513 - What Does It Actually Mean To Be A Creator?
The phrase “creator economy” gets used everywhere these days.
But what does it actually mean to be a creator?
Is a creator someone who earns money directly from YouTube views, sponsorships, Patreon supporters, advertising, or brand deals?
What about the entrepreneur who creates content for an audience of only a few hundred or a few thousand people, but uses that content to build relationships that lead to clients, customers, products, services, speaking opportunities, or other forms of business?
And what about the person who simply has something meaningful to say and feels compelled to put it into the world?
In this episode of Podcast Answer Man, I’m joined by my longtime friend Matt Mundt for a wide-ranging conversation about what it means to create today.
Matt has spent more than 20 years working in Christian radio, music, digital marketing, and content creation. More recently, he has been creating on his own behalf, experimenting with YouTube, building projects with his son, and helping cultivate a growing community of creators in the Nashville and Franklin, Tennessee area.
We start by talking about how Matt defines the creator economy and why people choose the creator path in the first place.
From there, the conversation opens up into a much bigger discussion.
We talk about the difference between creating content that becomes the business itself and creating content that supports a business you already have.
I share why some of the most financially successful creators I have known over the past 20 years never needed massive audiences. In some cases, a relatively small audience of exactly the right people can create an extraordinary business.
Matt and I also explore what happens when someone starts creating simply because they love it, suddenly begins making significant money, and then has to figure out how to think like a business owner.
We get into outsourcing, teams, managers, agencies, sponsorships, platform revenue, products, services, and the psychological transition from “I make things” to “I am running a business.”
Matt also shares the story of his own YouTube experimentation and why changing formats helped him discover the kind of content that actually made him come alive.
One of my favorite parts of our conversation is the story of Kid Intern, the YouTube project Matt is creating with his 11-year-old son. Together, they are exploring different careers while his son learns communication, storytelling, editing, working with adults, and what it means to create something for an audience.
We also talk about something both Matt and I have experienced repeatedly over the years:
The greatest value of a creator conference often isn't what happens on the stage. It is what happens in the conversations between the sessions.
That leads us into two upcoming creator events.
VidSummit
Matt and I are both heading to VidSummit, an event focused heavily on YouTube, video creation, audience development, and the business of online video.
If you're an audio-first podcaster who has no interest in video, Matt makes a good case that VidSummit probably isn't the first event you need to attend.
But if you're already experimenting with video, or you're serious about understanding that world, there is a tremendous amount to learn there.
GodMade Conference
Matt is also one of the people behind the GodMade Conference in Franklin, Tennessee.
GodMade grew out of a local community of Christian creators who began gathering regularly to share ideas, encourage one another, and help each other grow.
The conference is designed for creators who want to develop their craft, connect with other creators, and think about their work through the lens of purpose and faith.
Stephanie and I are planning to attend, and one of the things that interests me most is the relatively intimate size of the gathering.
Even if every session isn't directly related to the type of content you currently create, being in a room with other thoughtful creators can open doors to ideas, relationships, and possibilities that you would never encounter sitting behind a microphone or a computer by yourself.
Toward the end of our conversation, I ask Matt what encouragement he would give to the creator who has been doing the work but may be discouraged by the numbers.
His answer is worth remembering.
Stay curious.
Keep developing your craft.
Don't allow vanity metrics to determine the value of what you're creating.
If 50 people are listening, imagine 50 actual human beings sitting in a room.
If 1,000 people are listening, imagine standing in front of 1,000 people.
We live in a time when an individual person can create something and reach another human being on the other side of the world without asking anyone for permission.
That's an extraordinary opportunity.
Ask yourself this question.
What am I here to create, who is it for, and what could become possible if I keep showing up?
Resources Mentioned
VidSummit 2026
- September 29 through October 1, 2026 in the Dallas, Texas area.
- https://vidsummit.com
GodMade Conference 2026
- A gathering for YouTubers, podcasters, video creators, musicians, creative entrepreneurs, and others who see their creative work as connected to a greater calling.
- October 22nd and 23rd in Franklin, Tennessee.
- https://godmadecreators.com