The creator economy keeps getting more sophisticated, and the way creators build value is shifting with it. Trading content and influence for sponsorship dollars is no longer the ceiling. Some creators are now negotiating for equity in the brands they help build.
Cat Goetze, known online as CatGPT, is at the forefront of this movement. She recently joined creator management company Smooth Media as a strategic adviser, taking an equity stake in the process. Goetze is the first outside shareholder in the five-year-old bootstrapped company, which represents her along with more than 70 other creators. She’ll advise co-founders Josh Kaplan and Jenny Rothenberg on the core management business, new services, branding and internal technology. Neither side disclosed the size of the stake.
Building a future instead of a paycheck
However hard creators work, they’re still at the mercy of the platforms. Policy changes like the Adpocalypse fallout wiped out income overnight. Channels get shut down before anyone investigates properly. It’s an unpredictable place to build a living.
Equity changes that calculation. Influence that once earned a campaign fee can now buy a piece of something that appreciates. Partnerships like these give creators more stability while putting their expertise to work in ways that pay off for both sides.
Alix Earle’s deal with Poppi is the clearest proof. She took an equity stake in the beverage brand as part of her partnership, which gave her a financial interest in the whole company rather than a handful of paid campaigns. PepsiCo later acquired Poppi for nearly $2 billion.
What makes the Smooth Media deal different is what the company is buying. Rothenberg says most creator equity deals chase distribution and brand, while Smooth wanted Goetze’s perspective and expertise instead. That distinction matters. It suggests creators can trade on judgment, not only reach.
Become bigger than the deal
Creators aren’t only competing for brand deals anymore. They’re building companies, investing in startups and creating experiences that live outside the platforms entirely.
Goetze’s own advice is worth repeating. Build trust with a company first, then pursue equity only where you know the product well and connect with the leadership team. Keep in mind that equity can also be worth nothing. Most startups fail, and a stake is a bet rather than a paycheck.
Still, the next phase of the creator economy may hinge less on who has the biggest following than on who owns the smartest piece of the brands they work with.