2025 Creator Upfronts - Day 1

Key Concepts

• Creator Economy: The burgeoning industry driven by content creators, influencers, podcasters, and vloggers who operate as entrepreneurs.
• Creator-Led Media Networks: Businesses built around individual creators or groups of creators, controlling their own intellectual property and media output.
• Entrepreneurship in the Creator Space: Creators are viewed as entrepreneurs driving innovation in media, marketing, advertising, and entertainment.
• Monetization and Growth: The event focuses on creators and brands connecting to generate revenue and foster growth.
• Authenticity: A key theme, with a humorous AI-powered airhorn designed to go off if the word "authenticity" is used to describe success.
• Data-Driven Content Strategy: The importance of analyzing data to understand audience retention, identify areas for improvement, and inform content creation.
• Scaling Creator Businesses: The transition from individual creator to managing teams, operations, and multi-channel content production.
• Brand Partnerships: Strategies for building long-term, mutually beneficial relationships between creators and brands.
• Creator Commerce: The integration of commerce directly into creator content and platforms.
• AI in Content Creation: The use of AI for ideation, scriptwriting, thumbnail generation, and potentially for building communities.
• Platform Evolution: The changing landscape of social media platforms and the need for creators to adapt and utilize new formats.
• Community Building: The critical role of fostering strong connections with audiences, especially in the face of AI advancements.
• Brand Refresh and Evolution: How established brands like Walmart adapt to remain relevant in a changing market.
• Measuring Impact: Moving beyond traditional metrics to understand the true value and influence of creator collaborations.
• The "Messy Middle" of Content Creation: The importance of showing the authentic, unpolished process behind content creation.
• Micro-Trends and Cultural Moments: The rapid emergence of trends driven by events, sports, and cultural moments, and how brands and creators capitalize on them.
• Video as a Key Format: The dominance of video content across platforms for its authenticity and ability to connect with audiences.
• AI in Fashion: The potential for AI to impact trend forecasting, content creation, and shopping experiences.
• Studio of the Future: Building scalable content production facilities that maintain the nimbleness and community connection of early-stage creators.

2025 Forbes Creator Upfronts Summary

This document summarizes the key discussions and insights from the 2025 Forbes Creator Upfronts, held in partnership with Walmart Creator. The event brought together creators, brands, and industry leaders to explore the evolving creator economy, focusing on innovation, monetization, and strategic partnerships.

Welcome and Introduction

The event commenced with a welcome address, emphasizing the goal of connecting innovative creators with major brands. Attendees were encouraged to use the BISBO app for agenda viewing, session sign-ups, and networking. Hashtags #ForbesCreatorUpfronts and #WallmartCreator were promoted for social media engagement. A special acknowledgment was given to title sponsor Walmart Creator and supporting sponsor Wher Group.

Steven Berton, Assistant Managing Editor at Forbes and creator of the Forbes Top Creator franchise, set the stage by highlighting Forbes' mission to celebrate success and spotlight entrepreneurs. He emphasized that creators, regardless of their title, are fundamentally entrepreneurs driving significant economic and cultural impact. Berton cited the 2023 Forbes Top Creator list, which featured 50 individuals who collectively earned nearly $850 million and amassed 3.4 billion followers. The event aimed to facilitate learning, earning, and growing for the 400 creators and marketers in attendance, with a focus on "real and raw, tactical and practical" conversations, avoiding fluff and jargon. A humorous element was introduced with an AI-equipped airhorn designed to trigger if the word "authenticity" was used to describe success.

Panel 1: Creator-Led Media Networks

This panel featured Randall Lane (Forbes), Grace Cow (CMO, Snap), Jesse Jesser Ryell (Founder, Bucket Squad), and Rebecca Zamalo (Actress, Producer, Creator). The discussion explored the evolution of media networks from traditional models to creator-driven enterprises.

