The global Creator Economy has entered a new phase
8 things I learned at 1 Billion Followers Summit in Dubai and why the Creator Economy is moving beyond the US
I just came back from Dubai, where I spoke at 1 Billion Followers Summit and… WOW! What an experience. Really!
It was my first time in Dubai. Honestly, the city wasn't on my radar before as a place I thought of visiting. I knew it was a desert turned into city, trying to turn into a global innovation, technology and culture hub.
Everything is SUPERLATIVE in Dubai.
They have the tallest building (which is really beautiful to look at at night), the largest shopping mall (which you need a cab to go from one point to the other), the largest picture frame and also.. a very large pocket $.
It has one of the largest concentrations of millionaires, including the UAE itself, which is one of the richest countries in the Middle East.
So when the UAE decides they want to build something… nothing can stop them. And it was no different with 1 Billion Followers Summit. They mean serious business!
Along with the event (that brought 30,000 people from all over the globe together), they run a $ 40 million accelerator for creator-led businesses, just launched a $ 1,3 million fund for family and social creators, an AI contest that gave $ 1 million to the winner and they are determined to make this the largest Creator Economy gathering in the world.
IMHO, it already is.
Not because of the number of attendees - 30,000! - but because the speakers list and the audience are TRULY global. I've never seen this kind of diversity expressed at an event of this scale and proportion.
I connected with people from EVERY continent, from small towns, from countries that are in the middle of a war…
(Parenthesis: big shout out to Marianna, who told me she had to take a 16-hour train outside Kyiv where she could actually hop on a plane and get to the event, because their airspace is still shut. From Ukraine, in the middle of a war, she is building one of the biggest microdrama production companies in the world!)
This was the kind of attendees you would find at the event. Founders, creators and operators from EVERYWHERE who are producing amazing content in every format possible, building solid and innovative businesses and creating beautiful stories and movements along the way. The world is their gameboard.
For example…
Having the honor of being invited to speak, I moderated a conversation with 3 muslim creators that are breaking so many stereotypes: Zainab (UK), Ayman (US) and Noor (UAE). I was the only one not wearing a hijab at the table and that for me was a very strong moment. Each of them, from different countries, showed me how important it is to own your voice.
What I felt 🖤
During the whole 3 days that I mingled and explored, I felt so many different things! I felt honored, humble, umconfortable, happy, curious!
I wanted to learn everything from everyone, expand my world view, connect with things that I've never seen before.
I think this is so freaking valuable for any industry, specially for such a young one, like the Creator Economy. I started my company 20 years ago believing the internet could make invisible voices visible. And I still believe in this.
Seeing it play out live in Dubai was magical! It really proves that Creator Economy innovation isn't coming from the obvious places anymore. Sure, the US is relevant and advanced, but it's mainly a matter of economics, not creativity.
Crazy to say this, I know. But I believe a less economically comfortable environment really has the power to boost creativity and innovation in a different way.
Permission to zoom in on Brazil (my home turf) real quick:
Take Brazil for example. There are a lot of things that are starting to trend and happen in other countries that have been a reality for Brazilians for a long time.
Think microdrama, B2B Influencers, acceleration programs for creators, training in-store employees as creators/affiliate, seeing creators “as a service” and hiring them as part of the brand team, robust end-to-end influencer marketing platforms, online TV channels made by creators (that feels like the new MTV) and so on…
Brazil is creative and innovative. We have to come up with a lot of new stuff to offer clients in order to stay alive. But we lack that huge, free-flowing money that goes around in the US. A lot of good ideas and startups don't move fwd because they lack funding (and maybe because brazilians don't see themselves playing on that international gameboard, idk).
And the more diverse we are, the more we have people with different experiences and backgrounds building the Creator Economy, the more interesting and strong it is.
8 things that I learned 📝
Gonna be honest, I didn't get to attend many sessions or panels. I tried, but the “meeting with people at the hotel lobby” part was way better for understanding where things are actually going in the Creator Economy.
Mixing my convos, the panels I caught and my curated schedule, here’s what feels urgent right now:
