The Creator Spotlight Podcast

Afleveringen

• Ep. 113: How he makes $140k+ writing about video games ft. Stephen Totilo 02.06.2026 56min

  Stephen Totilo has spent 20 years reporting in the video game industry, working at MTV, Kotaku and Axios. Francis and Stephen discuss his recent transition to independent journalism and how he's built a stable and successful newsletter product, support...
• Ep. 112: They have 2M+ followers, but they’re starting again ft. Martinez and Mu 26.05.2026 50min

  Rob Martinez and Julian Mu are independent food creators with a combined 2.1 million followers across YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, and co-hosts of the YouTube channel 'Martinez and Mu'. They discuss how they built their channels, how they make money...
• Ep. 111: He only makes 5 videos a year ft. Max Z Zavidow 19.05.2026 1u 4min

  Max Z Zavidow is a content creator who makes narrative "really short films" for TikTok and Instagram, including the Webby-winning video "Long Time." In this episode, he discusses his evolution from investment banking to stand-up comedy and vertical vid...
• Ep. 110: The Facebook creator with 8 revenue streams ft. Todd Anderson 12.05.2026 46min

  Todd Anderson, the Turnip Vegan, is a food creator with over 3 million followers across platforms. In this episode we cover his journey from hobbyist to professional, how he monetizes with up to 8 revenue streams, and why Facebook is still his number o...
• Ep. 109: How LinkedIn Groups and Newsletters Power an Online Education Business 05.05.2026 43min

  Natalie Peters is the founder and CEO of Sky Society, a community and career accelerator for women breaking into marketing. In this episode, Natalie breaks down how she grew Sky Society from two students to a waitlisted accelerator with over 100 studen...
• Ep. 108: The creator economy doesn't exist ft. Nathan Graber-Lipperman 28.04.2026 1u 9min

  Nathan Graber-Lipperman is the founder of Powder Blue, a Chicago-based creative studio behind a print magazine, newsletter, and community events. We talk about building and monetising indie media, what makes brand partnerships work, and why he retired ...
• Ep. 107: Inside the business of ghostwriting ft. Maxie McCoy 21.04.2026 1u 2min

  Maxie McCoy is an author, ghostwriter, and speech writer whose clients have landed Wall Street Journal bestsellers. In this episode, Maxie breaks down the business of ghostwriting, from how to get started and price your work, to building a newsletter a...
• Ep. 106: Sending a newsletter for 1,000 days straight ft. Mindstream 14.04.2026 48min

  Matt Village and Maria Gharib are the editorial team behind Mindstream ( https://www.mindstream.news/ ), a daily AI-focussed newsletter with over 230,000 subscribers. In this episode they break down the editorial systems, consistency habits, and audien...
• Ep. 105: Becoming one of Morning Brew’s biggest creators ft. Macy Gilliam 07.04.2026 58min

  Macy Gilliam is a video producer and content creator at Morning Brew and the creator of Out There, a documentary series where she spends a day learning the world's most interesting jobs. In this episode, we walk through her production process, how she ...
• Ep. 104: Building a platform to save the internet ft. Tyler Bainbridge of Perfectly Imperfect 31.03.2026 54min

  Tyler Bainbridge is the founder of Perfectly Imperfect, a social magazine and app with 400,000+ users built to help people discover culture outside of algorithms. In this episode, we get into how he grew the platform from a free newsletter to a busines...
• Ep. 103: Building a newsletter to fight the algorithm ft. Matt Kiser 24.03.2026 59min

  Matt Kiser is the creator and editor WTF Just Happened Today, a political news newsletter with over 200,000 subscribers built entirely on a pay-what-you-want membership model. In this episode Matt breaks down how he grew from zero to 100,000 subscribers in six months, the editorial philosophy behind curating the news every day for nine years, and the biggest mistakes he made along the way. Read the newsletter: https://www.creatorspotlight.com/profiles __ Matt Kiser Newsletter LinkedIn Bluesky GitHub __ Timestamps 00:00 Introducing Matt Kiser 01:18 Zero to 100k in six months 11:06 Building the skill of aggregation and curation 17:41 The death of objectivity 18:37 From 100k to 200k subscribers 20:36 Don’t hate the media, become the media 29:18 Transparency with the revenue model 35:40 The AI podcast controversy 46:46 Biggest mistakes and learning moments 50:23 A deeper connection with the audience
• Ep. 102: The creator earning $200k+ posting on LinkedIn ft. Vin Matano 17.03.2026 58min

