We recorded this episode from Big Sky, Montana at the annual Spotter Creator Summit - four days with some of the top creators in the world talking about where this industry is actually headed.

And one idea kept coming up over and over again:

There is more good content, more creators, and more competition for attention than ever before. Streamers are courting creators. AI is accelerating production. And brands have more options than they know what to do with.

So the real question going into 2026 isn’t “How do I grow?”

In this episode, we break down what we’re hearing directly from creators, platforms, and brands—including insights from Issa Rae, conversations happening inside the summit, and Adam Mosseri’s New Year’s post about authenticity and AI.

We talk about:

Why “just making good videos” isn’t enough anymore

How creators need to start telling the story of the story

What’s changing in brand deals (and why short-form and long-form are diverging)

Why streamers are suddenly paying closer attention to creators

How AI changes the meaning of authenticity

And what it takes to make something that can’t be summarized

This episode is about the next phase of the creator economy—and the shift from chasing views to building something people actually remember.

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