• BC Forbes as an Early Creator: The panel drew a parallel between BC Forbes, the founder of Forbes, who was a columnist and essentially a creator of his time, and modern creators building media empires.
• Transitioning from Creator to Business Owner: Rebecca Zamalo shared her journey from being a one-person show to building a team and managing multiple channels. She stressed the importance of delegation and hiring individuals who excel in specific areas, such as editing. The transition was organic, starting with hiring an editor and gradually expanding the team.
• The Role of Data: Zamalo highlighted the critical importance of studying data to understand audience retention, identify content weaknesses, and inform future strategy. She emphasized that while data is crucial, the human element and understanding audience sentiment are equally important.
• Building Multi-Channel Brands: Jesse Jesser Ryell discussed how he scaled his brand by creating distinct entities like "Bucket Squad" for apparel and "Jester" for YouTube content. This allowed for focused content creation and brand building for each. He manages a team of approximately 30 employees across both ventures.
• Snapchat as a Testing Ground: Grace Cow emphasized Snapchat's role as a safe and friendly platform for creators to experiment with content, encouraging frequency and authenticity.
• Making Others Stars: Both Ryell and Zamalo discussed bringing new people into their content, with Ryell often featuring recurring cast members and Zamalo focusing on building up the next generation of talent to eventually step back from being the central figure.
• Delegation and Management: Ryell acknowledged his dislike for management but has successfully delegated these responsibilities by hiring a president and COO, allowing him to focus on creative aspects.
• Non-Traditional Channels:
  • Ryell: Highlighted collaborations with the NFL and NBA for his Bucket Squad apparel brand as significant successes.
  • Zamalo: Mentioned her New York Times bestselling books, a beauty line, and a game in Walmart as key achievements outside of traditional content. She also noted the importance of ensuring products align with the audience's interests, even if it's a "sister" brand to her main content.
  • Cow: Emphasized Snapchat's focus on chat and messaging for building one-to-one relationships and community.
• Funding and Growth: Ryell and Zamalo both self-funded their ventures, reinvesting profits. Zamalo is now seeking strategic partners for inventory management. Zamalo also advised scaling back when necessary, noting that a lower EBITDA can be beneficial for potential sales.
• Lightning Round:
  • Emerging Platforms/Formats: Chat, Spotify, and AI-powered video platforms like Sora were highlighted.
  • Overrated Trends: Huge teams and trying to replicate Hollywood models were cited as overrated.
  • AI Usage: Production, ideation, scriptwriting, and thumbnail inspiration were mentioned.
  • Brands Working with Creators: Snapchat and Google were praised for their creator-friendly approaches.
  • Top Priority for a New Creator Network: Building community and getting audience feedback were emphasized.

Creator Upfronts: Kate Greenwell Home

Kate Greenwell shared her inspiring journey from an audience member to a presenter at the event, highlighting how strong partnerships with retailers like Walmart unlocked nearly $50 million in revenue. She emphasized the importance of seeking out roadmaps to success, bringing authenticity, and betting on oneself. Her strategy involves fluid adaptation to trends and brand incentives, focusing on portraying messages and products authentically. Greenwell is active on Instagram, where she is growing a team and moving into an office space. She values affiliate programs and long-term, trust-based partnerships with brands, advocating for mutual benefit and open communication. She builds relationships with her followers through stories, authenticity, and lifestyle-focused content that incorporates products. Her biggest surprise in the creator economy is the potential impact of AI on user-generated content, expressing a slight nervousness about its future. For brands, she advises giving creators more creative freedom and trusting their understanding of their audience.

Creator Upfronts: India Urban Choi

India Urban Choi, a travel influencer and sports enthusiast with a PhD in biomedical engineering, shared her transition from a STEM career to full-time content creation. She initially used content creation as a creative outlet but found it more lucrative than expected. Her travel hack series on TikTok significantly boosted her following, leading to rapid growth on Instagram. Choi launched "Ace Not Prey" to build a community for people of color in sports like tennis and skiing. She has partnered with brands like Walmart, Verb, and Cadillac. Choi believes in the "10-year overnight success" adage, emphasizing the need for trial and error in content creation. Her travel hacks, particularly credit card rewards, have been a key driver of her success. She also hosts in-person events, responding to audience requests for offline experiences. Choi values audience feedback for content direction and is exploring new destinations and beginner-friendly sports content. She sees the future of creator-driven commerce in in-person events where brands can connect with communities through creators.