  Vin Matano is a B2B influencer marketing agency owner and part-time creator who made $200K as a creator and $2.5M through his agency Creator Buzz in 2025. In this episode, we get into how he lands and keeps long-term brand deals, his LinkedIn content strategy, and how he built Creatorbuzz from zero to $2.5M in its first full year. Read the newsletter: https://www.creatorspotlight.com/p/vin-matano __ Get started with Taplio for free Use code: CREATOR1X1 __ Vin Matano LinkedIn YouTube Twitter/X Instagram Creatorbuzz __ Timestamps 00:00 Introducing Vin Matano 01:30 From $94k to $200k in one year 05:32 Getting brand deals and overdelivering 13:48 How many followers do you need for brand deals? 20:10 Partnering brands with creators 25:53 Making $2.5M in a year 28:50 The challenges of being a new founder 31:34 Getting leads with social media 37:24 The three types of LinkedIn posts to go viral 44:38 Debunking LinkedIn myths 49:25 The third generation of B2B marketing 54:12 Changing how success is measured
• Ep. 101: Building a 70k+ subscriber newsletter by word of mouth ft. Rachel Meade Smith 10.03.2026 55min

  Rachel Meade Smith is the founder of Words of Mouth, a weekly newsletter focused on finding meaningful work. In this episode, we discuss how she built and monetised a values-driven newsletter to 72,000 subscribers over 10 years without ever running a single ad. Preorder Search Work now: https://orbooks.com/catalog/search-work/ __ Rachel Meade Smith Words of Mouth Website LinkedIn Instagram Book __ Timestamps 00:00 Introducing Rachel Meade Smith and Words of Mouth 01:38 10 years of values based curation 07:17 Growing to 70k subscribers organically 13:03 72% open rate, 22% clickthrough rate 14:07 Monestizing while maintaining strong ethics 20:07 4 ways the newsletter is monetized 37:29 Developing beyond purely aggregation 43:21 The art of aggregation, curation, and editing 46:13 The process and expense of writing a book
• Ep. 100: A $2.5M bet on quality food journalism ft. Caper 03.03.2026 34min

  Caper is a new media company covering the people, money, ambition, power and chaos that fuels the food world. In this episode we speak to Max Tcheyan, the co-founder and CEO, as well as three of the founding journalists. Read the newsletter: https://www.creatorspotlight.com/profiles __ Get 10,000 free monthly credits at Eleven Labs: https://elevenlabs.io/ __ Caper Newsletter Caper LinkedIn In this episode Max Emma Annie Chris __ Timestamps 00:00 Introducing Caper Media 01:00 The gap in the market 03:45 Who is the audience? 07:29 How equity changes journalism 15:46 Food journalism that makes a difference 23:46 Building a team of founders 26:30 The $2.5M bet 29:28 Doing something that matters
• Ep. 99: How to build and sell to audiences online ft. Daniel Berk 24.02.2026 56min

  Daniel Berk is beehiiv’s first sales hire-turned-strategist, cofounder of a local newsletter Palmetto Parents, and cohost of the Two Dads in Tech podcast. In this episode we discuss his journey from chaotic notebooks to 25,000 LinkedIn followers, how he helps creators and enterprise media businesses grow and monetize, and how to run a profitable newsletter and podcast. Read the newsletter: https://www.creatorspotlight.com/profiles __ Get started with Taplio for free at https://taplio.com/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=nl_creatorspotlight_0126_011526 Use code: CREATOR1X1 __ Daniel Berk LinkedIn Twitter/X Threads Podcast __ Timestamps 00:00 Introducing Daniel Berk 01:34 13 years of writing newsletters 05:25 The problem every creator and business has 11:13 Adapting to the AI driven web 14:24 Best and worst social media platforms 21:58 Why a big LinkedIn platform is so important 29:16 Making $60k with a podcast side-project 38:33 Building a community driven local newsletter 46:38 Outcome vs output driven creators 50:26 The value of writing every day
• Ep. 98 How he perfected short form content ft. Grant Beene 17.02.2026 1u 18min

  Grant Beene is a short-form video creator known for crafting wild, story-driven skits that have generated hundreds of millions of views across TikTok and Instagram. In this episode, we break down how he writes and produces viral short films, structures brand deals without compromising creative integrity, and why he believes short-form is the training ground for becoming a world-class director. Read the newsletter: https://www.creatorspotlight.com/p/grant-beene __ Get 10,000 free monthly credits at Eleven Labs: https://elevenlabs.io/ __ Grant Beene TikTok Instagram Francis Zierer LinkedIn Twitter/X __ Timestamps 00:00:00 Introducing Grant Beene 00:02:34 The process behind a 120M view video 00:07:32 Limitations creating uniqueness 00:10:47 Early TikTok growth 00:22:41 Pushing short form content to the extreme 00:26:22 Difficulties monetizing as a short form creator 00:34:45 The value of collaborating in the creative process 00:41:03 From short form creator to artist 00:48:11 The role of faith in drive and discipline 00:52:47 How the creative process changes with long form 00:59:10 Unlocking the creativity 01:05:45 Inspirations in art and film 01:12:29 Make art and it will take you to your goal
• Ep. 97: “I’m not an influencer. I’m an artist.” ft. Lucie Fink 10.02.2026 58min

