Report and it's a treasure trove of data. It's survey based data from 200+ US enterprise marketers, and some of the top insights include a lot of useful stats around influencer budgets, Tiktok's potential ban and its impact on influencers, and using influencer content beyond creators feed.Also, get ready to get personal as Keith & Brendan discuss family holidays, entrepreneur newbies and awkward date run-ins. This episode is sponsored by Linqia, the #1 influencer marketing partner for the world's leading brands. Having executed over 3,000 campaigns for more than 650 brands, Linqia combines technology powered by Google Vision AI with award winning service to deliver measurable influencer results. Go to linqia.com or send a note to hello@linqia.com to speak with an influencer expert.

Oct 2, 2024 • 57min
From Student Athlete to Super Bowl: Victoria Garrick Browne’s Journey to Becoming a Social Media Superstar
Send us a textIn episode 42 of Creator Economy Live, hosts Keith Bendes and Brendan Gahan sit down with powerhouse influencer and Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, Victoria Garrick Browne. From battling mental health struggles as a Division 1 athlete to skyrocketing to influencer fame, Victoria opens up about her inspiring journey. This episode is sponsored by Linqia, the #1 influencer marketing partner for the world's leading brands. Having executed over 3,000 campaigns for more than 650 brands, Linqia combines technology powered by Google Vision AI with award winning service to deliver measurable influencer results. Go to linqia.com or send a note to hello@linqia.com to speak with an influencer expert. 🐄 Our Creators Of the Week (COW): Keith: DeMarcus Sawn: https://www.tiktok.com/@artbydemarcusshawn?lang=en Brendan: Ross (Corporate Bro): https://www.linkedin.com/in/corporatebro/ Victoria: Max Browne: https://www.instagram.com/accounts/login/?next=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fmaxbrowne%2F%3Fhl%3Den&is_from_rle 👏 Our Brands Of the Week (BOW) Keith: Guild - employed by Fortune 1000 companies to manage their education assistance benefits: https://guild.com/ Brendan: K18: https://www.k18hair.co.uk/?srsltid=AfmBOopiMKXQuKXhxwx1Z3RxLb6bxxz8QMogVsU3zPfQz5AZoiNNBDdw Victoria: Rare Beauty: https://www.rarebeauty.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoraTpKJCfKlTbO8a6bgt7-5U62sbHhEoDg5O1e8yjUCugJ39hWI

Sep 19, 2024 • 1h 4min
From Finance to Fame: How Humphrey Yang Is Taking Over the Creator Economy
Send us a textKeith & Brendan talk with finance influencer Humphrey Yang running through his meteoric rise from a financial advisor to a social media powerhouse, the secret behind his multi-platform growth, and what brands get wrong when working with creators. This episode is sponsored by Linqia, the #1 influencer marketing partner for the world's leading brands. Having executed over 3,000 campaigns for more than 650 brands, Linqia combines technology powered by Google Vision AI with award winning service to deliver measurable influencer results. Go to linqia.com or send a note to hello@linqia.com to speak with an influencer expert. 🐄 Our Creators Of the Week (COW)Keith: Logan Moffitt’s cucumber craze: https://eu.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2024/08/15/tiktok-cucumber-boy-viral-recipes/74802440007/ Brendan: Haley Welch, Hawk Tuah Girl: https://www.instagram.com/accounts/login/?next=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fhay_welch%2F%3Fhl%3Den&is_from_rle Humphrey: https://www.youtube.com/@isaaccarlton 👏 Our Brands Of the Week (BOW) Keith: https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/away-debuts-influencer-heavy-campaign-film-promote-soft-shell-product-line/1880300 Brendan: Brent Underwood - Kickstarter: Board Game: https://www.board-game.co.uk/product/my-fathers-work-kickstarter-edition/?srsltid=AfmBOory5pUFMWoT0cl44g34GnOBcv34CJxyx6v6kP_wNg9LJt3W-cRj Humphrey: Cirkul - a brand of water bottles that allow users to add flavor to their water with flavor cartridges, also known as Sips: https://drinkcirkul.com/pages/why-cirkul#:~:text=Cirkul's%20innovative%20bottle%20allows%20you,turn%20of%20the%20flavor%20dial. Sign up to our newsletter This podcast is brought to you by the biggest event for influencer marketers in the US Creator Economy Live! Join Keith and Brendan live and in person as well as 100s of brands in Vegas 4 5 February 2025 for lively conversation and debate about everything in the world of influencer marketing and the creator economy. https://creatoreconomylive.com/

Sep 5, 2024 • 1h 7min
In our B2B Era: Talking Swifty and LinkedIn Influencers with Danielle Ito, Notion
Send us a textIn this episode of Creator Economy Live, hosts Keith and Brendan chat with Danielle Ito, the influencer marketing lead at Notion, about her diverse experience in creator partnerships across brands like Taco Bell and Madison Reed. They deep dive into influencer marketing on LinkedIn as well as how affiliate marketing is integrating into creator marketing. As always, we cover the latest industry news, including the FTC’s crackdown on fake followers and TikTok’s growing dominance in video marketing. Plus, discover the top creators and brands of the week. Tune in for insights and trends shaping the creator economy. 👏 Our Brands Of the Week (BOW): Silk https://silk.com/ Outerknown:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEGBX2eVe5w Joe and The Juice https://content.joejuice.com/campaigns/nick-kyrgios 🐄 Our Creators of the Week (COW): FOSTERTALK https://www.readfostertalk.com/ CR7Studios7 https://www.youtube.com/c/CR7Studios7 @hannahchody https://www.instagram.com/hannahchody/?hl=en This podcast is brought to you by the biggest event for influencer marketers in the US Creator Economy Live! Join Keith and Brendan live and in person as well as 100s of brands in Vegas on February 4-5 for lively conversation and debate about everything in the world of influencer marketing and the creator economy.
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