What Makes a Career Content Creator?

CREATOR NEWSLETTER


Words mean something. It’s important to define your terminology—especially now, during Hot Labor Summer, with SAG, the WGA, and several non-Hollywood-based unions on strike. 

Unfortunately, in the case of SAG in particular, a lot of the terminology has gotten quite muddled, sometimes leading to conflicting responses. If you’re not an Influencer—that is, someone that meets the SAG standards of their Influencer program and gets their money from brand partnerships—it may be okay to continue your YouTube channel doing reactions or reviews. That falls under “fandom,” which is something done “for fun” in someone’s spare time.

We can already see the problem with this definition is, and the same question asked pretty much the same way could also elicit a stern lecture from SAG about how even non-union “content creators” are expected to not cross picket lines, warning that posting anything from a struck studios’ catalog could potentially hurt future SAG eligibility.

Speaking to The Verge, SAG spokesperson Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said Influencers were a self-defined group of online creators: “If you’re somebody who thinks of yourself—or is looking to present yourself—as an influencer or a content creator, who is putting out content that’s intended to promote these projects and draw general attention to them, that’s really where the line is drawn.”


THE COMMENTS SECTION


The Verge seems just as confused as we are, though: Their example of why online creators shouldn’t post any movie or tv-related content uses words to contextualize it as a moral issue, not an economic one. They give the example of “Quinta Brunson…(who) rose from posting comedy videos online and working for BuzzFeed to writing a hit sitcom in just a few years. Brunson is now on strike.” Which doesn’t really address the issue at hand: Would Quinta currently be on strike if she had remained making Buzzfeed videos? 

It’s this implication, both in the first and second SAG response, that Influencer is a one-size-fits-all model, one that SAG understands to be a stepping stone to a ‘real’ job instead of the destination itself.

Yes, many performers hope to join SAG one day, but not for the work they’re currently doing reacting to shows or movies on a YouTube channel. In a way, we’re still playing into the model that reinforces SAG’s thinking on this: that reactions and reviews are side projects to do in our spare time, at best, an audition tape for real opportunities. That fundamentally misunderstands the economic reality of channels that don’t make their cash from studio deals but from fans and Patreons. 

From this angle, a lot of content creators we’re talking about would be safe to continue covering struck work per the Verge’s explanation: “Reviews and coverage by news organizations aren’t the same as what an influencer might post—journalists don’t work for studios and producers and don’t accept payment for coverage.” 

(To be clear, this is also how SAG defined the term in “Variety.”)

Well, there you go. If that’s the definition of what separates some content creators from influencers, let’s use that: If you don’t work for studios and producers and don’t get paid to cover specific works (I mean, reviewers for The Verge certainly aren’t working for charity, so we have to assume that’s what they mean), then you fall under the definition of journalist. This should apply even if you don’t work for a traditional, accredited outlet but in the field of YouTube analysis, criticism, or news.


NOTED BY LON HARRIS

Try What in a Small Town, Exactly?: Jason Aldean Controversy Highlights the Pros and Cons of the Rise of Citizen Journalism

jason aldean

The dream rig for mobile filmmaking

Whether you want to mount gear to your phone, or your phone to your existing rigs, there’s no better attachment system than Moment’s MagSafe video and photo tripod mounts. Save an extra $10 on MagSafe creative gear with code #ilovemagsafe.


IN THE BIZ


PERSONALITIES

anthony fantano activision

Everyone Wants a Slice: In Lawsuit Against Creator Anthony Fantano, Activision Test the Bounds of TikTok Remix Culture

TikToker Anthony Fantano asked for a six-figure sum to compensate him for the use of his viral ‘pizza slices’ meme in an Activision ad. Now, Activision is suing him.

By Franklin Graves, Passionfruit Contributor


TECH

snap earnings

YouTube, Snap, and Meta Earnings Highlight Winners and Losers of Creator Economy

Big Tech made a showy return this week in three key earnings calls. Here’s what you need to know.

By J. Clara Chan, Passionfruit Contributor


WHAT WE’RE WATCHING


YOUTUBE MADE ME DO IT

Content for Creators.

News, tips, and tricks delivered to your inbox twice a week.

Newsletter Signup

Latest Newsletters

  • 📚 Why Is BookTok Obsessed With the ‘Sad Girl’ Novel?

    📚 Why Is BookTok Obsessed With the ‘Sad Girl’ Novel?

    CREATOR ECONOMY NEWSLETTER Issue 51 | July 19, 2022 It’s no secret that BookTok has a strong influence on consumers, but as the saying goes, with great power comes great responsibility. One of the most popular genres is the sad girl novel, which coincides with the Fleabag era that was popularized on the platform last…

  • ⛰️ Amira the Wanderlust Wants Muslim Women To Explore the Outdoors

    ⛰️ Amira the Wanderlust Wants Muslim Women To Explore the Outdoors

    CREATOR ECONOMY NEWSLETTER Issue 50 | July 14, 2022 The travel industry, like so many industries, has had to reckon with its lack of diversity over the past few years. As a result, travel influencers of color have made space for themselves in a space that has historically excluded them and encouraged other marginalized travelers…

  • 🍃Cannamoms Struggle Against TikTok’s Weed Rules

    🍃Cannamoms Struggle Against TikTok’s Weed Rules

    CREATOR ECONOMY NEWSLETTER Issue 49 | July 12, 2022 TikTok’s cannamoms have been celebrated for their mission to break the stigma around mothers who smoke weed. A search for the hashtag #cannamom once garnered countless videos that racked up millions of views. However, in recent months, the platform has completely banned #cannamom, which was a…