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2022 Creator Economy Awards

The job market and the economy are fundamentally changing, and the creator economy is at the heart of that change. 

Creators have been around for a long time, but the creator economy is still developing. At the intersection of technology, platforms, jobs, and the ingenuity of millions of creators, the tools and rules of the creator economy are new. And some of our institutions are quicker to adapt than others. 

The Podia Creator Economy Awards celebrate the voices driving change. Award winners are people who advance the creator economy through their work — whether that means teaching creators directly, giving them the tools they need to grow, telling their stories, or shaping the public consciousness of what it means to create.

Award Categories

A journalist shines the light on the relationship between creators and major tech platforms. An entrepreneur starts a podcast network. There are so many ways for people to advance the cause of creators, and we wanted to celebrate as many as possible. 

These are the four categories of the 2022 Creator Economy Awards.

Journalists and Thought Leaders

What does the creator economy look like from 10,000 feet? What should it look like? These winners cover the creator economy and bring important questions to the public consciousness.

Podcasters

What is it like to be a creator? Podcasters are creators, and they're also the people sharing creators' success stories. By telling stories and passing along tips, these winners show how it's possible to succeed as creators.

Creator Educators

If you want to grow a creator business, how do you do it? Creating is hard enough; turning creative work into a business can be even harder. These award winners teach creators how to grow.

Technology Experts

What about the nitty-gritty details? Every creator relies on some kind of technology. These award winners help creators understand which technology to choose, and how to use it.
The 2022 Creator Economy Awards website is powered by Podia.

Journalists and Thought Leaders

Taylor Lorenz

Taylor covers the latest in technology and social media, shining a spotlight on the trends that affect creators.

Taylor Lorenz is a columnist at The Washington Post covering technology and online culture. Before joining The Post, she was a technology reporter for the New York Times' business section. She was a 2019 Knight Visiting Nieman Fellow at Harvard University, where her research focused on Instagram and news consumption.

Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

Candace Amos

Candace uses her 15+ years of experience in the media industry to help other women pursue their passions and navigate careers in media.

Candace is the Deputy Editor of Social for the LA Times. She previously wrote for the Daily Beast, where she was director of audience development and social media. She has worked at the Daily Mail, New York Daily News and the New York Post in social media, audience development and reporting roles.

She also teaches professionals how to build personal brands through career advice and coaching services on her own website at CandaceAmos.com.

Website | Twitter | Instagram

Kaya Yurieff

Kaya covers every facet of the creator economy, from interviews with platform executives to deep dives into the creator experience.

Kaya Yurieff joined The Information in April 2021 to launch the creator economy newsletter and cover the rapidly growing sector. Previously, she wrote about technology and social media platforms at CNN. She started her journalism career writing breaking news at TheStreet. She is fluent in Polish.

Newsletter | Author page | Personal website | Twitter | LinkedIn

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Podcasters

Jamila Souffrant

Jamila uses her experience working toward financial independence to teach, inspire, and help others jumpstart their journey to financial freedom.

Jamila Souffrant is an author and the host of the Journey To Launch podcast. She is considered a go-to thought leader in the personal finance field and her work has been featured in BuzzFeed, ESSENCE, Refinery 29, Money Magazine, CNBC, CBS, Business Insider and more. The Journey To Launch Podcast has over 3+ million total downloads and was listed by the NYTimes as a podcast to help you get better with your money.  

Jamila and her husband saved $169,000 in two years and are debt free besides their mortgage. She is also a mother of three young children and lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Website | Podcast | Instagram

Colin Rosenblum and Samir Chaudry

Through their podcast, newsletter, and YouTube channel, Colin and Samir have built a community for creators growing their careers.

Colin and Samir are LA-based creators with a mission to educate, encourage and empower the next generation of creators. They started on YouTube 10 years ago with The Lacrosse Network, a sports media company dedicated to lacrosse.

