In our second guest episode, host Ceci Carloni sits down with George Mani, Chief Growth Officer at ehko.ai, for a provocative conversation about how creators are becoming the new media companies—and why traditional media's resistance to change is creating the opportunity of a generation.

📺 The Death of Traditional Media: George shares his journey from finance to media, witnessing firsthand how zero-click search, walled gardens restricting traffic, and the expensive TV newsroom model are all fundamentally broken. His work with multicultural publishers revealed a harsh truth: brands showing up only for Heritage Months without year-round authenticity is bad business—and the $1.7 trillion LGBTQ purchasing power proves multicultural isn't niche anymore.

🔥 Creator Burnout & The Pressure Cooker: With media budgets shifting from 10% to 70% flowing through walled gardens, creators face unprecedented pressure from brands expecting unlimited scale at unsustainable rates. George unpacks why the "more is more" advertising mentality doesn't work in the creator economy, how creators receive tens of thousands of DMs daily, and why the industry needs to shift from quantity metrics to quality influence.

🤖 AI as Augmentation, Not Replacement: ehko.ai's mission is to create digital "auras" of creators—not headless avatars, but authentic extensions that handle administrative burden while preserving the human connection that makes influence work. George delivers a bold prediction: within years, AI-generated content will flood social platforms, but this will only make genuine human creators more valuable. He argues AI should automate tedious tasks so creators can focus on what matters: building community and producing content.

From why creators are the new media infrastructure to how brands must fundamentally rethink measurement in the walled garden era to building sustainable economic futures for creators—this conversation captures a watershed moment where the entire media ecosystem is being rebuilt in real time.

The Big Three by Influence Weekly: 3 Biggest Stories. 1 Essential Conversation.

In this year-end episode, hosts Ceci Carloni and Nii Ahene explore three stories that reveal how brands are fundamentally restructuring around creator-first strategies:

🧼 Unilever Admits Defeat (And Wins): The CPG giant's home care division transformed Cleanipedia—a 20-year-old cleaning tips website—into a global creator platform working with 2,000 creators across multiple countries. Their new CEO strategy includes "Said by Others" as a core pillar, essentially admitting that creators deliver brand messages better than Unilever itself. We explore this massive power shift and whether raw, unpolished, socially-native content from regular people is now the winning formula for legacy brands.

🏨 Radisson's Creator Hub Revolution: The global hospitality brand launched a platform specifically for nano influencers across 210 hotels, trading free three-night stays for content instead of cash payments. We debate whether this democratizes access for smaller creators or risks normalizing unpaid work, and if brands building their own internal creator systems signals the end of agencies and marketplaces.

📊 The M&A Market Awakens: Despite a 69% drop in deals last year, 2025 saw a major rebound with blockbuster acquisitions like Publicis buying Captivate for $175M. Quartermass Advisors' new report predicts even more $100M+ deals in 2026—but here's the twist: all the value is going to companies that help brands work with creators, not companies that help creators themselves. We explore what this means for where the real power and money sits in the creator economy.

From Unilever giving up brand control to Radisson building creator infrastructure to M&A revealing who actually captures value—this episode shows how 2025 reshaped the fundamental structure of the creator economy.

The Big Three by Influence Weekly: 3 Biggest Stories. 1 Essential Conversation.

The Big Three by Influence Weekly: 3 Biggest Stories. 1 Essential Conversation.

In our first-ever guest episode, host Ceci Carloni sits down with Alex Dahan, founder and CEO of Open Influence, to explore the complete evolution of influencer marketing from a founder's perspective who's been in the trenches since 2013.

🚀 From Clothing Line to Agency Pioneer: Alex shares how selling out his own products through early Instagram promoters led to founding Open Influence at 19—before "influencer marketing" was even a term. We dive into the early days of convincing brands that social media was the future, battling misconceptions about creator effectiveness, and why execution has always been the true differentiator in this space.

