You're In The Wrong Room

Behind The Skits #1

We've all heard the quote:

"If you're the smartest person in the room, you're in the wrong room"

But, no one talks about how horrible it feels when you realize you're the stupidest person in the room 🥲

This was my initial feeling when I arrived at Playlist Live on Friday.

I walked into the first workshop and sat next to a woman who created a viral hot sauce video which landed her the role of brand ambassador for Frank's Red Hot (shoutout to Bridget). And, that was just the beginning.

So, for my first official edition of Behind The Skits, I decided to bring you three lessons from my first major creator event.

1) Proximity leads to progress

Remember that quote about being the stupidest in the room?

Well, if you don't know the room exists, you definitely won't be in the room.

I found out about this event 48 hours before it happened.

In February, I joined the YouTube Shorts Partner Program. And, within recent months YouTube created a private discord for partners to connect.

Well, that discord led to a private Instagram group chat of Orlando-based creators.

Thursday night, I'm lurking in the group chat and I see a few people planning on going to this event. But, it gets better... The group also had a promo code for 75% off tickets!

I went from planning a chill labor day weekend to meeting some of the top creators within a matter of 48 hours. Not because of luck but because of proximity.

If I wasn't in the discord, I wouldn't be writing this.

2) Think win-win

Once I arrived at the event, I instantly connected with Bridget (hot sauce ambassador) and the first thing I asked myself was:

"How can I add value?"

She has a bigger audience, and bigger connections but I still thought:

"What can I do for her?"

This intention, without expectation of anything back, led to a great friendship over the next couple of days.

And, to top it off, she invited me to another discord (remember proximity?) where the average creator has millions of followers, not thousands.

I often struggle with a scarcity mindset.

If someone is winning and I'm not, that means less for me (and vice-versa).

But, with a win-win perspective, I embody the belief that "a rising tide lifts all boats".

I was able to introduce Bridget to a few tools and insights of my own and best of all I have another friend in the creator space :)

3) This is an industry of humans

I learned more this weekend than I could share in one newsletter, but my final lesson left the biggest impression on me:

I bumped into people I never thought I would have the opportunity to meet.

It never even crossed my mind to want to meet these people because I didn't imagine it would be a possibility.

So... when I bumped into some of my favorite creators, I was starstruck 😅 (at first)

But, then I had some down-to-earth conversations, gained powerful insights, and made some potential friends ✨

Every single one of them was human.

Someone could look like an average joe and have 6 million subs on YouTube or be an actor/brand ambassador for Chipotle, but either way, they're still human.

With that being said, it's still worth remembering:

Although creators on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram seem to be doing nothing but having fun...

Being a creator is not only a job but in many cases a revenue-generating business with multiple employees.

The "creator economy" is a legitimate industry with legitimate careers when you get to the highest level:

• Creators

• Editors

• Agents

• Managers

• Agencies

And, my contribution to this industry is just beginning.

That's all I've got for today!

If this brought you any type of value or insight please hit "reply" and let me know. I'm still figuring all of this out and using this newsletter to document lessons on the way.

I'm wishing you a wonderful weekend and I will see you in a couple of weeks!

Nay

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