The Creator COO

It’s happening…creators are claiming the upper hand in their businesses.

They’re shifting from rented media – platforms like YouTube and TikTok – into owned media. Public platforms still serve a purpose, but creators are discovering the profitability and long-term potential that membership access spaces offer.

If you’re intrigued but not sure how to dip your toes into these uncharted waters, then this episode is for you. 

Matt Estes and Tonner Jackson, CEO of Course Studio, discuss the creator COO category and the evolution of the courses market. They explore the importance of owned media and the rise of creator operator types. They also delve into the challenges of driving transformation in courses and the balance between community and coaching. 

The conversation highlights the potential of combining courses and memberships and the need to keep costs low in owned media. They wrap up with advice for creators taking their first steps in owned media.

Listen as we explore: How to turn creator personalities into big media brands, the different purposes of rented media and owned media, and combining course content with community experiences to transform the learning experience

Here are the key takeaways from our conversation with Tonner:

Making a Profitable Start in Course Creation:

Tonner gives a crash course in courses for creators who want to shift into owned media. His top tips: keep costs low and validate ideas before making a major investment. He recommends starting with an inexpensive live product to gauge interest and gather feedback. Then, you can explore the possibility of a full-fledged course.

The Purposes of Rented Media and Owned Media:

First things first – what are the different types of media? Rented media is intermediated by a platform and an algorithm, like YouTube or TikTok. On the other hand, owned media is an audience a creator has more control over, like an email list or RSS feed. There are pros and cons to each type, but the gist is: use rented media for audience discovery and owned media for audience retention and monetization.

Combing Course Content with Community Experiences:

Data shows educational communities drive better outcomes and provide timely feedback, but curating these spaces can be a major drain on a creator’s time. Tonner advises that creators be intentional about the commitments they make to communities, balancing the benefits of the format with their own investment of time.

Jump into the Conversation:

[05:00] Addressing Creators’ Resistance to Selling

[10:12] How Category and Audience Contribute to Profitability Potential

[18:23] Rented Vs. Owned Media

[26:28] The Strategic Value of a Creator COO in Owned Media

[32:17] The Evolution of the Courses Market

[38:08] Balancing Community and Coaching in Courses

[42:57] Driving Repeat Purchases in Courses

[47:24] Combining Courses and Memberships

[54:43] Keeping Costs Low in Owned Media

[57:33] The Role of a Creator COO

[01:03:42] Taking the First Step in Owned Media

Continue the conversation with these resources:

Follow Tonner Jackson on LinkedIn and X

Explore Course Studio’s web and mobile products for creators

Picture this: A membership platform that thrives outside the gamble of Adsense revenue.

That's the domain Chris Sharpe and his business partner Adriene Mishler have built at Yoga with Adriene. They’ve shifted from ephemeral profits to constructing a community of over 50,000 members away from YouTube. 

In today’s episode, Chris reveals the secrets that can transform viewers into a committed community. He discusses his evolution from independent filmmaker to entrepreneurial success. From early experiments with a cooking channel to prioritizing creation over marketing, we'll uncover what has made ‘Find What Feels Good’ thrive.

Chris shares his insights on the challenges of high-value transactional sales, the importance of recurring revenue, and the art of maintaining creative and business control. So, whether you're an established creator, a burgeoning entrepreneur, or someone who simply loves a good journey of growth and success against the odds, this episode is your ticket behind the scenes of a thriving creator's universe.

Show Notes:

Here are the key takeaways from our conversation with Chris:

Outsource to Scale: One vital lesson is to delegate non-core activities. As a creator or Creator COO, identifying functions like bookkeeping, accounting, and HR can free up essential time and energy to focus on growth. By outsourcing these tasks, you also tap into expertise that can handle them more efficiently, reducing errors and long-term costs.

Focus on Community and Recurring Revenue: Chris encourages creators to look beyond one-off sales and to invest in building a thriving community. This gives creators a more consistent revenue stream and a deeper connection with their audience, leading to long-term brand loyalty.

Prioritize Creative Integrity and Control: Maintaining creative and business control is key for Chris. To stay content, creators need to create content that aligns with their vision, rather than chasing quick profits. The episode sheds light on the strategies for balancing the creative process with marketing, emphasizing profit margins, and managing a team—all while staying true to your core values. 

Jump into the Conversation:

[01:24] Building a YouTube Following and Monetizing Through Find What Feels Good

[06:36] Establishing a Working Partnership and Category Dominance 

[15:55] The Un-Sexy Day-to-Day Responsibilities of a Creator COO

[26:45] Transitioning from Ad Revenue to Direct-to-Consumer Sales

[34:38] Revenue Streams: Transactional vs. Relational 

[42:37] Building a Media Brand & Delivering Value

[46:02] Splitting Brands: Yoga with Adriene and Find What Feels Good

[57:00] Chris’s Advice for Aspiring Creator COOs

[01:01:00] Where the Next Generation of Creator COOs Might Come From

Continue the conversation with these resources:

Follow Chris Sharpe on LinkedIn and X

The creator economy is booming. 

While many influence their audiences significantly, only some creators can build a sustainable career. 

