The Creator Spotlight Podcast

Ep. 81: Building a $500k+ local newsletter business ft. Geoff Sharpe

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. Read the newsletter [https://www.creatorspotlight.com/profiles] __ Tired of explaining the same thing over and over again to your coworkers? It’s time to let AI do the explaining for you. The Guidde extension is completely free. Go check it out at Guidde.com [https://www.guidde.com] __ Geoff Sharpe * Lookout Media [https://lookoutmediaco.com] * LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/geoffsharpe] * Twitter/X [https://x.com/geoff_sharpe] Francis Zierer * LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/francis-zierer/] * Twitter/X [https://x.com/FZierer] __ 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

Ep. 80: How a YouTuber's study group grew into a profitable business ft. Kaelyn Grace Apple

This week on the Creator Spotlight Podcast we're joined by Kaelyn Grace Apple. Kaelyn is the founder and co-owner of Accepted Society [https://www.acceptedsociety.com], 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. Read the newsletter [https://www.creatorspotlight.com/profiles] __ Earn with Google AdSense [https://goo.gle/earnwithadsense] __ Kaelyn Grace Apple * Accepted Society [https://www.acceptedsociety.com] * Website [https://kaelynapple.com] * YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@theredheadacademic] * LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaelyngraceapple] * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/kaelyngraceapple] Francis Zierer * LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/francis-zierer/] * Twitter/X [https://x.com/FZierer] __ 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

Ep. 79: He had 15M followers, then he quit — here's why ft. Caspar Lee

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. __ Caspar Lee * YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@caspar] * Website [https://www.casparlee.com] * LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/caspar-lee-13584456/] * Twitter [https://x.com/caspar_lee] * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/caspar_lee/] Francis Zierer * LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/francis-zierer/] * Twitter/X [https://x.com/FZierer] __ 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

Ep. 78: How to make $100k+ editing YouTube videos ft. Rachel Kisela

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. __ Rachel Kisela * Website [https://www.rachelkisela.com] * EditHers [https://www.rachelkisela.com/edit-hers] * LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelkisela/] * Twitter/X [https://x.com/rachelkisela] __ Francis * LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/francis-zierer/] * Twitter/X [https://x.com/FZierer] __ 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

Ep. 77: She left the BBC to build AI for journalists ft. Sophia Smith Galer

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 [https://www.creatorspotlight.com/profiles] __ Sophia Smith Galer * TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@sophiasmithgaler] * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/sophiasgaler] * LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophiasmithgaler] * Twitter/X [https://x.com/sophiasgaler] * Viralect [https://www.viralect.com] * Sophiana (App Store) [https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/sophiana-script-video-maker/id6742998989] __ Francis * LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/francis-zierer/] * Twitter/X [https://x.com/FZierer] __ 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