New Media Show (Video)

Creators are businesses. What does SBA recognition actually change? Watch episode 693 on YouTube Creators produce content, build audiences, sell products, hire people, and take financial risks. So what changes when the federal government more clearly recognizes that work as a small business? In New Media Show #693, Rob Greenlee talks with Avi Gandhi, Chair of Government Advocacy at the Creators Guild of America and founder of Creator Access Network, about the Small Business Administration’s October 15, 2026 guidance on qualifying creator businesses. Avi explains how the effort came together, what the NAICS 5121 classification means, and why access to capital and business support could help creators build beyond their next sponsorship. The conversation moves from policy to the business a creator can build: original products, services, memberships, physical locations, and assets with value beyond an individual post or platform payout. Rob and Avi also explore AI, self-employment, verified professional work, and the responsibilities that come with running a business. The central question: can clearer recognition help podcasters, YouTubers, and other creators turn audience relationships into more sustainable businesses? Three practical takeaways Understand the classification before pursuing funding. NAICS 5121 is the Motion Picture and Video Industries group, with more specific six-digit codes beneath it. Qualifying creators should identify the code that matches their primary business activity for SBA program purposes. Recognition does not guarantee approval. Use business support as well as capital. Avi points creators toward the Guild’s free SBA 101 course and local Small Business Development Centers. Mentorship can help clarify a business model and its needs before borrowing becomes part of the plan. Think about what you own. Sponsorships and affiliate sales can generate income. Rob and Avi examine how creator-owned products, services, and businesses can also build lasting value from the trust an audience has already developed. What the SBA creator classification guidance means Avi describes the announcement as a milestone in recognizing creators as entrepreneurs. Behind a podcast, video channel, or newsletter is often a business handling production, distribution, customer acquisition, monetization, and expenses. The SBA’s guidance places qualifying creator businesses within the existing NAICS 5121 — Motion Picture and Video Industries framework for program eligibility. That is an industry group, rather than a new six-digit code reserved exclusively for creators. The applicable six-digit classification depends on what a business principally does. The SBA’s announcement also makes a useful distinction: creator businesses have long been eligible for support when they meet the relevant requirements. The clarification addresses uncertainty about classification. It does not mean every creator automatically qualifies for a loan or government contract. Financing, contracting, and mentorship Rob and Avi discuss three areas where clearer recognition can matter: SBA-backed lending, federal contracting opportunities, and small business counseling. A creator might need capital for production equipment, product development, inventory, or a physical space. Whether financing is available depends on the business, the use of funds, the lender, and the program’s requirements. SBA-backed financing is borrowing that must be repaid. For example, the SBA’s 7(a) program requires creditworthiness and a reasonable ability to repay, and applications go through participating lenders. The SBA guarantee supports the lender; it does not remove the borrower’s obligations. Contracting is another potential path where a creator’s services fit an agency’s needs and applicable requirements. Avi presents that as an opportunity to develop, rather than a promise of immediate work. For creators who first need help understanding their business, local mentorship and counseling may be the more useful starting point. How creator advocacy reached Washington Avi explains the collaborative effort behind the guidance, including the Creators Guild of America, Shira Lazar and Creators for Mental Health, industry participants, congressional offices, and the SBA. A recurring request from creators was recognition: a clearer place within the systems other small businesses use. He describes two related efforts: working within an existing classification to address immediate access, and continuing to advocate for a classification that would make the creator economy easier to measure. A dedicated category, he argues, could help policymakers better understand creator employment, business activity, and economic contributions. The guidance discussed in this episode is an interim step in that broader effort. From selling someone else’s product to building your own One of the episode’s biggest business questions is who receives the long-term value generated by a creator’s influence. Rob brings up TikTok Shop and Whatnot as examples of content and commerce coming together. The discussion distinguishes between promoting another company’s products and building a product business a creator owns. Avi sees access to capital as a possible catalyst for creators developing physical goods, opening retail locations, and producing in-person experiences. Those businesses require money for development, samples, inventory, rent, and operations. His larger argument is that creators can bring an existing audience relationship to a business that might otherwise need to build demand from scratch. Rob also notes that some live sellers already make and sell their own creations. The opportunity spans several models, from an individual artist selling original work to a creator developing a repeatable product line. Each has different costs, risks, and potential value. AI, self-employment, and the future of creator businesses Rob and Avi consider how AI and automation could change the