The Business of Creators
The Business of Creators podcast is for content creators and professionals in the creator economy. Each week we speak to the businesses supporting the creator economy with new tools and effective means of monetisation. Subscribe to the show to learn more about the people powering this amazing new industry. The origin of the show is actually a network I set up in 2017 called The Business of Influencers, back when everyone was talking about influencers and not creators. I built the network to bring people together and it grew to more than 500 people as the creator economy boomed. But I've never liked the word influencer.Having spent more than 20 years in the media industry, I am deeply passionate about supporting creative talent. Today I am the co-founder of a business called Electrify Video Partners which invests in creators. And I created this show to raise awareness of this great industry.
The Business of Creators
James Watt built BrewDog.. Now he's coming for the Creator Economy
What if your customers could become your most powerful influencers — and you paid them less than Facebook ads? In this episode of The Business of Creators, Ian Shepherd sits down with James Watt, co-founder of BrewDog and now founder of Social Tip — a groundbreaking platform aiming to democratize influence. James shares how Social Tip flips the traditional advertising model on its head by turning everyday customers into brand advocates.
They explore James's transition from brewing beer to building tech, what makes Social Tip unique, and how it's gaining traction with both major brands and local businesses. From the power of peer-to-peer marketing to the impact of AI on content creation, this is a must-listen for anyone interested in the future of advertising and creator monetization.
Topics Discussed:
- Why James launched Social Tip and what it does
- The outdated nature of traditional advertising models
- How the platform turns everyday customers into influencers
- Early traction with UK brands and plans for US expansion
- Insights from BrewDog and how they inform this new venture
Key Takeaways:
- The Future of Ads Is People, Not Platforms: Peer-to-peer marketing outperforms traditional advertising in both cost and impact.
- Authenticity Beats Influence: Real users with small followings are creating high-performing, genuine content.
- BrewDog Playbook 2.0: Social Tip empowers communities over stunts — a quiet but radical shift in strategy.
- From Coffee Shops to Corporates: The platform is scalable for both global giants and indie businesses.
- Now’s the Time to Build: AI is supercharging entrepreneurship — and the hard stuff is what builds real value.
Listen to learn actionable strategies to grow your creator business — and don't forget to subscribe to the channel for more insights on the business of creators!