Colin & Samir just got back from Cannes, France, where the world’s biggest brands decide where to spend over $1 trillion in advertising money. For years, creators were a side show.
This year, creators were the main event. They were on stage, in meetings, and at the tables where the biggest deals were made. The message is clear: You are no longer “new media.” You are the media.
But with this new power comes new challenges. The old rules don't apply. Based on what Colin & Samir learned, here are the three biggest shifts happening right now and what they mean for you as a creator who wants to build a real business.
The first lesson from Cannes is simple: the way we measure a creator's value is broken. Think about it. For TV, advertisers use Nielsen ratings. One ratings point equals about 1.2 million homes. It’s a simple, shared language.
YouTube doesn't have that. How does a brand compare a Dude Perfect video with 13 million views to a show on ESPN with maybe one million? They can’t, so they often fall back on what feels "safe" or what they can easily measure.
This puts you in a tough spot. A brand might ask for a clear Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) from your video, treating it like a simple performance ad. At the same time, they give millions to a TV network with far fewer viewers and no way to measure the real impact. It’s an unfair comparison that weakens your power to negotiate.
You know your worth goes beyond a simple view count, but the industry is still catching up. To get paid what you're truly worth, you have two choices. You need an expert in your corner who understands marketing budgets, or you need to become the brand yourself.
Start with a baseline $20–$40 CPM. For a video that nets 50k quality views, that’s $1,000–$2,000 per read. Add premiums for evergreen content, niche loyalty, or built-in conversion proof.
This is one of the most common questions creators ask. But it’s the wrong question.
The right question is, “How much value and trust have I built with my audience?” A brand isn’t just buying views; they are buying your audience’s trust. That trust is the most valuable thing you have.
Think about it. An audience of 50,000 true fans who hang on your every word is far more powerful than a viral video with a million passive viewers. That deep connection you’ve built is a premium asset. You can’t measure it with a simple CPM calculator.
The second major shift is the sheer amount of money flowing into YouTube productions. Colin & Samir talked about creators and studios now spending $100,000 or even $1 million on a single episode. They are building major intellectual property (IP) on the platform.
This is a huge sign that YouTube is maturing. It’s no longer just a place for vlogs and talking-head videos. It is a launchpad for major media brands, just like Hazbin Hotel, which started on YouTube and is now a hit show on Amazon Prime.
And it’s not just big production studios. As we’ve mentioned on our blog before, venture capital firms like Slow Ventures, UTA Ventures, and The Chernin Group are investing millions into creator-owned brands. They see what we see: the future isn’t just being a creator; it’s being a creator-owner.
The platform is stable and the audience is there. The opportunity to build a real, valuable, and sellable business on top of your YouTube channel has never been better. This is the moment to think bigger than brand deals and AdSense.
This leads to the third and most important shift: we are moving from an "attention economy" to a "connection economy." Brands are finally realizing that attention is cheap, but a real connection is priceless.
The attention economy treats every eyeball as a scarce resource. Named by economist Herbert Simon, who warned that when information is plenty, attention becomes the bottleneck. Platforms like YouTube and TikTok grew by winning this race for clicks and watch-time.
Marketing thinker Seth Godin later coined the term connection economy to describe the next stage, where trust and community—not raw reach—drive value. In a connection economy, the real asset is the bond between a creator and the people who believe in them.
As Colin & Samir said, a creator who can fill a room is worth more than one who can game the algorithm for views. Your greatest strength isn't your thumbnail design or your editing flair. It’s the bond you share with your audience.
But building that bond is hard work. How can you plan live events, respond to comments, and truly engage with your community when you’re drowning in the day-to-day grind? You’re busy worrying about thumbnails, editing, uploading, and fixing bugs on your merch store.
That’s where we come in. Octo was built to handle the "grunt work" for you. We act as your dedicated operational arm. We handle the marketing, the product development, the website, and the logistics so you can focus on the one thing that only you can do: creating content and connecting with your audience.
The days of creators sitting on the sidelines are over. The biggest brands and investors in the world now see YouTube for what it is: the center of modern media.
The game is getting bigger, and the stakes are getting higher. To win in this new era, you need to think like a business owner, not just a creator. You need to focus on building assets, owning your IP, and deepening the connection with your audience.
Octo is for the ambitious creator who is ready to make that leap. We provide the expertise and the team to help you build a valuable brand, fast. If you’re ready to stop just making videos and start building your empire, let's talk.
Book a free strategy call here.