📊 Data, Community & What Actually Works: After 12 years working with brands like AT&T, Uber, Mercedes-Benz, and Amazon, Alex reveals what's fundamentally changed (data-driven decision making) versus what's stayed constant (content is still king, community is queen). He explains why 2017 was the industry's breakthrough moment and why he believes we're still in the infancy stage despite consolidation.

🤖 The AI Revolution & What's Next: Alex delivers a bold prediction: within 3-5 years, AI-generated content will outnumber human-created content on social platforms. But rather than replacing authenticity, he argues this will make genuine human connection even more valuable. We explore how agencies must balance automation with execution, why self-serve tools have become commoditized, and what the next wave of innovation looks like.

From entrepreneurial origins and leadership lessons to the future of AI-flooded social feeds—this conversation captures both the historic arc and forward trajectory of an industry that's still just getting started.

The Big Three by Influence Weekly: 3 Biggest Stories. 1 Essential Conversation.

In this short-form dominated episode, hosts Ceci Carloni and Nii Ahene explore three stories that reveal how bite-sized content is creating entirely new economies:

✂️ The Rise of Clipping Agencies: Meet Evan Stanfield, a 19-year-old college dropout who built Clipping Culture—an agency generating billions of views by turning long-form content into viral short clips. We explore why clipping has become the new entry point into the creator economy and how it bridges the gap between hours-long podcasts and algorithm-friendly snackable content that drives massive distribution.

🎬 MrBeast's Vyro Marketplace: The world's biggest creator just launched a platform paying people $3 per thousand views to clip content—higher than most platform payouts. Vyro connects video clippers with established creators and brands, letting anyone monetize their editing skills instantly. We debate whether this creates a sustainable micro-economy or if it's just flooding algorithms with "shots on goal" until platforms push back.

🍔 DoorDash's Creator Program: The food delivery giant is now paying users to post short-form videos of meals directly in-app across 20 US cities. Is this the new TikTok for food or just another platform trying to capture attention? We explore what this means for food creators and whether an affiliate model (like TikTok Shop) would make this strategy actually work.

From college dropouts building clipping empires to MrBeast industrializing content distribution to DoorDash betting on in-app video—this episode captures how short-form content isn't just dominating consumption, it's creating entirely new business models and career paths.

The Big Three by Influence Weekly: 3 Biggest Stories. 1 Essential Conversation.

The Big Three by Influence Weekly: 3 Biggest Stories. 1 Essential Conversation.

In this Q4 episode, hosts Ceci Carloni and Nii Ahene tackle three stories that expose both the maturation and vulnerabilities of the creator economy:

💰 Slow Ventures' Creator Thesis: VCs are evolving how they invest in creators, with firms like Slow Ventures treating creators themselves as the asset—not just their businesses. The thesis? Brand equity lives with the creator and their community, not on a balance sheet. We explore what signals smart investors look for and why this approach represents a fundamental shift in how institutional capital views creator power.

⚠️ The Corner Agency Collapses: A UK talent agency shuts down, leaving creators unpaid and exposed. This isn't just one bad case—it highlights how vulnerable creators remain despite running legitimate businesses. We debate whether the industry needs blockchain-based payment protections, collective action from top talent, or if this is just the risk of working in an unorganized space.

📱 Instagram's Repost Feature: The platform introduces a Twitter-style repost button for Reels and feed posts, promising more discovery for creators. But is this a real unlock for visibility or just another borrowed feature that won't stick? Nii drops a hot take: this feature won't survive past 2027.

From sophisticated VC investment strategies to the harsh realities of creator payment vulnerabilities to Instagram's latest platform experiment—this episode shows both how far the creator economy has come and how much basic infrastructure it still needs.

The Big Three by Influence Weekly: 3 Biggest Stories. 1 Essential Conversation.

The Big Three by Influence Weekly: 3 Biggest Stories. 1 Essential Conversation.

In this industry-shifting episode, hosts Ceci Carloni and Nii Ahene unpack three stories that show how traditional business is reshaping the creator landscape:

💼 Accenture Makes Its Move: One of the world's biggest consulting firms acquires Super Digital, the influencer agency behind campaigns for Amazon, Apple, and Pinterest. This isn't just another agency deal—it's a signal that influencer marketing has officially entered the enterprise consulting world. We explore what this means for creators when global consulting giants start treating influence as core business strategy.

