This week on Creator Spotlight, Francis is joined by Geoff Sharpe, founder of Lookout Media — a network of local newsletters collectively generating almost $500K a year. Geoff shares how he built a profitable, subscription-first media business, why trust and real journalism still win, and the systems he’s using to scale local news across Canada.

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Geoff Sharpe

• Lookout Media
• LinkedIn
• Twitter/X

Francis Zierer

• LinkedIn
• Twitter/X

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Timestamps

00:00 Introducing Geoff Sharpe

01:40 Making $500k+ with paid subscriptions

07:16 Don't listen to your audience

12:00 The merging of editorial and business

16:20 Running a media company sustainably

21:01 Building trust through food

27:06 How to get people to pay for your content

37:43 What do people not pay for?

40:44 Don't scale too quickly

43:41 The difficulties of local newsletter ad sales

49:11 How to grow a local newsletter

52:40 A bullish and bearish take on local media

57:50 Best advice for entrepreneurs

This week on the Creator Spotlight Podcast we're joined by Kaelyn Grace Apple. Kaelyn is the founder and co-owner of Accepted Society, an international online community of students, educators, and independent researchers dedicated to learning, research, and creating networks of support. In this episode Kaelyn shares how she cracked the formula for building a profitable, niche, online community. She breaks down the business plan behind her 500+ member collective, lessons from working with Ali Abdaal, and the strategies every creator can use to turn research into results.

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Earn with Google AdSense

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Kaelyn Grace Apple

• Accepted Society
• Website
• YouTube
• LinkedIn
• Instagram

Francis Zierer

• LinkedIn
• Twitter/X

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Timestamps

00:00 Introducing Kaelyn Grace Apple

01:28 From eight members to over 500

08:02 Why you should not scale too quickly

12:03 The course model vs. community model

14:03 Using YouTube to build a community

18:42 Pricing a community

22:01 Scaling a business up, and scaling it down

30:46 The evolution of Kaelyn's YouTube content

37:24 Revenue breakdown

42:44 Why Kaelyn left the Ali Abdaal team

47:34 Lessons learnt working with Ali Abdaal

53:47 Kaelyn's 30 year plan

This week on the Creator Spotlight Podcast, we’re joined by Caspar Lee — one of YouTube’s early stars turned entrepreneur and investor. Caspar talks about why he walked away from 15 million followers, how he built four companies after YouTube, and what every creator should know about building a business that lasts.

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Caspar Lee

• YouTube
• Website
• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• Instagram

Francis Zierer

• LinkedIn
• Twitter/X

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Timestamps

00:00 Introducing Caspar Lee

01:17 How to exit, as a creator

07:11 It's hard to do YouTube and business

12:49 How influencer marketing has evolved

16:02 The hardest part of influencer marketing

20:33 Investing in the creator economy

25:18 What is the perfect investment?

30:14 Equity vs cash in brand deals

33:14 The vulnerability of the creator economy

38:43 If Caspar Lee started YouTube in 2025

43:28 Caspar Lee's five year plan

This week on The Creator Spotlight Podcast, we’re joined by Rachel Kisela — a six-figure YouTube editor who has worked with top creators, including MrBeast. Rachel recently founded EditHers, a community for women in editing. In this episode Rachel shares her philosophy on editing, how she built her business, what she learnt editing for Mr Beast, and how to make over $100k as a video editor.

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Rachel Kisela

• Website
• EditHers
• LinkedIn
• Twitter/X

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Francis

• LinkedIn
• Twitter/X

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Timestamps

00:00 Introducing Rachel Kisela

01:25 The core philosophies of video editing

06:05 The process of editing a YouTube video

09:45 How to make six-figures as a YouTube editor

17:47 Leaving Mr Beast

20:42 The real responsibility of an editor

23:43 Building a much needed community

32:46 The unknown challenges of video editing

35:40 Getting paid as a video editor

39:35 What journalism school doesn’t teach you

46:07 The relationship between editor and creator

52:51 What Rachel learnt working for Mr Beast

56:47 Future dreams for EditHers

01:00:15 Where to find video editors

01:02:42 How much do video editors get paid?

