Happy Wednesday folks!

There’s been a lot of noise in the creator space over the past few weeks. From allegations to cancellations, deaths (RIP Susan 😔), lawsuits, and everything in between; the space is in a bit of an odd place right now.

Although we’re in rocky waters, one thing persists: creators (specifically micro and nano), are creating waves and shifting the landscape. Where it was once traditional influencers with millions of followers, smaller creators are beginning to get even more opportunities as they bring in dedicated followers who command the trust of their audience far more than a celeb.

Whether that’s the NFL, Hollywood, or beyond, creators and their value are being leveraged every day, and the landscape is looking hotter than ever before for us micro & nano folks. Let’s get that bread!

-Luke

Hollywood Turns to Creators for Promo

Contrary to what AMC bag-pumpers want you to believe, movies are dying. While Hollywood bleeds, they seem to understand that their assaulter could lend a hand as big companies turn to TikTok to promote new movies and shows.

• What’s the Strat?: Why go to the movies when you can get brain rot at home for free?! Hollywood is turning to creators (mainly on TikTok) to boost ticket sales and find new potential moviegoers.

• What’s TikTok Spotlight?: TikTok just dropped details on a new feature called "Spotlight." This tool allows entertainment studios to create landing pages in the app, which share information on the show/movie. Sharing details like cast, showtimes, and ticket links, Hollywood and TikTok are looking to drive sales and interest directly from other creators rather than traditional ads and campaigns.

• Personalization and Engagement: New movies are hard to avoid with the marketing budget studios have, so why are they turning to TikTok? By tapping into specified fan bases, studios can niche down and get hyper-specific about who they’re targeting for a film. Have a horror movie? Work with scary story creators. New comedy series? Work with a skit comic on the platform. Going for the specified approach to audience targeting is a fantastic way to engage the folks who will actually consider buying tickets or subscriptions.

  • To SMB owners: Take this early insight and RUN WITH IT. Using localized and niche-specific creators is easily the best way to find target customers who will go out of their way to support the creator they follow (and subsequently, you and your business). Want to find local creators in your area? Reply to this email or shoot me a message on socials and I’ll help you out!!

• What’s in it for the Creators?: TikTok’s new Spotlight feature includes a creator rewards program (I can see where this is going), where creators can make content around the featured show/movie and “earn” from their content & audience. Kinda lackluster on the descriptions here, but creators can get “unique rewards”, like custom profile frames (🥱).

  • I’d like to see creators get a piece of the pie here. TikTok is constantly asking creators to promote but not actually giving anything significant. My proposal? Have studios give “marketing spend” to TikTok, and have TikTok pay out creators (from that budget) based on performance, engagement, driven ticket/subscription sales, or a mixture of the three.

It’s no secret that creators are the new way to move mountains, and I ain’t just talkin’ about Ghost Town Living. Massive traditional means of entertainment are now in shambles, turning to the very platforms that began killing them in the first place. This move by TikTok will certainly open up the landscape for even more opportunities for creators to command their niche, especially for smaller creators with dedicated audiences (don’t worry guys, I’m not gonna start pushing the newest HBO series at you (except for Severance bc that show’s a banger)).

Cmd+Shift+Create Fam Update ❤️ 

• Last issue, I asked you readers to drop me an update on what you’re working on and what you’re excited about. I got an awesome reply from Alex the Grape 🍇 on his recent content shift and approach for the rest of this year and beyond.

Massive shout-out and even bigger congrats on the strides you’re making in your content, Alex! I remember your journey from infiltrating Airrack’s events to camping in a tree, and it’s been incredible to see your transformation in content. Getting to see you dial in on what fills your creative cup has only made me want to keep on my journey of creating content, and find the things that fill my cup. 😌 

Thank you again for sharing what’s going on in your world, Alex!

To all my awesome readers! If you want a feature in next week’s issue just like this, give me a shout and tell me what you’re working on or working towards. It’s the best way to bring the whole Cmd+Shift+Create community together, and rising tides raise all ships! ⛵️ 

The NFL Doubles Down on Creators

How ‘bout them Cowboys 🤠 

A Dallas Cowboys-backed company, GameSquare, is connecting brands with the youths to tap into Gen Z, Gen Alpha, and Millennial audiences. As the NFL season approaches, GameSquare announces the launch of "NFL 4 the Fans Live" (wow I hate that name), which will be events hosted by creators across multiple cities.

• Creators Shifting: Each event is hosted by creators and will feature guests like NFL players, celebs, and big-name creators, from influencers to gamers. Funny how things have shifted from creators being guests to them being the hosts of these events themselves. As I said, the tides are shifting towards niche-specific creators as they hold the most value to audiences as compared to big name celebrities.

• Why?: The goal is to foster new NFL fans through gaming and creator content. While today you can watch highlights of a game from your favorite creator, the NFL wants to bring things straight to the source and grab younger audiences who are passionate about both sports and gaming.

• Where is it?: The event series will take place in multiple cities, coinciding with the NFL calendar. These events will also be live-streamed, so fans can tap in around the world. This is especially important as the NFL targets other countries like Mexico and Germany for max viewership.

• What’s on the Menu: The events will be a mix of irl activities and gaming challenges with the featured creators and guests.

More to come from this front as the season comes into full swing, but needless to say, this move is massive for both creators and the NFL. Grabbing creators from different (but tangential) niches will allow for even more eyes on their games. I just want Sketch to host and I’ll be happy. 🥹 

spotlight title

Meet Sam Stone, a photographer with his finger on the pulse of NYC.

Sam’s beautiful shots of passing moments are reminiscent of my time living in NYC, which is why I think his shots resonate so deeply with me.

Finding beauty in the innate is a skill that can only be honed in on by being boots on the ground and feeling the pulse of the city. Sam is never afraid to pull out his camera and shoot, no matter the subject.

Sam’s photography reminds me to avoid looking past the mundane, but instead take the time to see the scene develop.

Someone eating at a restaurant? That can be beautifully chaotic. Maybe it’s someone standing on a train. That can be gorgeously gritty. These moments in time tell stories, but only if you’re willing to look and listen.

Whether you’re in NYC or beyond, following a creator like Sam is a sure way for you to get the reminder to stop and smell the flowers. For me, Sam’s content is a reminder that creativity often happens in the “uninteresting.” This reminder allows me to look elsewhere for inspiration, rather than sifting through the internet.

Get out there and find beauty, and if you don’t have the time, Sam has got you covered for now. Be sure to give him a follow at any of the links in this story!

🚀 Up Your Career as a Creator

Hope you enjoyed this week’s post. See you next week ✌️