finally get to add my piece to the "tech is hiring creators" discourse from someone who was a FT creator for ~10 yrs & is now FT director of video & audience in critical tech most creatives will not want to commit all their energy to 1 company. this is because we can make a LOT more $ with sponsors on our content or building an agency, and equity isn't attractive for 99% of companies if you wanna hire someone like me, here's what you need to do: 1. give them complete creative freedom & ownership creative people need to be fully empowered to make decisions and take risks. i really enjoy taking a founders vision & making it come to life, but many creatives want to build THEIR vision let them run & get out of their way 2. resources they can't get on their own this is crucial. if you can't give them this, there is almost no upside to the role. ex: i don't have access / trust with $1T portfolio vc's or the world's most influential space & defense CEOs like @itsmoislam has 3. an interesting story to tell doesn't matter if the story is fleshed out yet or not, a good creative will help. but they need to see a compelling narrative, even if you don't know you have one yourself ex: i get to help tell the stories happening in consequential industries (space, defense, energy, biotech, & more) from up close. there is an emotional mission happening that no one is seeing and thats a slam dunk 4. space to continue building their personal brand or consulting caroline ellison is crazy, putting your chips All In is dumb. esp if you work in startups. some people want you to be All In even tho these businesses have a 99% failure rate. this is also why equity is useless 9 times out of 10 it is very rare to find a position with the green flags that make equity worth it, but when you do there is massive upside (more than you can have as a solo creative) when you find a company with this opportunity, it makes sense to double down & focus. 1% of companies have this 5. a long term bet many companies will part ways with creative talent during market downturns or 1 imperfect product launch (internet money industry is VERY bad about this) you need to feel so aligned you're comfortable making a 5+ yr bet on the person you hire. this is because content *compounds* just like your investment accounts. sustainable audience growth doesn't happen because you go viral once it happens because you build credibility & trust over a longer period of time. 6. high income we can make multi 6fig on our own. can you provide a meaningful amount? there needs to be a path to $250k+ income or more every creative is a lil different so this isn't a complete list just some of the things you need to be thinking about if you want to hire someone very very valuable for your company's future enjoy :)