Community & Connection with The Cohort

1. To start, can you introduce yourselves and share the story behind The Cohort? What it is, why you created it, and the role you see it playing in the creator community?

I started the cohort because I knew so many creators who were talented and building trust with their communities, but they constantly felt undervalued, overlooked, or isolated.

This is quite literally a creator community for the creator community. A space where creators and brands can actually meet each other, share what’s working, and build partnerships that feel like a win on both sides. Compare notes. Strip away the “wild, wild west” mentality of the creator economy.

What the cohort does right now: give creators opportunities, education, and connection. It gives brands a smarter way to spend their dollars with results they can see and measure.

What it will do: Mackenzie Smith joined to help pick up the pace. … because big things are coming :). Together we’re going to shift how the creator economy works. Make it more transparent, more local, and more sustainable. We want to see creators paid fairly, brands investing in partnerships that last, and cities having their own ecosystems where creators and businesses grow together.

2. Creators are at very different stages, from those just starting with a few thousand followers to established names with managers and ongoing deals. How does the cohort support people at such different points in their journey?

The reality is we have six- and seven-figure creators show up to our walks or webinars right alongside someone with 5k followers just starting out and they all say the same thing: they just want to be around people who get it.

the cohort is built for creators of any size because the truth is the journey looks more similar than people think. Even creators with millions of followers often started with a viral moment, or making content on the side of a day job, and then accidentally found themselves running a business with zero business experience. I know huge creators who don’t even own their own url … and now they can’t.

That’s why our spaces work. Whether you’re trying to figure out how to price your first brand deal or how to build a team to manage the pipeline, you get to be in the same room, learning from each other, trading stories, and realizing no one’s above the messy parts.

And the people who want to put in the work? That’s who brands really want to partner or co-create with. More to come on that front!

3. Your events are pitched as “mixers, webinars, and workshops minus the guru energy.” How do you approach designing events that feel valuable, not performative?

I’ve been to too many events that felt like they were about the host, not the people in the room. We try to flip that. We don’t need gurus on stage with a headset telling you how smart they are because what we need are real conversations where creators and brands can actually trade stories, ask questions, and walk away with something useful.

Candidly, the first year we tested a lot. Some worked, some didn’t. But now when we design events, it’s about one of three things: 1. Creating community 2. Comparing notes or 3. Helping creators think of this as a real business

4. Why do you think creators are craving spaces where they can share wins, flops, and half-baked ideas, not just polished perspective and content?

Being a creator is isolating. So many are creating content solo in their living rooms behind a ring light begging their partner or best friend to listen to the frustrations of the algorithm. You don’t just show up 5 days a week 9-5, because with the platforms you have to show up virtually every day. That’s a lot. And there’s a reason there is so much discussion around mental health in the industry.

There are a ton of brand or platform-hosted experiences in big markets like LA or NYC. There are a ton of online resources or guides or creators who talk about this. But what’s missing is a structured support system that offers whatever they’re in need of – a sounding board for the half-baked ideas or what the heck rates should be. Access to financial planners and accountants to SOS on how to actually run the business. IRL experiences like walks and yaps. That’s what we’re building.

5.  What’s next for the cohort as you build toward the platform 2026, and how do you see your role evolving in the broader creator economy and what do you want to tell to creators thinking about attending?

I’m happy to report … there’s a lot to come.

New chapters in cities that don’t always get the same access or offline spaces as the bigger markets. Because the point isn’t to just gather people, it’s getting the right people in the right rooms.

And once we’re there, we want to actually solve the real problems. Consistent pricing. Pay equity for creators of color. Brands learning how to brief. Creators learning how to be good partners and co-creators. Ownership of content put on platforms.

My role? I never want to be the one talking at creators. I want to set the opportunities, hand over the mic, connect the right dots, and step out of the way so the community can build itself. Mackenzie? She’s the absolute best at building relationships and finding people who should have a mic. Who have strategy and intention and the “in between” horror stories.

If you’re a creator wondering about joining in? Hop on a platform mini series and date us. Join our slack community and engage in the group chat. Come to the platform to connect, be honest about the highs and the lows, and to find people who get both.

We’re here to lend an ear and hopefully a support system.