The Creator Spotlight Podcast

Nastja Mohren is a content creator, designer, and sewing educator who’s built a community of more than half a million followers across platforms — all around her love of making things by hand. In this episode, she talks with Francis about turning creativity into a business, balancing authenticity with brand deals, and how she built a sustainable creator by diversifying her revenue into seven different streams. Read the newsletter: https://www.creatorspotlight.com/profiles __ Earn with Google AdSense: https://goo.gle/earnwithadsense __ Follow Nastja YouTube Blog Instagram TikTok Facebook Pinterest Francis Zierer LinkedIn Twitter/X __ Timstamps 00:00:00 Introducing Nastja Mohren 00:01:37 Going full-time on YouTube 00:06:08 The 7 revenue streams 00:12:14 The art of integrating brand deals 00:22:49 Which platform is most valuable? 00:24:30 The value of a blog in 2025 00:32:27 Why choose Google AdSense? 00:37:31 Building packages for advertisers 00:40:57 Crafting a specific audience 00:52:00 The 80/20 principle of video production 01:00:08 Collaborating with the creator community

This week on Creator Spotlight, Francis is joined by former ESPN journalist Joon Lee. Joon shares how he turned a layoff into a creator career, breaking down his 22-month YouTube study, and how he is building an independent sports media brand that puts storytelling and trust first. Read the newsletter: https://www.creatorspotlight.com/profiles __ Follow Joon YouTube Twitter/X Instagram TikTok Website Follow Francis LinkedIn Twitter/X __ Timestamps 00:00 Introducing Joon Lee 01:15 From tech YouTuber to sports journalist 06:49 Preparing to be a YouTuber 13:02 Indie creator bootcamp 17:05 What should new creators focus on? 22:58 The process of making high-quality YouTube videos 33:19 Making revenue and maintaining ethics 40:56 The most valuable asset as a creator is trust 44:55 Building relationships in the creator economy 50:30 The hardest part of YouTube

This week on Creator Spotlight, Francis is joined by Ken Yarmosh, founder of The Remote Solopreneur. Ken is a creator who’s been building online businesses long before the creator economy had a name. Read the newsletter: https://www.creatorspotlight.com/profiles __ Earn with Google AdSense: https://goo.gle/earnwithadsense __ Ken Yarmosh YouTube Website LinkedIn Francis Zierer LinkedIn Twitter/X __ Timestamps 00:00 Introducing Ken Yarmosh 01:16 Becoming The Remote Solopreneur 04:29 Redefining 'creator' 08:20 The creator to entrepreneur spectrum 12:15 How Ken runs a solo business 16:51 The importance of community in business 22:13 The 4 C's of the creator economy 29:42 Are all creators solopreneurs? 34:50 DTA: The framework for all entrepreneurs 41:58 Is the LinkedIn gold rush over? 47:15 The best time to be a creator is now 50:11 Advice for newsletter creators 53:20 Creating a personal brand in 2025

This week on Creator Spotlight, Francis is joined by Geoff Sharpe, founder of Lookout Media — a network of local newsletters collectively generating almost $500K a year. Geoff shares how he built a profitable, subscription-first media business, why trust and real journalism still win, and the systems he’s using to scale local news across Canada. Read the newsletter: https://www.creatorspotlight.com/p/geoff-sharpe __ Tired of explaining the same thing over and over again to your coworkers? It’s time to let AI do the explaining for you. The Guidde extension is completely free. Go check it out at https://www.guidde.com __ Geoff Sharpe Lookout Media: https://lookoutmediaco.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/geoffsharpe Twitter/X: https://x.com/geoff_sharpe Francis Zierer LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francis-zierer/ Twitter/X: https://x.com/FZierer __ Timestamps 00:00 Introducing Geoff Sharpe 01:40 Making $500k+ with paid subscriptions 07:16 Don't listen to your audience 12:00 The merging of editorial and business 16:20 Running a media company sustainably 21:01 Building trust through food 27:06 How to get people to pay for your content 37:43 What do people not pay for? 40:44 Don't scale too quickly 43:41 The difficulties of local newsletter ad sales 49:11 How to grow a local newsletter 52:40 A bullish and bearish take on local media 57:50 Best advice for entrepreneurs

This week on the Creator Spotlight Podcast we're joined by Kaelyn Grace Apple. Kaelyn is the founder and co-owner of Accepted Society, an international online community of students, educators, and independent researchers dedicated to learning, research, and creating networks of support. In this episode Kaelyn shares how she cracked the formula for building a thriving online community. She breaks down the business plan behind her 500+ member collective, lessons from working with Ali Abdaal, and the strategies every creator can use to turn research into results. Read the newsletter: https://www.creatorspotlight.com/p/kaelyn-grace-apple __ Earn with Google AdSense: https://goo.gle/earnwithadsense __ Kaelyn Grace Apple Accepted Society: https://www.acceptedsociety.com Website: https://kaelynapple.com YouTube: @theredheadacademic LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaelyngraceapple Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaelyngraceapple Francis Zierer LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francis-zierer/ Twitter/X: https://x.com/FZierer __ Timestamps 00:00 Introducing Kaelyn Grace Apple 01:28 From eight members to over 500 08:02 Why you should not scale too quickly 12:03 The course model vs. community model 14:03 Using YouTube to build a community 18:42 Pricing a community 22:01 Scaling a business up, and scaling it down 30:46 The evolution of Kaelyn's YouTube content 37:24 Revenue breakdown 42:44 Why Kaelyn left the Ali Abdaal team 47:34 Lessons learnt working with Ali Abdaal 53:47 Kaelyn's 30 year plan