relationship between employment and entrepreneurship. Avi sees creators as part of a broader move toward self-employment, with content helping people sell expertise, services, products, and community access. Rob shares his experience using AI to build websites with business processes and platform capabilities. The tools can expand what one person can produce, while still requiring skills, judgment, and a clear purpose. Both speakers connect that change to a larger question: how people can turn their experience and ideas into businesses they control. Avi’s view is that the creator economy is increasingly becoming part of the wider economy. Founders, executives, established companies, and local businesses are all using content to reach customers. The episode explores what that convergence might mean over the next several years. Verified work, brand deals, and professional support Avi introduces other Creators Guild of America initiatives, including Mosaic, which he describes as a way to showcase professional work and have participating partners verify their involvement. For a creator discussing a new sponsorship, evidence of past collaborations can help establish credibility. He also discusses the Guild’s Brand Deal Rider, designed to bring baseline protections into sponsorship negotiations, and education on business practices and disclosures. Through Creator Access Network, Avi shares interviews about creator business models and offers access to discounts on tools and professional services. Where creators can start Avi’s recommended first step is the Creators Guild of America’s free SBA 101 course. It explains classification, preparation for capital, loan programs, counseling, and contracting. Creators seeking financing apply through the relevant lender or program; there is no single general SBA registration that automatically unlocks every benefit. The closing discussion covers recordkeeping, business bank accounts, legal structure, and liability. Rob and Avi acknowledge that creators are at different stages, from experimenting with content to handling sponsor commitments and meaningful revenue. An LLC is not blanket protection from liability. Business structure and financing decisions should fit the creator’s actual activities and circumstances. A useful next step: identify the business you are building, the revenue it already produces, and the constraint you need to solve. Then decide whether education, professional support, or capital would make the most practical difference. Video chapters Approximate chapter times follow the supplied transcript’s minute markers. The separate audio edition may differ. 00:00 — Creators get SBA recognition: what actually changes? 01:00 — Meet Avi Gandhi and his creator industry background 03:00 — Why recognition as a small business matters 07:00 — NAICS 5121 and SBA-backed lending 10:00 — Contracting opportunities and small business mentorship 11:00 — The Creators Guild, Mosaic, and brand deal protections 14:00 — The advocacy effort and the push for a dedicated creator code 20:00 — Measuring the creator economy 23:00 — Creators, customer acquisition, and the broader economy 27:00 — Working with Congress and the SBA 30:00 — Why traditional media began taking creators seriously 33:00 — AI, self-employment, and the future of work 37:00 — Capital for physical products and real-world businesses 40:00 — TikTok Shop, Whatnot, and creator-owned business value 45:00 — Creator education and Creator Access Network 47:00 — Finding SBA 101 and local business support 52:00 — Choosing resources that fit your creator business 55:00 — Recordkeeping, business structure, and liability 59:00 — Resources, final thoughts, and audience comments About Avi Gandhi Avi Gandhi is Chair of Government Advocacy at the Creators Guild of America and founder of Creator Access Network. His experience spans creator representation, production, partnerships, and platforms, including WME, Wheelhouse, and Patreon. I

Video podcast production at Gotham Production Studios In New Media Show #692, Rob Greenlee takes the conversation into Gotham Production Studios in New York City for an in-person discussion with co-founders Brianna Peters and Matt Peters about the changing business of video podcast production. From a quick studio tour to a conversation about cameras, content strategy, AI, and audience relationships, this episode explores what it takes to create a show people keep coming back to. The key question: how can creators improve video production quality, build a sustainable business, and preserve the human connection that makes podcasting valuable? Three practical takeaways Build an audience: give a strong show a clear path to discovery. Matt describes using refreshed thumbnails, clips, guest appearances, and show websites to help people find and return to the full conversation. Earn trust: use professional production to support a recognizable human voice. Rob, Brianna, and Matt discuss authenticity, staged content, and why in-person experiences could become more valuable as AI-generated media expands. Grow a media business: match production decisions to your purpose, audience, resources, and goals. A corporate marketing show, an independent creator business, and a hobby podcast need different levels of investment and support. Identify the biggest constraint on your next episode: the content, sound, lighting, editing time, or discovery. Choose one improvement you can sustain, define the result you want, and review what changes over your next four episodes. This editorial exercise draws on the discussion. From an audio hobby to a video production business Gotham began in 2017 with a practical problem: Matt needed a better place to record his own podcast. What started as an audio recording space grew into a service business as clients asked for help producing their shows. Brianna and Matt explain how an early webcam setup evolved into multicamera studios, with a more substantial video investment in 2019 and a shift toward brands and professional creators after the pandemic. That change reached beyond cameras. Lighting, furniture, set design, and the in-room experience became part of the production offering. Matt explains why Gotham increasingly refers to its clients’ productions as shows and encourages businesses to consider them as part of a broader marketing strategy. Better production, realistic budgets, and room for independent creators Matt describes Gotham’s usual three-camera approach and why some visual effects are more practical to create in post-production than with additional camera operators. The discussion also examines the pressure created by celebrity shows and television-scale expectations. Matt worries that expensive productions can discourage people from starting; Brianna emphasizes that a strong concept and audience connection can still stand out on a smaller budget. For creators, the question becomes how much production serves the show. Rob and his guests explore the balance between polish, accessibility, and the natural conversation that audiences associate with podcasting. Custom sets and the next studio experience Brianna and Matt explain the challenge of giving each show a distinctive look inside a shared studio. Small branding elements can work within existing rooms, while dedicated sets require more space and planning. They describe past custom productions and their plans for a future location with more flexible sets and space for live recordings, ticketed events, and brand activations. These are plans for Gotham’s next phase. Strategy that fits the creator Brianna shares her coaching approach: cut the noise from generic advice, clarify why someone is creating a show, and build actionable steps around that person’s goals. The conversation challenges the idea that one workbook, formula, or celebrity example can provide the right plan for every creator. Matt explains Gotham’s internal approach to assessing a show and finding manageable improvements. Thumbnails, clips, websites, guest selection, and appearances on other podcasts can all play a role. Drawing on his work with Greg Fitzsimmons’ Fitzdog Radio and Sunday Papers, he describes refreshing the packaging and discovery strategy while keeping the host’s established voice. AI and the value of being in the room Brianna describes using AI to support operations, marketing, discoverability, and editing. She also predicts that uncertainty about synthetic and staged media could increase demand for tangible, in-person experiences. Rob connects that possibility to audience trust and the value of direct human interaction. The discussion considers how creators can use new tools while maintaining their judgment and identity. For Gotham, that includes exploring a studio environment where recording, community, and live experiences can happen in the same place. Solo creators, direct relationships, and sustainable support Can one person still do it all? Matt believes there is still room for creators working with a microphone and webcam, while suggesting that outside help can relieve production bottlenecks when resources allow. Rob reflects on running New Media Show himself to understand the tools and workflows shaping the industry. The conversation closes with the value of smaller, engaged audiences, newsletters, memberships, merchandise, and direct support. Rob and Matt also discuss their concerns about ad skipping and how AI might affect advertising models. Their broader point is to consider the relationship a show creates, alongside its reach and production quality. Video chapters Approximate chapter times follow the supplied video transcript’s minute markers. The separate audio edition may differ. 00:00 — Inside Gotham Production Studios 01:00 — What does a video podcast need to compete? 04:00 — Meet Brianna and Matt: how Gotham began 09:00 — Video-first clients, lighting, and set design 12:00 — From hobby podcasts to professional shows 14:00 — Multicamera production and editing decisions 20:00 — Branding a show inside a shared studio 24:00 — Flexible sets and plans for live events 26:00 — Television expectations and production budgets 32:00 — Content, coaching, and realistic creator goals 36:00 — AI and the future of in-person experiences 39:00 — AI-assisted workflows and staged content 42:00 — Thumbnails, clips, and audience discovery 45:00 — Studio rental, creative support, and show refreshes 49:00 — The Gotham system and content across formats 51:00 — Can solo creators still do it all? 55:00 — Direct audience relationships and smaller communities 58:00 — Newsletters, memberships, and audience support 59:00 — Ad skipping, AI, and monetization questions 1:01:00 — Connecting with Gotham and closing thoughts Guest resources Brianna Peters and Matt Peters are the co-founders of Gotham Production Studios in New York City. Brianna discusses strategy, coaching, client relationships, and business development; Matt shares his perspective on production, storytelling, editing, and show growth. Gotham Production Studios: explore studio options, inquire about production support, or arrange a tour. Related New Media Show conversations Video podcasting costs and creator revenue with Losh Moodaley — episode 691 Building a creator media company with Roberto Blake — episode 687 About the host and the show Rob Greenlee hosts New Media Show and founded Trust Factor Lab. He is a 2017 Podcast Hall of Fame inductee. New Media Show explores podcasting, video, AI, audience trust, and the business of creator media. Build an audience. Earn trust. Grow a media business. AI disclosure AI tools helped organize and draft these show notes from the supplied episode transcript. The summary paraphrases the recorded conversation. The conversation features human host Rob Greenlee and human guests Brianna Peters and Matt Peters. The transcript also identifies an AI-generated voice introduction.The post What Does a Video Podcast Need to Compete? At Gotham Production Studios in NYC | #692 first appeared on New Media Show.

