Are you struggling to find your place in the new Creator Economy?

So were we, until we cut out the noise and saw the opportunity staring us in the face.

At this week’s CreativeHQ clinic, the conversation took a turn. We weren’t pitching to buyers or picking apart sales plans. We were talking about power.

Specifically, how to take it back.

We asked a simple but radical question:

What if we stopped begging for access, and started building something of our own?

The answer: The Creator Economy.

Not the TikTok hustle.

Not “become a YouTuber overnight.”

We’re talking about something bigger, and smarter:

“We don’t need millions of followers. We need the right 5,000 people who care about what we make.”

This is about building your own virtual studio, on your terms, with your audience, and turning that into a sustainable engine that enjoys, funds, distributes, and promotes your work.

From Pitching Projects to Owning Platforms

“Commissioners still aren’t commissioning as much as they used to, and when they do, they often aren’t able to cover the entire budget… I’m tired of waiting for permission to work twice as hard. I want to create my own model, one where I actually own what I build.”

And guess what? That model already exists.

With tools like Substack, Kajabi, Patreon, YouTube, and Shopify, CHQ producers are building:

✅ Direct-to-audience series
✅ Niche subscription communities
✅ Online screenings & merch ecosystems
✅ Investor-facing proof through live audience analytics

This isn’t about vanity metrics. It’s about control. Ownership. Leverage.

“But I Don’t Want to Make TikToks...”

Good news. You don’t have to.

Joining the Creator Economy isn’t about being on every platform all at once. It’s about starting small and specific, using one digital tool to scale what you already do well.

That’s exactly what Charlotte did:

“As a film producer with over a decade of mentoring experience, I started by turning that knowledge into an online consultancy.”

From there, she built:

• 📱The CreativeHQ App — a digital hub for tools, clinics and courses now used by producers in 15+ countries

That one tool then grew organically to include:

• 📧 A mailing list to stay directly in touch with future audiences

• 📢 Ads and outreach using Meta, Instagram, LinkedIn and Eventive

By the time CreativeHQ was a year old, it had expanded into 15 counties and was attracting attention from investors wanting to know how CreativeHQ producers were achieving their success.

“I learned so much from building CreativeHQ and decided to apply this insight to my film slate at Tough Crowd.”

Charlotte used:

• 🎟️ Eventised distribution models to sell out screenings, each paired with live comedy performance and discussion

• 🛒 A virtual merch stand on Shopify

The result?

Press coverage. New buyers. Elite festival buy-in. Bigger audiences. And a company that isn’t waiting for permission anymore.

The £300 Billion Shift You’ve Been Missing

“What started as small live events combined with film screenings expanded into sell-out festival runs. Audiences want to be part of the world we are building and buyers could see that.”

Welcome to the £300bn Experience Economy: where your audience doesn’t just buy a ticket, they want to belong.

When you build an ongoing experience, not just a single project, people get on board for the long-term. They fund you. They promote you. They stay with you.

Final Thought: The Power Shift Is Real

You’re not just a producer anymore.

You’re a platform. A brand. A business.

And in this economy, ownership is the strategy.

You don’t need to go viral.

You don’t need to be on every platform. Not on day one.

You just need a plan, and a community that wants to see you win.

🚀 Ready to lead the next wave of producer-owned studios?

Join CreativeHQ to access:

• Weekly producer clinics (real strategy, real implementation)

• Business model workshops for creative entrepreneurs

• Our November pitch event: where investors meet producers

🎤 Click here to find out more and join us

Build the infrastructure around your IP. Own it. Scale it. Fund it.