The creator economy, having graduated from a curiosity to something resembling an actual business, is now mature enough to have its own awards program for the people who do not appear on camera.
ADWEEK announced this week that it is accepting nominations for what it calls the Creator Economy Power List, a new honor reserved for the executives, dealmakers, and platform builders who have turned influencer marketing into something more durable than a teenager with a ring light and a dream.
The publication was careful to note that the creators themselves — the ones with the followers and the sponsorship deals and the unboxing videos — are not eligible for this particular recognition, unless they happen to have founded a company. (For that other kind of fame, ADWEEK directs them to a separate program called Brand Genius Creators, which is perhaps a more forgiving name than "People Who Are Already Famous.")
The list of eligible categories reads like a taxonomy of an industry that has been busy professionalizing itself: creative agencies, talent management firms, social media platforms, content creation tools, and something called "creator adtech," which encompasses the measurement and marketplace technology that allows influencer content to function as a paid media channel.
ADWEEK said its judges would favor entries demonstrating "hard results" over vision, which suggests the publication has received one too many submissions heavy on ambition and light on arithmetic. Verifiable metrics, named campaigns, and clear timelines will be rewarded, the editors promised.
Nominations are open through December 7, with fees ranging from $175 for early birds to $275 for those who prefer deadlines to feel more urgent.
It is, in its way, a sign of the times: an industry that began with teenagers filming themselves in their bedrooms now has enough infrastructure to require its own trade honors for the grown-ups.
Original story published in Adweek: "ADWEEK Launches Inaugural Creator Economy Power List"