Show notes In New Media Show #691, Rob Greenlee and podcast sponsorship strategist Losh Moodaley examine a practical question: when does the cost of video serve the creator’s business? Their conversation connects production economics, audience relationships, sponsorships and human creativity in an AI-driven media environment. Three practical takeaways Build an audience: connect platform discovery to a direct relationship. Rob and Losh discuss newsletters, websites and subscriptions as ways to reduce dependence on one distribution platform. Earn trust: make relevance and human connection part of the experience. Their discussion of sponsorships considers how a useful integration can serve the audience, rather than simply increasing the number of ads. Grow a media business: evaluate video against a defined goal and its full cost. Losh suggests considering customer acquisition and business value alongside advertising revenue and download counts. Try this: Add up the time and money behind one episode. Choose the outcome it should support—such as a qualified inquiry, a subscription or a useful audience response—and track the available evidence over a defined period. Compare that evidence with the cost before expanding production. This is an editorial exercise, not a prediction of revenue or growth. Who benefits from the move to video? Losh’s article, The Price of Visibility: The Hidden Economics of Podcast Video, frames the discussion. Video can introduce a show to new people, but equipment, editing, lighting and publishing work add costs. More viewing time does not automatically produce a sustainable business for the creator. Rob and Losh discuss changing viewing habits and the distinction between discovery, attention and commercial value. Their views on platform incentives and the future of distribution are interpretations and predictions expressed in the conversation. Evaluate the investment around your business Losh argues that the right decision depends on the purpose of the show. A hobby, an advertising-supported podcast and a show that supports consulting or product sales have different economics. She suggests looking at video as a possible customer-acquisition and marketing investment, rather than relying on one measure such as CPM or downloads. The useful test is what happens after someone discovers the content. A new viewer might become a subscriber, customer, community participant or professional contact. Those outcomes need evidence; they cannot be inferred from views alone. Build relationships and retain control Rob and Losh discuss using websites, newsletters, subscriptions and communities to maintain direct audience relationships. They also emphasize the value of intellectual property and the risks of relying entirely on another company’s distribution rules. The conversation considers direct brand relationships, memberships, services and experiences alongside conventional advertising. Losh questions generic sponsor integrations and discusses approaches that create a useful audience experience. These are opportunities to evaluate, not evidence of a particular show’s revenue. Community, commerce and the audience experience Rob describes his observations of Whatnot, including live sales, audience participation and collaborations between creators. He and Losh explore how elements of that experience might apply to other media businesses. They also consider where the model may not fit. Some visual content loses meaning when heard without a screen. Rob explains why he has sometimes edited audio and video separately, and questions whether a single production approach serves every audience. Measurement, AI and the human connection The discussion moves from what audiences call a podcast to how creators evaluate attention and business outcomes. Rob speculates that AI might eventually help reconcile fragmented metrics. This is a prediction, not a claim that a reliable unified measurement system already exists. Rob and Losh distinguish human-created work, AI-assisted human work and fully synthetic media. They explore the possibilities for new characters and experiences while returning to human connection, judgment and responsibility. Their forecasts about synthetic media should be understood as opinions about possible developments. Build for your audience and your own goals Losh’s closing advice emphasizes consistency, a suitable niche, understanding the audience and considering business models beyond standard advertising. Rob argues for testing whether a workflow and idea are sustainable before making a larger investment. The central editorial takeaway is to assess what video contributes to the creator’s goals, rather than treating platform visibility as an end in itself. Video chapters Choose a chapter to jump within the video player. These timings follow the edited video; the separate audio edition may differ. 00:00 — Who profits from video? 