  Lucie Fink is a creator and entrepreneur who’s built a successful personal media company across YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, podcasts, and newsletters. In this episode, we break down how she actually makes money as a creator, dealing with and confronting online trolls, and pivoting from lifestyle influencer to artist. Read the newsletter: https://www.creatorspotlight.com/profiles __ Lucie Fink — All my Income Sources Revealed __ Lucie Fink YouTube Instagram TikTok Website Podcast Francis Zierer LinkedIn Twitter/X __ Timestamps 00:00 Introducing Lucie Fink 01:10 Confronting an online troll 08:57 I’m an artist, not an influencer 12:59 Building a personal brand while at Refinery29 17:02 First year challenges going solo 20:58 Making over $100k as a creator 32:30 Learning from previous course mistakes 39:52 Making $50k from one video 45:46 Adapting content to a shifting audience 48:20 Maternal burst of creative energy 51:53 Aspirations of a Netflix show
• Ep. 96: How a local newsletter became a $100k+ business ft. Marissa Lovell 03.02.2026 1u 1min

  Marissa Lovell is the founder and operator of From Boise, a local newsletter business generating over $100k in annual revenue. In this episode, she breaks down how she built it, what nearly made her quit, and the decisions that finally made it work. __ Get 10,000 free monthly credits at Eleven Labs: https://elevenlabs.io/ __ Marissa Lovell LinkedIn Twitter/X From Boise Francis Zierer LinkedIn Twitter/X __ Timestamps 00:00 Introducing Marissa from Boise 01:00 From nearly quitting to $100k+ revenue 06:18 The once-a-month growth strategy 09:34 Early stage experimentation 12:15 Accidentally growing a “personal brand” 17:56 Zero to 10k subscribers in one year 23:20 How big can a local newsletter be? 24:18 How to monetize a local newsletter 30:37 Investing in a website that feels right 33:27 Why a discount card for the community didn’t work 38:14 Connecting a community with dinner clubs 42:15 Building in public and empowering female entrepreneurs 46:58 Creating in way that suits you 52:35 Becoming a six-figure solopreneur 55:09 Doubling revenue for 2026
• Ep. 95: He quit NBC to make YouTube videos ft. Fernando Hurtado 27.01.2026 55min

  Fernando Hurtado is a former NBC Telemundo journalist who walked away from a six-figure media career to build on YouTube from scratch. In this episode, Fernando breaks down how he got monetized in days, landed (and lost) brand deals early, priced himself wrong, and rebuilt with a repeatable system for publishing high-quality videos without burning out. We talk risk, leverage, time-boxing creative work, and what journalists actually need to know before betting on themselves. __ Watch Fernando’s AAPI Latino’s video __ Fernando Hurtado YouTube Twitter/X Instagram TikTok LinkedIn Francis Zierer LinkedIn Twitter/X __ Timestamps 00:00 Introducing Fernando Hurtado 01:06 The hardest part of full-time YouTube 04:40 How to land (and lose) brand deals 09:30 Transitioning from NBC to YouTube 16:02 Four reasons to become a YouTuber 21:00 Learning the business side of journalism 28:59 Diversify your revenue streams 30:41 Building a sustainable upload schedule — without burnout 35:09 Creating videos for the algorithm and the culture 40:48 Showing the journalistic process 43:27 Creating a video that inspires discussion 45:50 Successes from one year as a YouTuber 51:36 Advice for going all in on YouTube
• Ep. 94: 15 years of social media strategy advice in one hour ft. Jack Appleby 20.01.2026 58min

  Jack Appleby is a marketing strategist and creator with over 15 years in the industry. In this episode, we break down why most brand content fails, why trends don’t matter, and how creators can build audiences people actually root for. __ Get started for free at https://taplio.com Use code: CREATOR1X1 __ Jack Appleby Newsletter LinkedIn Twitter/X Instagram How to Hoop Forever YouTube Instagram TikTok Francis Zierer LinkedIn Twitter/X __ Timestamp 00:00 Introducing Jack Appleby 01:05 Social media is not marketing 05:30 Making $9,500 in a month on TikTok 09:36 Investing in a series that loses money 13:13 You don’t need production quality, you need story 15:31 Revenue streams as a marketer 18:16 The need for strong opinions online 26:21 Creating a story through short form video 30:49 Building a newsletter to 80k subscribers 36:05 Hiring a manager 44:42 How to make a $50k course 51:40 The need for better content in 2026