Creator Upfronts: Taylor Price (Priceless Tay)

Taylor Price, a 25-year-old financial literacy advocate, has impacted over 1 million people globally through her content. She started with a blog and transitioned to YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, where her financial advice gained significant traction. Price emphasizes the necessity of financial literacy for her generation and uses relatable, rebellious, and real content to make finance accessible. She has partnered with brands like Invesco QQQ, Brat TV, Key Bank, and TurboTax. Her strategy involves translating complex financial topics into understandable terms. She believes in the power of statistics and data to support her advice, stating, "The money talks, not just me." Price advises brands to align their products with their marketing efforts to effectively reach Gen Z. She also highlights the importance of creators understanding their audience and product fit, citing her partnership with Warby Parker for FSA utilization and McDonald's for back-to-school savings as examples of strategic brand collaborations.

Creator Upfronts: Monica J. Sutton

Monica J. Sutton, an early childhood educator with 18 years of experience, transformed her YouTube channel into a classroom during the pandemic, earning the nickname "the pandemic teacher." Her first circle time video garnered over 18 million views. She has since developed "Circle Time with Miss Monica" into a preschool show and a global brand, partnering with brands like Kiwi Co. and Adobe. Sutton emphasizes the importance of consistency, connection, and alignment with children's needs and market demands. She actively engages with parents through YouTube community features and other platforms like Instagram and TikTok, where she shares resources, personal stories, and educational tips. Her core strategy revolves around "children first, children led, education," and she seeks brand partnerships that align with these values. She highlighted a philanthropic partnership with the Barbara Sinatra Children's Center Foundation as a meaningful collaboration. Sutton advises creators to keep children engaged through watchable content, as they are savvy consumers of video.

Creator Upfronts: Sal Farzine (Simply Salines)

Sal Farzine, a former adtech professional, transitioned to content creation after his children introduced him to TikTok. He quickly gained a significant following by reviewing problem-solving products, turning his passion project into a full-time venture. Farzine emphasizes the importance of vetting products for authenticity and audience fit, even turning down lucrative deals if they don't align with his brand. He believes in giving creators creative freedom and allowing them to leverage their expertise. For brands, he advises delivering products that consumers will genuinely be excited about and use long-term. He also highlighted the value of his children's involvement in his content creation, with his daughter editing his sizzle reel. Farzine recommends a chicken shredder as a daily essential gadget.

Creator Upfronts: Amber Gaton (Bless Little Bungalow)

Amber Gaton, an interior designer and founder of Bless Little Bungalow, advocates for making interior design accessible and joyful. With a background in marketing, tech, and finance, she approaches design with a unique perspective, focusing on "soulful maximalism" – abundant color, pattern, texture, and comfort. Gaton believes home design is a love story to oneself. She differentiates between being a creator and a founder by sharing the "messy middle" of design projects, including costs and contractor challenges, which resonates with her audience. She partners with brands regularly, prioritizing those she uses and believes in, and emphasizes the integrity of her recommendations as a professional designer. Gaton advises brands to allow creators creative freedom and empower them to tell stories that engage their audience.

Creator Upfronts: Amanda Veni (Come Stay a While)

Amanda Veni, founder of "Come Stay a While," built a massive following by sharing budget-friendly DIY projects and her everyday life with authenticity and vulnerability. She emphasizes consistency, grit, and an unwavering belief in her vision. Veni's success is attributed to thousands of stacked moments rather than a single viral video, focusing on building an engaged community. She shares her raw emotions and struggles, including mental health, to connect with her audience. For brand partnerships, Veni prioritizes products she uses and loves, and advocates for creative freedom from brands to maintain authenticity. She encourages creators to pivot and embrace the unknown, exploring new content styles and platforms to scale long-term. She believes businesses must flow with consumer and community evolution to remain relevant.