02:14 — Meet Losh Moodaley 06:22 — Demand for video and changing consumption 14:19 — Production costs and revenue pressure 15:13 — Video as customer acquisition 20:33 — Audience relationships and ownership 28:20 — HLS and distribution predictions 32:54 — Host reads and sponsor integration 35:47 — Direct audience support 38:19 — Live commerce and creator collaboration 43:08 — Different audio and video experiences 50:32 — Podcast definitions and measurement 53:48 — The human trust layer 55:47 — Human, AI-assisted and synthetic content 1:05:32 — Creative possibility and responsibility 1:10:24 — Creator purpose and business goals 1:14:36 — Advice for new creators 1:16:59 — Connect with Losh Guest resources Losh Moodaley is a podcast sponsorship and brand-partnerships strategist. Losh Moodaley on LinkedIn The Price of Visibility: The Hidden Economics of Podcast Video Beyond the CPM About the host and the show Rob Greenlee hosts New Media Show and founded Trust Factor Lab. He is a 2017 Podcast Hall of Fame inductee. Explore the episode library and episode newsletter. AI disclosure AI tools assisted with transcription, organization and editing of these show notes. The summary paraphrases the recorded conversation; the “Try this” exercise is an editorial suggestion. The episode features human host Rob Greenlee and human guest Losh Moodaley.The post Who Profits From Video? The Real Cost of Video Podcasting | #691 first appeared on New Media Show.

WATCH OR LISTEN · EPISODE 690 Watch video  |  Listen to audio  |  Read show notes Watch video Prefer audio? Listen here. Open audio in a new window  |  Download audio Follow the audio podcast: Apple Podcasts  |  Spotify  |  RSS Show notes In New Media Show #690, Rob Greenlee talks with Laura Burkhauser, CEO of Descript, about AI editing, creative direction and the decisions that make a creator’s work distinctive. The conversation asks what becomes more valuable about human judgment as production tools become more capable. Three practical takeaways Build an audience: give people a recognizable perspective and a useful story. More effects or faster output do not, by themselves, give an audience a reason to return. Earn trust: review an automated edit for meaning and context. Laura argues that thoughtful editing can clarify a conversation; preserving authenticity still requires human decisions. Grow a media business: choose production work that supports the audience and business you want to build. The discussion considers community support, relevant sponsors and media that helps a professional demonstrate expertise. Try this: Choose one repetitive editing task for AI assistance. Write down the intended story, compare the automated result with the original, and record the time saved and corrections needed before publishing. This is an editorial exercise informed by the conversation, not a promise of a particular result. Editing as craft, and editing as a production task Laura distinguishes between creators whose art is editing and creators whose primary art is storytelling. An experienced editor may want precise control over individual choices. A storyteller may want help removing the technical obstacles between an idea and an audience. Those needs call for different workflows. Rob and Laura explore the shift toward directing AI tools. A useful prompt depends on knowing the intended result, communicating it clearly and judging what the tool produces. Laura’s point is that a creator’s perspective remains important even when the technical work becomes easier. Reduce tool friction while keeping human judgment Laura describes an approach that reduces repetitive production work while leaving the creator responsible for the vision and story. Rob connects that to his experience assembling radio programs manually and using newer editing tools. The discussion also considers the expectations AI companies create. Claims about effortless production can overlook the creative decisions that still need attention. The practical question is which work should be automated and which choices deserve deliberate human review. Authenticity depends on the choices behind the edit Rob asks whether an unedited recording is necessarily more authentic than an edited conversation. Laura argues that editing can make meaning easier to understand. A close-up or reaction shot can clarify an emotional moment, provided it serves the conversation rather than changing its meaning. They also discuss the tension between being authentic and performing authenticity online. Laura emphasizes a recognizable human presence and engagement with a community. Rob relates this to his work with Trust Factor Lab and the importance of human connection as synthetic media becomes more common. Start creating, then learn what the business needs Laura was a Descript customer before joining the company. Producing a podcast with a friend helped her discover that she could create and share work without first mastering a complicated production process. Her advice in the conversation is to start recording, editing and learning. Rob and Laura question whether pressure to monetize immediately can discourage experimentation. They distinguish media sold as a product from media that supports another