Good morning. Yesterday, the White House announced that “independent journalists, podcasters, social media influencers, and content creators” will now be invited to the Press Briefing Room, with a designated first-row seat for new media. Who do you think would excel in the West Wing—Phil DeFranco? Theo Von? Excuse us while we look for a sign-up link.

— Hannah Doyle 

Creator Business Roundup: Downsizing Teams, Raising Funds

Believe it or not, it’s still January—and a handful of creators have shared how lessons from 2024 are giving them a fresh perspective on their businesses.

Here’s a roundup of creator business moves, by the numbers:

$27,045 → How much profit Twitch streamer Mizkif’s gym, Iron Forge, made per month at the end of its first year in business. 

• Most fitness startups fail in the first year, but Iron Forge became profitable by selling grappling memberships and launching a traveling MMA team that makes its own content. 

• Mizkif said, though, that he has yet to make any money himself and has dipped into savings for equipment repairs and maintenance.

50% → the rate NYC fitness creator Shervin Shares decided to downsize his team this year. 

• Shervin’s YouTube revenue doubled in 2024, so he expanded his team to six people last year. But even as revenue climbed, profit shrank due to the increased costs of employing a bigger team.

• “I learned that more people, more work, and more effort does not always equal more money and more revenue,” Shervin said on LinkedIn. Heading into 2025, he shrank his team back down to three and is focusing on quality > quantity in his videos.

$1 million → How much money film creator Thomas Percy Kim raised for his upcoming feature film, Isle Child. 

• After crowdfunding his short film version of the project and selling it to HBO, Kim needed more money to expand it into a feature film.

• Kim ran Facebook ads and did cold outreach on LinkedIn to raise money through crowd equity, giving investors a stake in the film’s future.

What Creators Get Wrong about Brand Deals

Sponsorship education creator Justin Moore has 15+ years of experience managing brand deals for his family’s YouTube channel and running his own marketing agency. His new book, Sponsor Magnet, leverages that experience to help creators land better sponsorships.

“A meaningful change of strategy—going from $1,000 to $5,000 per deal is super meaningful to a lot of [creators],” Moore told us. Here’s what else we learned:

One of the top mistakes he sees from creators pitching brands? “They make it all about themselves,” Moore said, explaining that most creator pitches include views, reach, and demographics—but don’t appeal to brands’ goals and budgets. 

• “Your job as a creator is to help [brands] understand that ‘hey, it seems like you’re trying to accomplish this thing. If you give me 25% of that budget I will help you get closer to that business objective,’” Moore said. 

• “It’s a positioning exercise. And this is the number one thing that people have told me has changed everything for them.”

Looking ahead: Moore plans to share his rubric in other formats, like courses and events tailored to what Moore called “long-tail, middle class” creators.

Sponsored by Fiverr

Meet Fiverr at Creator Economy Live in Vegas

Fiverr is heading to Creator Economy Live on February 4-5 in Las Vegas and is looking for creators to join their growing network.

This is your chance to connect directly with the Fiverr team, explore collaboration opportunities, and see how they can help you unlock new revenue streams and grow your influence.

Why Fiverr’s Creator Program? 🚀

• Get paid for videos or posts through custom brand deals.

• Receive Fiverr credits so you can experience the platform and connect with top freelancers.

• Be featured on Fiverr’s social channels and promoted as ads for extra payment.

Meet them in Vegas. Drop your details to connect at the event here.

Join the Creator Program. Apply now.

Sabrina Brier Launches Audiobook

Comedian Sabrina Brier got her start on TikTok in 2021 with her “that friend” character—role-playing scenarios like that friend who needs your approval or that friend who’s never faced adversity. 

She has now turned her signature character to an audiobook with That Friend. The four-hour audiobook, written by Brier, includes a full cast with actors Lukas Gage and Nicola Coughlan and creators Connor Wood and Rachel Coster, among others.

Zoom out: Brier has spun her TikTok success into more traditional roles, landing a spot on Abbott Elementary last year and performing live comedy.

➕ Community Tab

With the aforementioned creator press seat at the White House, President Trump’s livestream numbers, and a creator-studded inauguration, we have a feeling this is going to be a presidency heavily intertwined with creators.

We want to cover more creators taking on political coverage, and we’re curious to hear your thoughts.

🔥 Press Worthy

• Critical Role is hosting a livestream tomorrow to benefit LA wildfire relief.

• Creators enjoyed exclusive access at CES® 2025 like never before. Here’s what happened.*

• Corporate Natalie launches a workwear collection with clothing company 12th Tribe.

• Angry Video Game Nerd made an old school 8-bit video game for Nintendo’s Entertainment System, cartridge and all.

• Conservative commentator Brett Cooper is launching her own YouTube show tomorrow.

• Unwell Network is launching a 24/7 music channel and two new podcasts exclusively with SiriusXM.

_{*This is sponsored advertising content.}