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— Syd Cohen

Today’s lineup:

Hi everyone, Syd here. When you work out of a small office with people who are just as big creator economy nerds as you are, conversation flows easily. “Office Talk” is a new series bringing you into our debates at HQ—so we can write off wasted time as a business expense.

Across the US, universities are adding the creator economy into their curriculum—from Syracuse University’s Center for the Creator Economy to Arizona State University’s content creation bachelor’s degree.

Since none of my peers have creator-related degrees, I’ve been chatting with other Colin and Samir team members about the value of creator curriculum. In this edition of Office Talk, I asked Colin and Samir’s story producer Conor Conaboy and YouTube strategist Kish Mangra for their thoughts: 

On the opposition: “I think the creator economy is built on culture and trying to intellectualize culture is not a good idea,” Kish told me. 

Kish said college-aged creators are typically more savvy than their professors about what works online. But with college enrollment projected to drop 13% by 2041, the university system is trying to keep up—and programs that claim to teach creator skills are a grasp at cultural relevancy. 

“Everyone wants to be the school that understands social media,” Kish said. 

On the other hand: Conor sees it more as a networking opportunity for students.

“I think it's a really good incubator for people to get better at making videos,” Conor told me. “It's less about the actual information you're learning and more of the act of [making content] with like-minded people who you'll meet.”

How I see it: The Colin and Samir team hold bachelors’ degrees across media studies, international affairs, and supply chain—to name a few. While I don’t think majoring in content creation is the end-all-be-all for making it as a creator, I agree that community is everything. It’s why Alex Cooper launched Unwell University, and why so many creators and operators have gotten their start working internally for MrBeast. 

Last week at Coffee With Creators, Colin and Samir announced the winner of their Big Idea Fund in partnership with Adobe—awarding $25K to documentary creators Jackson and David Hughens to produce a five-part series spotlighting five siblings with Down Syndrome. 

Of the hundreds of pitches Colin and Samir received, here’s what made the Hughens stand out:

They knew what they were making. David told us that a single documentary for the channel costs $5K. In their application, the father-son duo provided a thorough breakdown of how the $25K budget would be allocated across the five episodes.

They knew why they were making it. The Hughens’ work with the Down Syndrome community started when David wrote a screenplay starring Jackson’s friend with Down Syndrome. While fundraising for the film, they began making documentaries about other members in the community—and realized YouTube could help their stories reach a wider audience. 

“If we did our movie, our marketing might not catch [our core audience],” Jackson told us. “Everybody has a TV that can access YouTube. Everybody has an iPhone, so there's more reach with [a series].”

They knew where they needed help. “Some of the advice we're gonna ask Colin and Samir is how much we should be involved in front of the camera,” David told us.

Jackson and David rarely appear on camera in their documentaries, but they recognize that becoming more visible to their audience could open the door to new opportunities.

Zoom out: A compelling idea is only part of a successful pitch. Jackson and David demonstrated that they understood their production costs, had a clear purpose behind their series, and knew where they needed guidance. For creators seeking funding, showing how you'll execute an idea can be just as important as the idea itself.

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Catch the small stuff before you press publish. Buy the Surface Laptop Ultra at Microsoft.com or select retailers today.

Awards season for creators is officially open. Here are three opportunities to get your work recognized, with submission deadlines approaching.

Critics Choice Creator Awards: For the first time ever, one of the largest critics organizations in the world is recognizing creators. The Critics Choice Association will honor creators across 52 categories including best video edit, best storyteller, and creator of the year.

Telly Awards: Established in 1979, the Tellys honor craft centered around video and TV content. This year includes awards for an expanded creator and host category, along with a new microseries track.

The Peabody Awards: This award focuses on excellence in storytelling—with winners selected unanimously by a board of jurors. Creators who consider entering should submit to the Peabody’s Interactive & Immersive category, which recognizes social content.

Zooming out: A decade ago, seeing creators recognized alongside traditional media professionals was uncommon. Today, established awards organizations are creating more opportunities to recognize digital-first work. For creators, the question is shifting from whether their work belongs at these awards to which competitions best recognize what they create.

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