Why? 

Because in today’s content-driven world, creators are businesses, and businesses need operators.

Today on The Creator COO, host Matt Estes is joined by Josh Kaplan, co-founder and CEO of Smooth Media, to discuss the differences between a creator and a creator-operator mindset. 

They explore why creators need operational business partners and dive deep into the nuances of finding, hiring, and compensating a creator COO. They also discuss the varied personality traits and skillset differences between creators and operators and unearth practical strategies for the moments when creative passions clash with the realities of running a thriving enterprise. From aligning objectives with a creator partner to redefining success metrics, this episode will equip you with the tools you need to navigate these complexities!

Show Notes:

Here are the key takeaways from our conversation with Josh:

Why Creators Need Creator-Operators: Being a successful creator requires many different skill sets, namely creativity, audience building, and operational excellence. While the lucky few have all three, most creators excel in the first two and need to catch up on the operation side of things. That’s where the creator-operator comes in! As Josh says, for creators to scale successful businesses, they need a team that consists of specialists in different roles, including what Smooth Media refers to as a “fractional COO.”

What it Means to “Objectify the Business”: Even once they’ve achieved content-market fit, many creators hesitate when it comes to expanding their team and bringing in operational assistance. Josh’s advice? Help them look objectively at the business. This can be difficult for creators, who are quite literally the name and the face of the brand, but Josh suggests sharing relevant content and resources to help them conceptualize what it will look like to scale their brand and catalyze the business toward unprecedented success.

Building a Brand Alongside the Name: A creator’s business is closely tied to their name, image, and likeness, but when they choose to expand, sell, or exit the brand, they shouldn’t have to worry about selling their name. Developing a standalone business alongside a creator and leveraging their name during the build is the goal.

Jump into the Conversation:

[04:30] Establishing credibility with creators as a creator-operator

[08:14] What a fractional COO is and why many creators need operational business partners

[11:45] Why creators should consider partnering with Creator COOs (and how to find one)

[14:04] Advice for creators who push back on expanding their team: objectify the business

[19:22] The nitty gritty of finding, hiring, and compensating a Creator COO

[25:27] How creator brands can navigate the use of their name, image, and likeness (NIL)

[31:00] Mindset differences between creators and Creator COOs and how to collaborate better

[38:58] Potential billion-dollar creator businesses, the role of digital products, and more

Continue the conversation with these resources:

Follow Josh Kaplan on LinkedIn and X

See what a successful creator/Creator COO partnership looks like with The Publish Press by Colin and Samir

Read Traction, the book Josh recommends for Creator COOs

Check out Miss Excel by Kat Norton

Creator-led businesses are the next billion-dollar businesses. But they won’t get there without a strong class of creator-operators. Enter the 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐎𝐎. This isn't a sidekick role; it's a partnership. Think Steve Jobs and Tim Cook - but for the creator economy.

Your operational sherpa – guiding diverse revenue streams, building community, and driving cost efficiency.

In our first episode, join Matt Estes as he talks with Angus Parker, General Manager for YouTube sensation Ali Abdaal. Together, they've amassed nearly 5 million subscribers on YouTube and are set to generate close to $6 million in revenue in 2023. All by delivering tremendous educational and inspirational value to their fans.

Listen as we explore:

What a creator COO actually does day to day

The challenges and opportunities that come with managing the operations for a top-tier creator like Ali Abdaal

And insights into the future of content creation, monetization, and community building in the digital age 

Show Notes:

Here are the key takeaways from our conversation with Angus:

How to Address Key Man Risk: In most creator-led businesses, the creator is the product. The creator’s personality is the reason for their success, but the business’s reliance on a single person poses a major risk. Creator COOs can help address this risk by implementing structure and creating new streams of revenue that can stand alone. Angus shares how he’s exploring options like books and physical products to diversify Ali Abdaal Ltd’s income.

The Importance of Filtering a Creator’s Ideas: The greatest strength of creators is also one of their greatest challenges: they have an endless supply of ideas. It’s easy to end up chasing one idea only to realize it’s not the right direction for the business. That’s where Creator COOs come in: they serve as a filter between the creator’s inspiration overflow and implementation. Angus explains how this becomes an increasingly important role as creator-led businesses grow, to prevent teams from investing time in ideas that won’t pan out.

Finding a Creator COO in a Tight Market: The demand for Creator COOs doesn’t meet supply. Angus offers advice for creators looking for COOs. He recommends looking for potential over the perfect “experience” and shares that promoting from within can be a great approach – which happens to be exactly how he rose to his position with Ali Abdaal.

Jump into the Conversation:

[04:30] Helping creators leverage their time more effectively 

[09:00] Hiring and managing talent

[17:00] The importance of serving as a filter between the creator and their team

[20:00] Creating structure in a creator-led business

[25:00] The state of the creator economy

[28:00] Addressing the imbalance of supply and demand for Creator COOs

[37:00] De-risking a creator-led business by introducing new revenue streams

[42:00] Angus’s advice for creators and Creator COOs

Continue the conversation with these resources:

Follow Angus Parker on LinkedIn and X

Read Traction, a book Angus recommends for Creator COOs

Read The Who Method, a book Angus has used to guide his talent strategy.

