Monica Khan

The year I stopped waiting to be chosen.

For most of my career, I played by the rules. Work hard. Get noticed. Wait for someone to tap you on the shoulder.

2025 broke that pattern.

I went independent. No boss. No safety net. Just a bet on my brand, my dreams, and my will to win.

Nobody was going to hand me the opportunities I wanted. I didn't just raise my hand. I built the room.

This year looked like:
• $1M+ in deals closed for creators I manage
• 10+ events organized. 1,000+ people attended.
• 10+ speaking appearances
• 2 companies advised. 1 creator program launched.
• Newsletter grown to 3K+ subscribers
• LinkedIn grown from ~3K to 15K+ followers
• McKinsey advisory role locked in for 2026

Most of the time I felt like I didn't know what I was doing.

But maybe that's the point. When you're building in white space, there's no playbook. You chart your own path on the bleeding edge and figure it out as you go.

I pitched when I wasn't sure I'd get a yes. I followed up when it felt awkward. I promoted my work when it felt uncomfortable. I posted on LinkedIn 150+ times when every instinct told me to stay quiet.

I got no's. A lot of them. I refreshed my inbox hoping for replies that never came. I lost deals. Lost clients. Built thick skin.

But I also experienced highs I couldn't have imagined.

Turns out my "delusional" confidence wasn't delusional at all. It was finally deciding to be the main character in my own story.

Except I wasn't alone.

Grateful for everyone who took a chance on me, partnered with me, built with me before they had to. And for this community. You kept me posting on the days I wanted to stay quiet.

2026? More rooms to build.

Bet on yourself before anyone else will. Even when it feels delusional.

Your move.

#CreatorEconomy #CareerGrowth #YearInReview

MrBeast is hiring a Head of Viral Marketing.

Read that again. Not a social media manager. Not a content lead. A senior executive whose entire mandate is to "build engines, not campaigns."

The job description: "convert cultural moments into sign-ups, activation, revenue, retention."

This isn't about making videos go viral. It's about building infrastructure that turns attention into business outcomes across Feastables, fintech, telecom, and brand partnerships.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴:

They treat virality as luck. A video hits, everyone celebrates, then nobody can replicate it.

MrBeast is treating virality as a discipline. Repeatable systems. Measurable outcomes. Engineered growth.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗻 𝗵𝘂𝗻𝘁:

I've been asked to refer this exact profile more times than I can count this year. My usual response: "You're looking for a unicorn. Good luck."

The best candidate probably doesn't have this title on their resume. They've been stitching together growth, brand, and creator across multiple roles — building the playbook as they go.

Why so rare? Most growth people don't understand storytelling. Most storytellers don't understand funnels. This role needs both — plus the instinct to move at creator speed.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘀:

MrBeast describes himself as "a next-generation consumer and services platform." Not a YouTube channel. A platform.

And he's not calling this "Head of Marketing." He's calling it "Head of Viral Marketing." That distinction is intentional.

Growth today is audience-led, narrative-driven, and powered by content. It's a feedback loop — test, learn, iterate across platforms. Stories that resonate get amplified. The audience tells you what works.

And this isn't a brand awareness play. It ties directly to top-line KPIs — sign-ups, activation, revenue, retention. The same outcomes in the job description. Audience-led storytelling isn't soft. It's the growth engine.

Most marketing teams measure impressions. This role measures revenue. That's the difference.

This role was posted for a creator-led media company. But brands should be paying close attention. This function — building growth through storytelling, community, and content — isn't optional anymore.

The companies that figure this out won't just market. They'll grow like creators.

Your move.

Does your company think about marketing this way?

#NotSponsored #CreatorEconomy #Marketing #CareerGrowth

Last year I stood in the Creator Confessionals booth as an attendee. This year I'm hosting the interviews.

Heading to Las Vegas today for Creator Economy Live West. You can't beat IRL.

Many thanks to France Tantiado for nudging me to attend last year and Heather James ‘m for making this year happen.

𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗶𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗵:

→ Are we in a creator bubble — or just getting started?
→ Will AI make creators more powerful or more replaceable?
→ Is "think like a creator" actually working for brands — or just LinkedIn talk?
→ What's the biggest misconception Fortune 500s still have about creators?