01:05:17 Rachel’s favorite video

Sophia Smith Galer is an award-winning journalist, author, and creator with nearly a million followers across TikTok and Instagram. After roles at the BBC and VICE, she went independent to pioneer new ways of telling stories through short-form video. In this episode, she shares why traditional media is struggling to adapt, and what creators and journalists need to know about the future of vertical video.

Read the newsletter: https://www.creatorspotlight.com/profiles

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Sophia Smith Galer

• TikTok
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Twitter/X
• Viralect
• Sophiana (App Store)

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Francis

• LinkedIn
• Twitter/X

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Timestamps

00:00 Introducing Sophia Smith Galer

01:50 How to present on short form video

07:15 Defining ‘journalism’ in the age of the creator

13:26 Traditional media’s problem with short form content

18:25 The one thing most short form creators get wrong

24:38 The best platform for short form content

31:02 Short form bootcamps

34:25 Sophiana: Your short form assistant

41:34 Why everyone should be making content

44:05 The hardest part of building an app

49:47 US vs. UK creator economy difficulties

52:46 Revenue breakdown

57:58 Sophia’s future plans and goals

This week on Creator Spotlight, Francis is joined byJordan DiPietro — former Motley Fool exec, CEO of Hampton, and writer of the Signal//Noise newsletter. Jordan shares the three big bets he’d make on the future of creators, why community now matters more than audience, and the lessons he’s carried from two decades in media, newsletters, and leadership.

Read the newsletter: https://www.creatorspotlight.com/profiles

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Follow Jordan

• Newsletter
• LinkedIn
• X/Twitter

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Francis

• LinkedIn
• Twitter/X

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Timestamps

00:00 Introducing Jordan DiPietro

01:08 The 3 moves to bet your career on

08:16 These creator economy trends are dying

17:20 Communities are the next search engine

19:42 The non-negotiables of a successful community

29:00 Audience vs community, the key differences

32:25 What you need to last in the creator economy

37:53 It's marketing all the way down

41:49 Signal//Noise

45:46 When to quit your job as a creator

50:36 The value of relationships in business

This week on Creator Spotlight we talk to Billy Parks, Partner at Slow Ventures and co-lead of the $65M Slow Creator Fund. Billy invests directly in creators, backing entrepreneurial creators who turn their expertise and communities into scalable businesses.

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Billy

• LinkedIn
• Slow Ventures
• Jonathan Katz-Moses

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Follow Francis

• LinkedIn
• Twitter/X

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Timestamps

00:00 Introducing Billy Parks and Slow Ventures

01:30 What makes an investable creator?

05:35 The two types of creator businesses

13:44 Creators are just founders

17:24 Which creators need investment the most?

23:30 The difficulties of valuing a creator business

32:13 It's all marketing

34:29 The biggest risk in creator investments

38:12 Business is the future of the creator economy

42:54 How to be niche in the creator economy

This week we talk to Quynh Nguyen. She is a paper flower artist who has built her passion into a six-figure business. We cover her journey from hobbyist to entrepreneur, her pricing and growth strategies, and how she’s helping other creators turn their passions into profits.

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Quynh Nguyen

• Website
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Paper Talk Podcast

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Follow Francis

• LinkedIn
• Twitter/X

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Timestamps

00:00 Introducing Quynh Nguyen

02:53 The most important marketing principles online

06:52 How to get paid to teach your passion

12:01 The secret to nurturing a valuable community

18:34 Moving from a physical to a digital business

24:32 A podcast that builds trust and loyalty

31:07 The creator-entrepreneur spectrum

36:02 Expanding audience for future events

40:40 Breaking down the revenue of a thriving online business

45:45 From 6-week course to 6-month mastermind

50:17 The one thing Quynh is most proud of