How do you turn a silent GRWM video of yourself crying before a dreaded restaurant shift into a full-time, highly lucrative career?
Welcome to the Forbes Top Creator Show! This week, host Steven Bertoni records live from the Cannes Lions festival for a special two-for-one episode featuring Forbes Under 30 creator Katie Fang and Adobe’s Head of Social Media for Creators, Jared Carneson.
(Produced in partnership with Adobe.)
In this episode, Katie breaks down her explosive growth from 800 followers to 1 million in a single month and how she leveraged her relatable “get ready with me” content into massive, long-term brand deals. Together, Katie and Jared dissect the current state of the media landscape, diving into why Gen Z has ditched traditional news for 30-second TikTok clips and the rising necessity of “clip farming.” Jared shares profound insights on why AI “generates a repository of the predictable,” and explains Adobe’s pivot from traditional ads to scripted workplace microdramas. Finally, Katie shares her strategy for maintaining long-term audience credibility, revealing exactly why she isn’t afraid to say “no” and turn down massive brand paydays.
#KatieFang #Adobe #ForbesTopCreators #CreatorEconomy #SocialMediaMarketing
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0:00 Live from Cannes Lions
1:13 Katie Fang’s Viral Origin Story: Crying on TikTok
2:45 Jared Carneson: From Mommy Bloggers to Head of Social Media
4:15 Heart Over Tools: What Actually Makes Content Successful?
5:26 Katie’s Breakthrough Kit with Glow Recipe
6:44 AI Hype & The Gossip Goblin
8:39 What are Microdramas? The New Face of Entertainment
11:30 Why Gen Z Ditched TV News for TikTok
14:21 The #1 Mistake Brands Make with Creators
17:26 Inside Katie’s Long-Term Deal with Pink
20:34 Dealing with the Hamster Wheel of Content Pressure
23:30 Katie’s Ultimate Secret to Staying Relatable
29:22 Traditional Media vs “Clip Farming”
36:02 Turning Down Massive Brand Deals (Katie Spills the Tea!)
38:20 Future Outlook: What to Expect at Cannes 2027
41:20 How Gen Z Students Actually Use AI at NYU
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