At the 2025 Mid-Atlantic MarCom Summit in Washington, D.C., top marketers, journalists, and brand leaders shared one unmistakable message for anyone building a career in the creator economy: the opportunities are real and so are the expectations.
Whether you’re an independent journalist, social strategist, or product marketer working in creator tech, the skills that matter most now are authenticity, adaptability, and AI literacy.
Build a Personal Brand That Feels Human
Legacy institutions are losing trust, and individuals are replacing them. “People still want news and content,” said Chris Cillizza, a former CNN journalist turned Substack creator. “It’s just that the delivery vehicle is different.”
Cillizza said that authenticity, not polish, is the key career currency: “It’s easier to convince someone to trust me with all my faults and failings than it is to trust a gigantic media brand.”
If you’re job-hunting in social media, content, or communications, employers increasingly want professionals who can represent brands with personality and help build community trust.
Don’t Chase Platforms, Build Communities
In 2025, platforms are shifting from broadcasting to conversation. Stacey Miller, VP of Communications at the Auto Care Association described her organization’s shift in mindset: “Reddit is where we listen, not where we broadcast. It’s a free focus group.”
The same applies to your career. Companies in the creator economy—from fan-driven startups to media brands—are looking for people who understand community signals, not just content calendars.
Use AI as Your Co-Pilot, Not a Shortcut
AI skills are no longer optional, and human creativity is still the differentiator. Cindy Zhou, CMO of KnowBe4, said her marketing team pairs each role with “an AI teammate.”
“AI will get you 80 to 85% there,” she said. “You still need the human QA lens.”
Tiffany Pedersen, Head of Global Employer Brand Marketing for Alexa at Amazon agreed: “AI makes our jobs more efficient, but humanity still drives resonance. You always need humans to verify context and emotion.”
For creators and job seekers alike, AI literacy means knowing how to blend automation with empathy and data with story.
Experiment Relentlessly
Innovation favors those willing to play in new formats. Jesse Comart, CMO and Communications Officer at GoodLeap, shared how creators are leading the way: “Podcasts have been a huge unlock. You can repurpose the video, recut it, and push it out across platforms—something Bloomberg would never let you do.”
In other words, multi-format thinking is now a professional advantage. Whether you work in design, comms, or marketing, your ability to remix ideas across mediums shows adaptability. This can be a top skill companies in the creator economy are hiring for.
Stay Authentic and Transparent
Kevin Cirilli, founder of mtf.tv, put it bluntly: “This is the first year where influencers and creators will surpass legacy media in ad revenue. The money is coming to where we are.”
But with that growth comes accountability. Charmion N. Kinder, Chief Impact & Social Responsibility Officer of CNKinder, “The next frontier of social media is authenticity. Gen Z and Gen Alpha expect the truth to come from people.”
Your Career Advantage in the Creator Economy
The future belongs to professionals who blend human creativity, technical fluency, and an authentic voice. Success in this space starts with authenticity and building a personal brand that feels real and trustworthy, where honesty matters more than perfection. It also requires a community-first mindset: the most valuable creators and communicators today understand how to listen, interpret feedback, and foster belonging, not just chase metrics.
AI has become a powerful co-pilot for efficiency, but your competitive edge remains the empathy, storytelling, and strategy that only humans can provide. Experimentation is another hallmark of growth; being able to adapt ideas across video, audio, and social storytelling formats signals creativity and resilience. And above all, transparency is non-negotiable. The creators and professionals who own their truth build deeper loyalty and longer careers.
As Stacey Miller put it, “Everything we do comes down to two things—make it helpful, and make it human.” That’s not just a principle for content creation—it’s the blueprint for building a sustainable, standout career in the creator economy.