Panel 2: The Social Media Runway: Shaping the Fashion Agenda

This panel featured Steven Bertoni (Forbes), Remy Bader (Content Creator), Tessa Brooks (Creator), and Ryan Weey Meyer (SVP Fashion, Walmart US). The discussion centered on the impact of social media on the fashion industry.

• Creators as the New Runway: The panel agreed that content creators are now the primary drivers of fashion trends and purchasing decisions, with their content influencing immediate buying behavior.
• Ease of Purchase: The accessibility of buying fashion directly through social media platforms has accelerated trend cycles.
• Walmart's Fashion Transformation: Ryan Weey Meyer highlighted how Walmart has significantly improved its fashion offerings in terms of quality and aesthetic, leveraging creators to showcase these improvements and drive sales.
• Data-Driven Trend Forecasting: Walmart uses data from social media, runways, and street style to identify upcoming trends, and sometimes even influences trends by backing specific items.
• Micro-Trends and Cultural Moments: The fashion cycle has shifted from seasonal trends to micro-trends driven by events, sports, and cultural moments. Creators are adept at capitalizing on these.
• Authenticity in Fashion Content: Both Remy Bader and Tessa Brooks emphasized the importance of relatability and authenticity, drawing inspiration from creators who resemble them and showcasing realistic hauls and styling.
• Video Dominance: Video content, particularly on TikTok and Instagram, is crucial for showcasing fashion due to its ability to convey movement, personality, and authenticity. Flat photos are no longer as effective.
• Creator-Brand Collaboration: Brands are increasingly looking for creators with loyal followings and authentic connections to their audience, rather than just those with massive follower counts. Allowing creators creative freedom is paramount.
• Bold Predictions:
  • Ryan Weey Meyer: Predicted that AI (like ChatGPT) will create creator networks, potentially leading to AI-powered or human-led AI-assisted content.
  • Remy Bader: Believes AI will significantly change fashion, impacting trend cycles and shopping experiences, potentially leading to AI-driven personalized recommendations.
  • Tessa Brooks: While acknowledging AI's impact, she emphasized that the human element, personality, and relatability of creators will remain essential and difficult for AI to replicate.

Creator Upfronts: Darmman Studios

Darmman, founder of Darmman Studios, shared his journey from a small studio apartment to building a 125,000 sq ft production facility with 250 employees. He emphasized the importance of storytelling, heart, and community connection over spectacle. Darmman Studios maintains a "scrappy" division to replicate its early-stage nimbleness.

• Funding and Growth: Darmman Studios is primarily funded through platform revenue (AdSense from YouTube and Facebook), reinvesting profits into the business. He advises creators to view platforms as investors.
• Data-Driven Content: A dedicated data analytics team monitors metrics like retention rates, click-through rates, and comment feedback to inform content strategy and identify audience interests. An example was given of a Roblox cameo in a video becoming a popular comment, leading to a dedicated Roblox-focused video.
• Brand Partnerships: Darmman Studios focuses on creating "connection" rather than just content, integrating brands as characters within stories. Their offerings include:
  • Media Takeovers: Brands sponsoring ad space on creator channels.
  • Branded Content: Short-form (gamified, e.g., fashion show with triplets) and long-form (brand as a character) content.
  • Infrastructure: Helping brands become creators by teaching them content creation and audience ownership.
• Avoiding the Hollywood Trap: Darmman Studios avoids the traditional studio model by focusing on speed, nimbleness, and community feedback, producing content at a fraction of the cost and time. Their feature films, produced in 21 days, have achieved significant viewership (e.g., 40 million views for their first feature film).
• Future Projects: Darmman Studios is expanding into episodic series, feature films, and a non-fictional storytelling podcast, with a focus on ambitious projects and diverse storytelling.

Closing Remarks

Seth Matland's concluded the day by emphasizing two key themes: Community and Change. He highlighted that the creator economy is building a collaborative community where understanding and empathy between brands and creators are crucial for productive relationships. He also reflected on how the pandemic, while challenging, catalyzed change and innovation, empowering creators to shape the new status quo. He encouraged attendees to leverage this opportunity and responsibility to create positive change.

The event concluded with an invitation to a networking reception and a preview of the next day's program.