How Creators Make Money: Digital Native Leaders on What's Driving Audiences and Brands in the Attention Economy

In the latest episode of Variety's Strictly Business podcast, leaders from top digital native companies discuss what drives viewership, fan engagement and brand deals in the maker economy. Aaron Doades, Senior Vice President of Product Management for Comscore, Zach Miller, President of JesserCo., Jaret Myer, CEO of Uproxx Studios, and Shaun Newsum, CEO of […]

Variety's 'Strictly Business' podcast features conversations with industry leaders about the business of media and entertainment.

In the latest episode of Variety's Strictly Business podcast, leaders from top digital native companies discuss what drives viewership, fan engagement and brand transactions in the maker economy.

Aaron Doades, senior vice president of product management for Comscore, Zach Miller, president of JesserCo., Jaret Myer, CEO of Uproxx Studios, and Shaun Newsum, CEO of Culture Genesis, gathered in Los Angeles in September for a meeting held as part of Variety's annual entertainment and technology conference. This session, and much of the day, was dedicated to exploring how our world is rewiring social video creators and platforms, especially when it comes to marketing and advertising. RELATED STORIES Todd Heinz, Zhang Ziyi and Daniel Bruhl star-studded Lumiere festival opening with Heinz mocking 'De Noche', starring Pedro Pascal Trump says Fort Hood shooter performance by firing squad won't go live

Meyer, a digital media veteran, argues that the rise of superpowers in the maker economy (including sports influencers like Jesser and IShowSpeed) is a move toward a monoculture environment. Given that media mediation is driving the transformation of traditional Hollywood (Exhibit A: the newly created behemoth Skydance), this is a illogical assumption. Popular in Variety

"The idea that one creator, one event, one song can have a moment in culture that everybody's talking about," Meyer says. They think maybe someone started a channel in their bedroom, but these are studios, artists, creators that all happen outside of the traditional Hollywood mold. More and more, these guys are creating single product moments that everyone is talking about. "To lose that is to lose the point of entertainment and culture."

Newsom, who leads a creative talent management firm, echoed Mayer's sentiments.

"These moments of collective consciousness. At Culture Genesis, we call them mini-Super Bowls, and they're always happening. And you just don't know about it. Content is always being produced."

Doades Comscore cited data showing that YouTube is becoming a preferred place for marketers to find "pockets" of younger viewers that are increasingly hard to find on linear channels outside of sports.

“Many people consume content almost exclusively in creative media. "Now, when you look at TV versus the manufacturer, the increase is enormous." "We know that in March 2026, Jeser had more unique reach than 14 live NBA games, and the lift was 99 percent — meaning 99 percent of that audience wasn't tuned in to those NBA games," Douades said.

In his role, Miller helps lead Jeser, a sports influencer who has a strong connection with young NBA fans and the league itself. Miller has deep roots in traditional media, but he sees no way back for the content market.

"If you're a marketer trying to reach a younger audience, it's going to be very hard to find them on TV," he says. They just don't watch TV unless they watch live sports. But on YouTube, you can find these pockets of audience. The question for advertisers is, do you want to spend money on the traditional media channel that has always been the place to spend it and hope to find a younger audience there? Or you need to expand your strategy, replacing some of your TV spending with digital channels that allow you to reach at least that of your historical audience. Getting to TV."

(Pictured above, l. to r.: Zach Miller of JesserCo., Shaun Newsum of Culture Genius, Jaret Myer of Uproxx Studios and Aaron Doades of Comscore)