📺 Private Equity Buys YouTube: PE firms are acquiring entire YouTube channels, swapping out creators for new talent and pushing harder for sponsored content revenue. We debate whether this represents real growth in the creator economy or the beginning of content factory capitalism that could strip away the authenticity that made these channels valuable in the first place.

🍟 McDonald's "Theory of Smalls": The fast-food giant ditches big brand messaging for micro-targeting niche communities through Minecraft, manga, and K-pop collaborations. This new strategy from Cannes suggests brands should focus on small fandoms that drive culture rather than mass appeal. But does going hyper-niche risk alienating the broader audience?

From billion-dollar consulting acquisitions to the financialization of YouTube to McDonald's betting on niche culture—this episode captures how traditional business is fundamentally reshaping the creator economy landscape.

The Big Three by Influence Weekly: 3 Biggest Stories. 1 Essential Conversation.

The Big Three by Influence Weekly: 3 Biggest Stories. 1 Essential Conversation.

In this culture-defining episode, hosts Ceci Carloni and Nii Ahene explore three stories that capture the creator economy's mainstream breakthrough moment:

⏰ TIME Finally Gets It: The iconic magazine drops its first-ever TIME 100 Creators list, featuring Dylan Mulvaney, Keith Lee, and MrBeast. But this isn't just about follower counts—TIME's editor-in-chief calls creators "entrepreneurs who shape our culture." We debate whether this recognition is overdue, who got snubbed, and why today's creators are "what musicians were in the 90s."

📊 YouTube's Data Game-Changer: The platform launches optional creator data sharing, giving brands access to views, watch time, and demographics. This could revolutionize brand partnerships by moving beyond vanity metrics to real performance data. We explore whether this levels the playing field for mid-tier creators or just adds more pressure to an already complex ecosystem.

🤖 AI Influencer Goes Viral: Meet Mia Zelou, the AI creator who "attended" Wimbledon with perfect photos that fooled millions. As AI models become indistinguishable from reality, we dive into whether synthetic influencers represent the future or just a novelty that can't replace authentic human connection.

From mainstream media finally acknowledging creator power to the data transparency revolution to AI blurring the lines of reality—this episode captures the exact moment the creator economy crosses into the cultural mainstream.

The Big Three by Influence Weekly: 3 Biggest Stories. 1 Essential Conversation.

In this power-packed episode, hosts Ceci Carloni and Nii Ahene dive into three stories that showcase how creators are reshaping business, culture, and career opportunities:

💰 The $850 Million Creator List: Forbes drops its 2025 top creators earnings, revealing a 20% year-over-year jump with MrBeast leading at $82 million. But it's not just about the money—we explore how creators like Alex Cooper and Matt Rife are diversifying beyond content into true entrepreneurship, and whether Goldman Sachs is right that "the private funding environment for creators is as strong as I've ever seen."

🎬 Culture Integration Revolution: Olipop's partnership with YouTube's scripted series "Shanked" shows how brands are moving beyond traditional sponsorships to earn seats at the culture table. We break down why this Vice Sports collaboration represents a new era of brand storytelling and whether this model can scale to smaller creators and platforms like TikTok.

☕ The Six-Figure Dream Job: Starbucks just created the ultimate creator opportunity—two full-time Global Coffee Creator roles paying up to $136K to travel the world and document coffee culture. No degree required, just a passport and TikTok skills. We debate whether this is brilliant brand strategy or flashy PR, and if it signals a new trend of brands hiring creators as full-time employees.

From billion-dollar creator empires to innovative brand partnerships to dream jobs that didn't exist five years ago—this episode captures exactly where the creator economy is heading in 2025.

The Big Three by Influence Weekly: 3 Biggest Stories. 1 Essential Conversation.

The Big Three by Influence Weekly: 3 Biggest Stories. 1 Essential Conversation.