This week on the Creator Spotlight Podcast, we’re joined by Caspar Lee — one of YouTube’s early stars turned entrepreneur and investor. Caspar talks about why he walked away from 15 million followers, how he built four companies after YouTube, and what every creator should know about building a business that lasts. Read the newsletter: https://www.creatorspotlight.com/p/caspar-lee __ Caspar Lee YouTube: @caspar Website: https://www.casparlee.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caspar-lee-13584456/ Twitter: https://x.com/caspar_lee Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caspar_lee/ Francis Zierer LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francis-zierer/ Twitter/X: https://x.com/FZierer __ 00:00 Introducing Caspar Lee 01:17 How to exit, as a creator 07:11 It's hard to do YouTube and business 12:49 How influencer marketing has evolved 16:02 The hardest part of influencer marketing 20:33 Investing in the creator economy 25:18 What is the perfect investment? 30:14 Equity vs cash in brand deals 33:14 The vulnerability of the creator economy 38:43 If Caspar Lee started YouTube in 2025 43:28 Caspar Lee's five year plan #podcast #creatoreconomy #youtubers

This week on The Creator Spotlight Podcast, we’re joined by Rachel Kisela — a six-figure YouTube editor who has worked with top creators including MrBeast. Rachel recently founded EditHers, a community for women in editing. In this episode Rachel shares her philosophy on editing, how she built her business, what she learnt editing for Mr Beast, and how to make over $100k as a video editor. Read the newsletter: https://www.creatorspotlight.com/p/rachel-kisela __ Rachel Kisela Website: https://www.rachelkisela.com EditHers: https://www.rachelkisela.com/edit-hers LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelkisela/ Twitter/X: https://x.com/rachelkisela __ Francis LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francis-zierer/ Twitter/X: https://x.com/FZierer __ Timestamps 00:00 Introducing Rachel Kisela 01:25 The core philosophies of video editing 06:05 The process of editing a YouTube video 09:45 How to make six-figures as a YouTube editor 17:47 Leaving Mr Beast 20:42 The real responsibility of an editor 23:43 Building a much needed community 32:46 The unknown challenges of video editing 35:40 Getting paid as a video editor 39:35 What journalism school doesn’t teach you 46:07 The relationship between editor and creator 52:51 What Rachel learnt working for Mr Beast 56:47 Future dreams for EditHers 01:00:15 Where to find video editors 01:02:42 How much do video editors get paid? 01:05:17 Rachel’s favorite video

Sophia Smith Galer is an award-winning journalist, author, and creator with nearly a million followers across TikTok and Instagram. After roles at the BBC and VICE, she went independent to pioneer new ways of telling stories through short-form video. In this episode, she shares why traditional media is struggling to adapt, and what creators and journalists need to know about the future of vertical video. Read the newsletter: https://www.creatorspotlight.com/p/sophia-smith-galer __ Sophia Smith Galer TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sophiasmithgaler Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sophiasgaler LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophiasmithgaler Twitter/X: https://x.com/sophiasgaler Viralect: https://www.viralect.com Sophiana (App Store): https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/sophiana-script-video-maker/id6742998989 __ Francis LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francis-zierer/ Twitter/X: https://x.com/FZierer __ Timestamps 00:00 Introducing Sophia Smith Galer 01:50 How to present on short form video 07:15 Defining ‘journalism’ in the age of the creator 13:26 Traditional media’s problem with short form content 18:25 The one thing most short form creators get wrong 24:38 The best platform for short form content 31:02 Short form bootcamps 34:25 Sophiana: Your short form assistant 41:34 Why everyone should be making content 44:05 The hardest part of building an app 49:47 US vs. UK creator economy difficulties 52:46 Revenue breakdown 57:58 Sophia’s future plans and goals

This week on Creator Spotlight, Francis is joined byJordan DiPietro — former Motley Fool exec, CEO of Hampton, and writer of the Signal//Noise newsletter. Jordan shares the three big bets he’d make on the future of creators, why community now matters more than audience, and the lessons he’s carried from two decades in media, newsletters, and leadership. Read the newsletter: https://www.creatorspotlight.com/p/jordan-dipietro __ Follow Jordan Newsletter: https://jordandipietro.com/subscribe?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=guest&utm_campaign=creator+spotlight LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-dipietro-9ba3b75/ X/Twitter: https://x.com/dipietromedia __ Francis LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francis-zierer/ Twitter/X: https://x.com/FZierer __ Timestamps 00:00 Introducing Jordan DiPietro 01:08 The 3 moves to bet your career on 08:16 These creator economy trends are dying 17:20 Communities are the next search engine 19:42 The non-negotiables of a successful community 29:00 Audience vs community, the key differences 32:25 What you need to last in the creator economy 37:53 It's marketing all the way down 41:49 Signal//Noise 45:46 When to quit your job as a creator 50:36 The value of relationships in business

This week on Creator Spotlight we talk to Billy Parks, Partner at Slow Ventures and co-lead of the $65M Slow Creator Fund. Billy invests directly in creators, backing entrepreneurial creators who turn their expertise and communities into scalable businesses. Read the newsletter: https://www.creatorspotlight.com/p/billy-parks __ Billy LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billyfilm/ Slow Ventures: https://slow.co/about/ Jonathan Katz-Moses: @katzmosestools __ Follow Francis LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francis-zierer/ Twitter/X: https://x.com/FZierer __ Timestamps 00:00 Introducing Billy Parks and Slow Ventures 01:30 What makes an investable creator? 05:35 The two types of creator businesses 13:44 Creators are just founders 17:24 Which creators need investment the most? 23:30 The difficulties of valuing a creator business 32:13 It's all marketing 34:29 The biggest risk in creator investments 38:12 Business is the future of the creator economy 42:54 How to be niche in the creator economy