April 8 Workshop – “The Creator Economy for Creative Professionals” with Jenna Spinelle
Every Friday in CPAD (Borland 113), we will host a 12-1pm workshop with hands-on applied learning and open studio time to follow from 1-3pm. No experience required. Topics range from the Adobe Creative Suite Apps to Gig Culture! Hope you are able to join us in person or virtually (Zoom link).
April 8: “The Creator Economy for Creative Professionals,” Jenna Spinelle
From social media to podcasts and newsletters, the creator economy makes it easier than ever for individuals to become content entrepreneurs and make money by creating content and finding people who support it through subscriptions or companies who support it through advertising.
But how do you know what to focus on? And whether there’s a viable audience for what you’d like to do? Drawing on case studies from successful independent creators in a variety of media, this session will help students explore their interests, cultivate the curiosity necessary to create meaningful content, and learn how to build an audience to support niche content creation. We’ll also cover the mechanics of how to distribute your work, including platforms and monetization models.
Bio:
Jenna Spinelle (she/her) is a writer, podcaster, and speaker in higher education. She hosts and produces the Democracy Works podcast and the narrative series When the People Decide, both productions of the McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State. She teaches courses on freelancing and the creator economy at Penn State’s Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications. Her writing has appeared in outlets including Inside Higher Ed, Current, and The Statesider.