Today, they host the "Colin and Samir Show", a YouTube talk show and podcast where they educate creators through video essays, interviews, and industry analysis. They also cover the creator economy in their newsletter, “The Publish Press."

YouTube | Website | Podcast

Courtland Allen

Through insightful commentary on the creator economy and digital landscape, Courtland inspires and educates creators to build online businesses that make their lives better.

Courtland is an MIT graduate, Y Combinator alum, full-stack web developer, and professional designer. He has spent over 8 years building, designing, and marketing web-based products and companies.

He created IndieHackers.com in August 2016, and is now running the Indie Hackers team at Stripe. Courtland also runs the Indie Hackers podcast, where he interviews the ambitious indie hackers who are turning their ideas and side projects into profitable online businesses.

Website | Twitter | Podcast

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Creator Educators

Roberto Blake

Roberto is a multi-talented YouTuber, podcaster, speaker, and mentor who helps creators develop their brands and grow their businesses.

Roberto Blake is a Creative Entrepreneur and Founder of Awesome Creator Academy; a coaching program that helps influencers and entrepreneurs build their brands online.


In 2013 Roberto launched a YouTube channel helping creatives with career development and personal branding. He has created over 1500 videos on YouTube and has an audience of over 500K subscribers.

He is a Keynote Speaker and host of the popular Create Something Awesome Today Podcast. On the podcast he interviews guests and dives into deeper topics around the growing Creator Economy.

Website | Twitter | YouTube

Latasha James

Latasha is a video creator, podcaster, and coach who inspires others to grow meaningful businesses.

Latasha James is a marketing strategist, digital content creator, and business coach empowering entrepreneurs to create intentional and profitable businesses by helping them uncover their innate superpowers.

She launched her now six-figure digital marketing company back in 2015, and documented the entire journey on YouTube. Since then, she's helped thousands of students gain the confidence and tools they needed to start and scale businesses of their own.

Website | YouTube | Instagram

Ramit Sethi

Ramit has helped over 42,000 students systematically take control of their money, find fulfilling careers, and live richer lives.

Ramit Sethi is a New York Times Bestselling Author and CEO of I Will Teach You To Be Rich. He’s been writing about money and psychology at Iwillteachyoutoberich.com for nearly 20 years, and now hosts a podcast which features real stories of real couples talking about their finances from behind closed doors.

The best place to keep up with Ramit is on his newsletter. Go to http://iwt.com/podia to sign up.

Website | Instagram | Twitter

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Technology Experts

Jade Darmawangsa

Jade creates approachable and entertaining content focused on social media growth, new technology, and her own journey as an entrepreneur and founder.

Jade is a social entrepreneur and CEO at X8 Media, a GenZ influencer agency. Most recently Jade is working on a new start up NFTree Haus, working with creators to help fight climate change with NFTs.

Jade grew an audience of 380,000 subscribers and 15M views, categorizing her as one of the top creator economy Youtubers. Jade started one of the fastest growing influencer agencies, X8 Media. Currently X8 has worked with Netflix, Adobe, P&G, HP, Lonely Whale and Warner Brother Media.

Instagram | TikTok | YouTube

Marques Brownlee

Marques uses his 10+ years of experience covering the tech industry to create honest and entertaining reviews of the latest in technology.

Marques Keith Brownlee, also known professionally as MKBHD, is an American YouTuber and professional ultimate frisbee player, best known for his technology-focused videos as well as his podcast Waveform. As of December 2021, he has over 15 million subscribers and over 2.7 billion total video views.

YouTube | Instagram | Website

Baidhurya Mani

Baidhurya offers a comprehensive resource to help online creators choose the right tools to build and grow their businesses.

Baidhurya is the founder of Sell Courses Online, where he helps creators choose the right tools to build and grow their online business. He is also the Partner Tech & Marketing @ StationX, a leading cybersecurity training company. 

In the past, he ran a digital agency called Teachific Lab where he worked with hundreds of creators to build and launch their online courses and membership sites.

Website | Twitter

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