business, such as consulting, coaching or a founder-led company. They also consider community support and sponsorships relevant to a specific audience. These are possible models, not guaranteed outcomes. Algorithms, attention and the next creator workflow Laura explains her preference for intentional viewing, including turning off YouTube recommendations. Rob describes using both subscriptions and discovery. Their discussion asks what personalization systems optimize for and whether engagement alone captures a useful human outcome. In the closing discussion, Laura outlines a direction for Descript beyond individual editing tasks: helping creators develop subject areas, build a useful content library, distribute work and learn from it. These comments describe her perspective on future development at the time of the recording, not a list of features independently verified as available today. Video chapters Choose a chapter to jump within the video player. These timings follow the edited video; the separate audio edition may differ. 00:00 — AI workflows and the human creator 03:47 — Is editing becoming directing? 08:15 — Communicating a creative vision 13:44 — Reducing tool friction 16:46 — Authenticity and thoughtful editing 26:49 — Laura's experience as a creator 30:01 — Creating before expecting revenue 35:33 — Community support and relevant sponsors 39:35 — Intentional viewing and recommendations 42:43 — Personalization and human outcomes 46:22 — What comes next for Descript Guest resources Laura Burkhauser is the guest and Descript CEO in this episode. Descript Descript Underlord Laura Burkhauser on the Descript blog About the host and the show Rob Greenlee hosts New Media Show and founded Trust Factor Lab. He is a 2017 Podcast Hall of Fame inductee. Find more conversations in the episode library or receive the episode newsletter. AI disclosure AI tools assisted with transcription, organization and editing of these show notes. The summary paraphrases the recorded conversation; the “Try this” exercise is an editorial suggestion. The episode features human host Rob Greenlee and human guest Laura Burkhauser.The post How AI Is Changing the Creator Workflow | Descript CEO Laura Burkhauser #690 first appeared on New Media Show.

In New Media Show #689, I’m joined by Jim Louderback, publisher of Inside the Creator Economy and former CEO of VidCon and Revision3, to explore what the next phase of the creator economy means for people building media businesses. Jim and I have lived through several shifts at the intersection of media and technology. This conversation connects the early days of video podcasting with today’s AI tools, changing audience habits, and the search for a lasting creator business. More ways to create and distribute content bring opportunity, but they also raise questions about attention, ownership, and trust. Digital Jim and the Human Premium We start with Digital Jim, the AI version of Jim that turns his human-written newsletter into short videos. Jim explains how the team at Popcorn uses his words, an AI voice, and a visual avatar to help him reach audiences on LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts. He still writes the newsletter and reviews the videos before sharing them. That experiment leads to one of the episode’s central ideas: the human premium. Jim’s hypothesis is that, as audiences encounter more AI-generated media, they may place greater value on recognizable human voices, imperfect conversations, and experiences with real people. We discuss what that could mean for audience relationships, advertising, and in-person events. Podcasting in a Bigger Creator Economy We revisit Revision3, Diggnation, and the early use of short clips to introduce people to longer shows. Video podcasting and distributing a conversation in several formats have a longer history than today’s debate sometimes acknowledges. Jim describes an audio-plus approach: people can listen when that suits them, while video creates another way to discover and experience a show. We also discuss why creators spread their work across platforms, how short-form awareness differs from monetization, and the risks of depending on one platform’s rules. Could Personalized AI Media Disrupt YouTube Our platform conversation moves from Netflix’s interest in creator programming to a bigger question: What could disrupt YouTube? Jim suggests that a major technological shift, rather than another similar video service, could open the door.  