Jerome Aceti, also known as JeromeASF, is a content creator with over five million YouTube subscribers who has since become an investor, founder, and partner across a range of creator-adjacent businesses. In this episode he tells us why he's stepped back from YouTube to focus on those businesses, how he made himself the kind of creator brands keep coming back to, and why he believes there's never been a fairer time to start on YouTube.

Read the newsletter 

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open.video lets you host your videos on your own domain, under your own brand — so you control the channel, the data, and the direct connection to your viewers. Try it out at https://open.video 
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JeromeASF 

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Timestamps

00:00 Introducing JeromeASF

00:31 From full-time to semi-retired YouTuber

05:02 Working with brands as a creator

13:27 Why Jerome has 9+ YouTube channels

17:50 JeromeASF is losing subscribers, but it doesn't matter

24:12 Now is the best time to start YouTube

30:10 JeromeASF revenue breakdown

35:13 Shifting from YouTuber to entrepreneur

38:53 Lessons learned in business

Kobi Brown, also known as Astro Kobi, is a science and space-focussed video-first creator with millions of subscribers and followers across YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. In this episode he tells us about his rapid growth, transition intro long form content, and a breakdown of his monetization sources.

Read the newsletter: https://www.creatorspotlight.com/p/kobi-brown

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open.video lets you host your videos on your own domain, under your own brand — so you control the channel, the data, and the direct connection to your viewers. Try it out at https://open.video 

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Kobi Brown 

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Timestamps

00:00 Introducing AstroKobi

00:42 The journey to full time creator

04:59 Revenue breakdown

07:55 How long does it take to make a YouTube video?

12:08 Building legitimacy as a creator

15:48 Education vs Entertainment

21:03 Investing in long form content

27:07 Goals for the future

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 entirely by his readers.
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open.video lets you host your videos on your own domain, under your own brand — so you control the channel, the data, and the direct connection to your viewers. Try it out at open.video 
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Stephen Totilo

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Timestamps 
00:00 Introducing Stephen Totilo
01:17 Reporting and criticism.
07:10 Transitioning to independent journalism
13:15 Stories that generated the most growth
18:25 No clickbait — building with integrity
29:00 Pricing yourself as an independent journalist
37:29 The difficulties of expanding a media business
51:50 Passionate about helping other journalists

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 as full-time creators, and the creative and business decisions behind launching a new show together.

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open.video lets you host your videos on your own domain, under your own brand — so you control the channel, the data, and the direct connection to your viewers. Try it out at https://open.video 

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Martinez and Mu

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Timestamps 

00:00 Martinez and Mu's Feasting for Fifty
04:40 Doing food content differently
11:13 Guardrails that make the show better
15:25 Why start a new YouTube channel
21:07 The most important platforms right now
24:13 The revenue and costs of running a food channel
32:50 Collaborating through competition
35:30 When to kill a show
44:46 How your work changes through collaboration

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 video, how he funds and structures branded short films, and why he believes the phone is the next major medium for storytelling.

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open.video lets you host your videos on your own domain, under your own brand — so you control the channel, the data, and the direct connection to your viewers. Try it out at https://open.video 

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Max Z Zavidow 

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Timestamps
00:00 Introducing Max Z Zavidow
00:28 The monetization model of short form content
04:13 The evolution of short form content creation
16:04 Focusing on quality not quantity
24:19 Making money as a short form content creator
33:55 Creating for TikTok first
35:58 The value of winning a Webby
38:00 Respecting the phone as a medium
44:38 The importance of collaboration
47:44 The steps of making a viral video
52:03 Analyzing content and finding inspiration
55:30 Revolutionizing content creation

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 one platform for reach.

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Todd Anderson

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Timestamps

00:00 Introducing Todd Anderson, the Turnip Vegan
01:20 The timeline of becoming a content creator
06:23 Learning the business of creating content
09:06 Revealing the 8 revenue stream behind the business
11:02 Building a subscription service outside of the platforms
18:57 The retreats business, disconnecting and recharging
25:46 The value of always pivoting and adapting formats
30:48 Why Facebook is still the #1 platform
34:24 Building a formal relationship with platforms
39:40 The highs and lows of building a content business

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 students per cohort, why she built her entire content funnel around organic growth and personal brand, and how she structures admissions, pricing, and community to consistently get graduates hired.

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open.video lets you host your videos on your own domain, under your own brand — so you control the channel, the data, and the direct connection to your viewers. Try it out at https://open.video 
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Sky Society

Natalie Peters

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Timestamps 
00:00 Introducing Natalie Peters
01:03 The value of hands-on marketing experience
03:55 Lessons learned in 5 years of founder experience
07:30 How to make a good education product
13:25 Business failures to learn from
16:23 The content funnel that drives a $1M+ business
23:58 Pricing an online educational product
32:25 The difficulties of growing an educational business
35:33 Driving growth through newsletter leads
40:34 Building a globally respected product

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 his previous publication Creator Mag to launch Offline.

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open.video lets you host your videos on your own domain, under your own brand — so you control the channel, the data, and the direct connection to your viewers. Try it out at https://open.video 

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Powder Blue

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Nathan Graber-Lipperman

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Timestamps 

00:00 Introducing Nathan Graber-Lipperman
01:12 What is Powder Blue?
05:23 An insider's view into the creator economy's growth
11:21 The evolution of creator brand partnerships
16:03 Working with Colin and Samir
23:03 The print magazine for the creator world
36:56 Building community through events
44:00 Why Chicago is the city of creatives
47:06 The three qualities of a good magazine feature
53:29 Long form content will always be king
59:56 Defining the creator economy
01:05:30 Creative longevity and staying motivated

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 audience of 40,000 and why being best known matters more than being best.

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open.video lets you host your videos on your own domain, under your own brand — so you control the channel, the data, and the direct connection to your viewers. Try it out at open.video

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Maxie McCoy

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Timestamps

00:00 Introducing Maxie McCoy
01:27 The many arms of Maxie's business
05:05 Building a newsletter to 40,000 readers
15:25 Leading a strong community
18:40 How to get started in ghostwriting
23:47 Behind the process of ghostwriting
33:33 What it takes to write and publish a book
46:56 Making $85k through LinkedIn courses
52:32 Building a personal brand in 2026

Matt Village and Maria Gharib are the editorial team behind Mindstream, a daily AI-focussed newsletter with over 230,000 subscribers. In this episode they break down the editorial systems, consistency habits, and audience growth tactics that helped them grow a strong, engaged audience.

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Mindstream 

Guests

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Timestamps

00:00 Introducing Matt and Maria of Mindstream

01:31 Going all-in at 5,000 subscribers

05:56 Expanding the team

09:51 Curating the style for a daily newsletter

16:18 The daily research, writing and editing process

25:58 AI tools used in the creation process

28:42 Being acquired by HubSpot

37:39 Biggest lessons from 1,000 newsletter issues

43:22 The difficulties of consistency