These are the debates I want to spark. The hot takes I want to capture.

If you're there, I will be around this afternoon or come find me at the Creator Confessionals booth tomorrow morning until noon and share YOUR hot take.

HMU if you would like to connect! Hope to see you in Vegas.

#CreatorEconomyWest #CreatorEconomy

YouTube sent my client to Davos. Not to document. To participate.

Marina Mogilko (Silicon Valley Girl) was one of three creators YouTube sent to the World Economic Forum, alongside Steven Bartlett (The Diary Of A CEO). She hosted 6 podcasts with top thinkers and scientists as part of official programming.

She started with a camera and curiosity 12 years ago. Now she's in rooms that used to be reserved for CEOs and heads of state.

Most creators chase brand deals. Marina chased credibility. That's the difference.

Her mission: help ambitious people turn AI and tech into their unfair advantage. Every decision we make together filters through that lens.

Here's what's actually working:

→ Position as a media brand, not an influencer.
Marina doesn't pitch herself as someone who promotes products. She positions herself as a media company with distribution. That framing opens doors that "influencer" never could.

→ Go where the conversations are.
Davos isn't about content. It's about relationships and credibility. Being in the room, contributing, not just documenting, compounds over years.

→ Play the long game.
Marina's YouTube relationship spans 12 years. She launched her Silicon Valley Girl podcast last year and has already interviewed Reid Hoffman, Mel Robbins, the CEOs of Perplexity, Microsoft AI, and General Motors. Davos didn't happen because she rushed. It happened because she didn't.

→ Treat every opportunity as a business decision.
We evaluate every partnership, event, and collaboration against long-term brand equity, not just short-term revenue.

She texted me after landing back home in SF: not even tired, ready to work more. That's the energy that gets you to Davos.

For brands: Marina isn't just reaching audiences. She's in the room shaping conversations with world leaders. That's a different kind of partnership.

The companies still treating creators as a line item in the media budget? They're not just missing the point, they're leaving value on the table.

What's your long game?

#CreatorEconomy #CreatorStrategy #Davos

A ballroom full of people sang happy birthday to me on a main stage in Vegas.

I didn't plan that. My friend and MC Justin Johnson surprised me mid-conference at Creator Economy Live. But that moment wasn't the highlight.

The real highlight? Finding my conference partner in crime.

John Kraski and I teamed up the night before and didn't stop. Later's happy hour and dinner. The Creator Confessionals booth the next morning. We moved through the event together — vibing off each other, expanding our networks collectively, making introductions neither of us could have made alone.

Having a buddy at events makes everything better. You cover more ground. You build off each other's energy. You leave with relationships, not just business cards.

This year I hosted the Creator Confessionals booth for part of the day. Last year I was a panelist, but I didn't get to interview in the booth. This year I got to interview some of the smartest people in our industry. Excited for this content to go live — more on that soon.

I had more fun than I expected being on camera. Video is a bridge I still haven't crossed — but maybe I should start a podcast? 👀

𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗰𝗸 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗲:

John Kraski (Dhar Mann Studios) — The Mayor of LinkedIn. His secret? He doesn't just network online — he shows up.

Scott Sutton (Later) — Later is building best-in-class infrastructure for the creator economy and are one of the few players that are even capable of doing it at their scale.

Colin Duethorn — Building in stealth. Driving revenue for creators via a new platform and connecting them with brands, including local businesses

Brian Hatch (Wayfair) — First time speaking. First time at CEL. Proof you don't need a big team to build an in-house influencer marketing capability.

Oksana Kravchenko (Manychat) — When your customers ARE creators, influencer marketing gets interesting.

Huge thanks to Later for hosting me at their happy hour and dinner— great to spend time with Lyle Stevens, Scott Sutton, Tim Clarke, and Kayla Monis. And to my Creator Gold co-founder France Tantiado for nudging me to go and CEL organizer Heather James for making it happen.

Couldn't name everyone here — check the comments for all the great people I got to reconnect with and meet for the first time.

This industry we get to build in? Pretty incredible.

Who's your conference partner in crime?

#CreatorEconomy #CreatorEconomyLive