His audience-of-one idea goes beyond recommending existing videos. We explore the possibility of media generated specifically for an individual, along with what Jim calls robo-social relationships with AI characters that respond to and remember their users. We debate these predictions, including how they might compete for time people currently spend with human creators. Your Identity and Archive Have Value We discuss the business value of a creator’s name, image, likeness, voice, and archive. I share my experience exploring Royall.ai and receiving inquiries about using past New Media Show conversations as AI training material. That raises questions about guest permission, licensing, tracking use, and maintaining control over future uses of a creator’s work. Jim also describes an audio watermarking approach he has encountered, while acknowledging that he has not independently established how well it works. The discussion is about taking identity and content rights seriously as new business models emerge. Live Shopping and the Next Media Business Jim explains what he wants readers to get from Inside the Creator Economy: timely reporting, his interpretation of the news, and ideas they can question. We talk about the differences between email subscribers, LinkedIn newsletter subscribers, and the audience numbers platforms report. We then explore global creator markets, Whatnot, live shopping, and the role of personality and audience participation in commerce. TBPN’s combination of a live show, a focused audience, and widely distributed clips gives us another example to examine. We close with local AI tools and a practical encouragement from Jim: keep experimenting. My key takeaways: Use these tools to expand what you can create, while giving people a reason to connect with you. Your ideas, judgment, and relationships shape the value of the media business you build. Key topics How Digital Jim turns a human-written newsletter into AI video The human premium and the value of real audience relationships Video podcasting’s history and an audio-plus approach Multi-platform distribution, short clips, and platform dependence Netflix, YouTube, and media generated for an audience of one Robo-social relationships and competition for audience attention Creator identity, archive licensing, AI training, and permission Newsletter measurement, global creator markets, and live shopping Whatnot, TBPN, and building a focused media business Local AI tools, creative judgment, and continued experimentation Chapter timestamps 00:00 Welcome to New Media Show 689, and the creator reset 01:00 Meet Jim Louderback and watch Digital Jim 03:00 How Popcorn produces Jim’s AI newsletter videos 06:00 Bringing podcasting and the creator economy together 10:00 Audio plus video and reaching audiences in more formats 13:00 Multi-platform distribution and creator business risk 17:00 The human premium in an AI media world 24:00 Younger creators and the changing meaning of podcasting 27:00 AI visuals and turning audio into video experiences 30:00 Netflix and the value of creator programming 32:00 What could disrupt YouTube 34:00 Personalized media and the audience of one 37:00 Robo-social relationships and AI companions 43:00 Human creativity and the limits of average content 44:00 Royall.ai and capturing a creator’s digital identity 47:00 Archive licensing, AI training data, and guest permission 49:00 Watermarking, content control, and future use 53:00 Inside the Creator Economy and newsletter measurement 57:00 Global creator markets and live shopping 58:00 Whatnot, collectibles, and audience participation 01:02:00 TBPN, live shows, and the power of distributed clips 01:06:00 AI platforms, local models, and new media tools 01:08:00 Keep experimenting and closing thoughts Guest Jim Louderback Jim Louderback publishes the weekly Inside the Creator Economy newsletter and produces, curates, and moderates creator events around the world. He is the former CEO of VidCon and Revision3, and his career also includes leadership and editorial roles at Discovery Digital Networks, TechTV, and PC Magazine. Jim Louderback: https://louderback.com/ About Jim: https://louderback.com/about/ Inside the Creator Economy archive: https://louderback.com/blog/ Subscribe to Inside the Creator Economy: https://louderback.com/subscribe-to-my-weekly-newsletter/ Host Rob Greenlee Rob Greenlee is the founder of Trust Factor Lab, host of New Media Show, and a 2017 Podcast Hall of Fame inductee and Chair. His work connects podcasting, video, creator platforms, audience trust, and the media business. New Media Show: https://newmediashow.com/ New Media Show on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@TheNewMediaShow Rob Greenlee: https://robgreenlee.com/ Rob Greenlee on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robgreenlee Podcast Hall of Fame: https://podcasthall.com/ Adore Network Audio: https://www.adorenetwork.com/show/new-media-show-audio Adore Network Video: https://www.adorenetwork.com/show/new-media-show-video Apple Podcasts Audio: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-media-show-audio/id392545649 Apple Podcasts Video: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-media-show-video/id392545647 AI disclosure AI tools helped organize and draft these show notes from the completed Episode #689 transcript and edited the full show. Rob Greenlee retains editorial responsibility. The New Media Show is human-hosted with human guests; this episode also includes a disclosed AI-generated Digital Jim video demonstration.The post The Creator Reset: AI, Trust and What Comes Next | Jim Louderback #689 first appeared on New Media Show.