Prediction: Creator COO will be the hot new job category for MBAs over the next decade.

Before the boom of the creator economy the title “creator operator” didn’t exist. And as creator-led businesses grow, more and more will need operators to get to the next level. 

In this episode, Jim Louderback, Editor and Publisher of Inside the Creator Economy, joins host Matt Estes to discuss the evolution of the Creator COO role.

Jim has built and sold numerous creator economy startups to giants like Discovery and Paramount – and his industry insights are unmatched. 

He’s the former editor-in-chief of PC Magazine and a recognized Top Voice on LinkedIn with over 30k followers. Jim’s weekly newsletter "Inside the Creator Economy," reaches over 22 thousand readers and he's truly at the center of the creator conversation.

Listen as we discuss how the video industry has evolved, becoming more complex but with a much higher ROI, how a creator operator needs to function depending on what stage the creator is at, and how to build successful partnerships between creators and creator COOs

Show Notes:

Here are the key takeaways from our conversation with Jim:

The Shift to DTC Puts Power in Creators’ Hands: Gatekeepers are no more. Early in Jim’s career, you would only reach audiences through organizations like magazines, newspapers, or television companies. Now, they can go directly to their audience. Creators today have more leverage than ever, unlocking new growth potential and a whole new world of operations to manage.

Creator COOs Enable Scalability and Durability:Dedicating a part- or full-time team member to operations certainly improves a creator’s short-term outcomes, but Jim explains the importance of a Creator COO in building a business that lasts. A business operator can step in to think long-term, develop strategies that will outlive fleeting trends, and implement structure that grows with the business.

How to Decide Whether You Need a Creator COO:Jim shares how to determine whether to hire an operations expert and, if so, what tasks to offload. He recommends considering what a creator could do with additional capacity, what the creator’s long-term vision is, and what structure needs to be in place for growth. He also notes that the COO role can evolve with the business, growing from a fractional role to a full-time position or even multi-person team.

Jump into the Conversation:

[02:00] The rise and fall of multi-channel networks (MCNs)

[08:30] The shift toward a direct-to-consumer (DTC) approach

[12:00] How Creator COOs enable scalable and durable businesses

[18:00] How to find and delegate work to a Creator COO

[29:00] How to compensate a Creator COO

[34:00] The potential for VC backing in the creator world

[42:30] The spectrum of creator business models and life cycles

[48:00] The rise of the in-house creator role

[51:00] Jim’s advice for aspiring Creator COOs

Continue the conversation with these resources:

Follow Jim Louderback on LinkedIn and X

Picture this: you open your partner’s inbox to find a $10k deal just sat there, in junk, unread! 

Well, this happened to today’s guest Amanda Marcovitch, the Business Manager for Youshaei Studios. Under Amanda’s management, Jon has seen his YouTube channel skyrocket with over 405k subscribers, and a staggering 300 million views in the past year alone. She’s also cultivated lucrative partnerships with brands like American Express, Google, HubSpot, and Microsoft.

Join Matt Estes and Amanda as they unpack the layered responsibilities of the Creator COO. From driving operational efficiency to navigating brand sponsorships. Strategies and best practices for vendor management and team coordination. And the key traits creators should look for when considering a COO partnership. 

So whether you’re an aspiring Creator COO or you’ve realized you really need to hire one, this episode is an essential listen.

Show Notes:

Here are the key takeaways from our conversation with Amanda:

What to look for in a Creator COO: Profitability is profitability, no matter the business. Amanda explains that while media experience is great, operational skills are more important. She dives into the specific areas of expertise that fall under this umbrella, including strategic planning, financial management, and legal administration.

How to know when to hire a Creator COO: We all let things fall through the cracks from time to time, but when keeping on top of brand deals becomes unmanageable, it’s time to get help. Creator COOs calm the chaos and fine-tune operations for efficiency and profitability.

The importance of trust in the creator-Creator COO partnership: Creator COOs need to be deeply invested in the long-term success of the creator. And trust is key. Creators hand over their passwords, bank accounts, and deepest darkest secrets to the COO. As trust grows, so does the business. 

Jump into the Conversation:

[03:30] The importance of trust between creators and Creator COOs

[07:00] Qualities of a great Creator COO

[14:00] KPIs to track in the content world

[18:45] Key capabilities of a Creator COO

[21:00] Pain points that indicate the need for a Creator COO

[29:00] Amanda’s advice for aspiring COOs

[32:00] Where the Creator COO role is going

Continue the conversation with these resources:
Follow Amanda Marcovitch on LinkedIn and X

What does it mean to be a creator’s COO? The role is developing as we speak, and we want to learn from those who are figuring it out in real-time. 

Through intimate conversations, you’ll get an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at these leaders’ journeys. Along the way, they’ll share what they’ve learned and their advice to other business operations professionals supporting creators.

The new wave of digital creators and communities is transforming the face of business. Without the creator, there wouldn’t be a brand, but without the COO, there wouldn’t be a business. Join us as we dive deep into the stories of these unsung heroes so you don’t have to navigate the role alone.