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I’m so excited to share the latest Creator Diaries interview with you all! I sat down with Jerrica Long, the founder of Greenlight Yourself—a company, bootcamp, and studio helping creators become “Hollywood optional” and stop waiting for someone else’s yes.
I’m also breaking down beehiiv’s Winter Release as a signal of where media is headed and why it’s never been a better time to build your own thing.
Lastly in other news from me, I’m hosting my very first LIVE workshop this Friday (!!) It’s at 7:30 AM et (my sincerest apologies to anyone recovering from Thanksgiving-coma back in the U.S.) I’m going to be talking all about how to build a platform that helps you build your dream business and attracts opportunities.
Q&A with Jerrica Long: How to 'Greenlight Yourself' and Build Your Dream Business
If you’ve been waiting for an agent, a publisher, or a “perfect moment” to take your creative work seriously, this interview is for you.
I talked with Jerrica Long, who spent a decade inside CAA, DreamWorks, Lionsgate, and Netflix, watching brilliant projects die on page five. Now she’s building Greenlight Yourself to help creators become “Hollywood optional” — using signature series, small, high-conversion audiences, and scrappy funding models to build their own studios.
We also talk about the real blocker she sees over and over: fear of being seen, fear of cringe, fear of starting.
So for people hesitating: know that the fear is normal, but you have to push past it. Start before you’re ready. It will be uncomfortable at first. You might look back at your early stuff and cringe – in fact, I hope you do, because it means you’ve grown. And work on that mindset constantly. Instead of thinking “What if I fail or look stupid?”, reframe it to “What might I learn if I try this? What opportunities could open up if it goes well?” And remember, you don’t need anyone’s permission to be a creator. The internet is wide open. Give yourself that green light.
Read the full article here:
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beehiiv Updates & The Future of Media
beehiiv’s winter release has made a splash in the creator economy. Although I’m clearly biased because I A) use them to run my newsletter and B) write for the company, I wanted to take some time to share my thoughts on their latest updates and what it means for the future of media.
Yes, it’s a big play for creators. But to me, it’s really a story about the future of media. 👇
It has never been more possible to build something of your own—to build a business around what you love, what you know, what you’re curious about.
And you don’t need a masthead, VC dollars, or institutional credibility to do it.
That’s become obvious to me this year as I’ve worked on dozens of case studies with successful creators and publishers.
Over and over, I’ve seen the same pattern play out:
Traditional creators → built on platforms, mostly monetizing through ads, sponsorships, and the occasional course.
Creator-led media → building actual media businesses with multiple revenue streams, their own infrastructure, and the kind of credibility we used to only associate with institutions.
Beehiiv is very intentionally building for that second group.
They’re not just shipping “creator tools.” They’re laying down infrastructure for independent, creator-led media companies.
Just zoom out to the last year. beehiiv has:
Launched the Media Collective. An explicit bet on journalists and reporters who are ready to build their own outlets. They’re not just saying “come host your list here”—they’re backing people with money, support, and resources.
Helped people like Oliver Darcy go from legacy media to seven-figure ARR. He left CNN, launched Status on Beehiiv, and is now doing $1M+ in revenue. He’s one of many examples that this model works.
Shipped full-stack media tools like sites, podcasts, digital products, analytics, ad network, automations - all in one place - so one person (or a tiny team) can run a real publication from a single platform.
Brought in serious media and creator operators They’ve added people like a former CBS News CEO and a former Twitter/a16z creator lead to shape strategy. That’s “we’re serious about media” hiring.
Put together, this looks like a full stack for one very specific journey:
Leave your institution → build your own media brand → keep the upside.
Someone who’s spent their career covering semiconductor policy can leave a traditional publication and build a sustainable solo media business.
Someone obsessed with women’s basketball can create the definitive media brand in that space (newsletter, podcast, live shows, community) and actually make a living doing it.
Someone who’s been the “go-to person” inside a company on a narrow topic (AI safety, urban planning, climate tech, whatever it is) can take that beat with them and build a direct relationship with the people who care most.
Five years ago, those audiences existed. The infrastructure to turn that passion into a business mostly didn’t.
Today, the tools, economics, and playbooks are finally catching up to the opportunity. So the question I’m sitting with (and that I’ll throw to you) is:
What’s the media brand you wish existed - and what would it look like if you were the one to build it?
Now let’s get to building some platforms 👏