- 17
- Episodes
- Weekly
- Cadence
- 2026
- First episode
About Creator CTRL
A podcast about what's happening in the creator economy.
- Publisher
- With Aim
- Category
- business · news · technology
- Language
- en
- Explicit
- No
- First episode
- 9 Oct 2026
- Latest episode
- 2 Nov 2026
Latest episodes
17 episodes in the feed.
2 Nov 2026
Show What You Did in Your Portfolio
A finished image can hide the decision a client could hire you to make. Coco and Jonathan work through a fictional poster caption: name your contribution, show one constraint and decision, and separate delivered work from outcomes you can actually support.Three practical takeaways, an explicit before-and-after example, and a proposed clarity check. UX portfolio guidance is the source; applications to other creative work are illustrative, not proven client-acquisition results.Written companion: Show What You Did in Your Portfolio (https://withaim.beehiiv.com/p/show-what-you-did-in-your-portfolio) (November 2 noon Africa/Algiers).Previous edition: Make the Next Session Smaller (https://withaim.beehiiv.com/p/make-the-next-session-smaller), with a four-line planning example.Sources: Google UX design portfolio tips (https://services.google.com/fh/files/misc/ux_design_portfolio_tips_19.pdf); Nielsen Norman Group, 5 Steps to Creating a UX-Design Portfolio (https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ux-design-portfolios/). Checked November 2, 2026. This episode includes AI-generated content.
30 Oct 2026
Make the Next Session Smaller
A creative session can disappear into deciding where to begin. Coco and Jonathan examine Michael Bierut's 100-day design assignment, then work through three practical choices: define a visible unit, choose a prompt rule, and separate making from publishing. Includes a concrete bakery-video example, limits of daily challenges, and a four-line plan to try.Historical examples are sourced; the practical adaptations are proposed exercises, not tested results.Today's written companion: Make the Next Session Smaller (https://withaim.beehiiv.com/p/make-the-next-session-smaller) (scheduled for the same noon release).Thursday's edition: Give Your Readers a Useful Job (https://withaim.beehiiv.com/p/give-your-readers-a-useful-job) — choosing a small useful task for early readers.Sources: Michael Bierut, Five Years of 100 Days (https://designobserver.com/five-years-of-100-days/); The 100 Day Project guidance (https://www.the100dayproject.org/about). This episode includes AI-generated content.
28 Oct 2026
Give Your Audience a Route
A complete portfolio or lesson can still leave newcomers unsure where to start. Coco and Jonathan use Harry Beck's Underground diagram to explore three practical moves: choose one audience task, keep decision-changing details visible, and watch somebody try the route without a guided explanation. Historical example: Beck's diagram was drawn in 1931 and first issued in 1933. These creator exercises are our proposed adaptations, not methods he prescribed or tests we conducted. Also mentioned: Tuesday's newsletter, The Film That Started as a Test, on using a small experiment to answer a specific creative uncertainty: https://withaim.beehiiv.com/p/the-film-that-started-as-a-test Companion written edition, scheduled for October 28 at noon Africa/Algiers: https://withaim.beehiiv.com/p/a-map-built-for-the-passenger Sources: London Transport Museum: https://library.ltmuseum.co.uk/portal/Default/en-GB/RecordView/Index/106 TfL Corporate Archives, Research Guide 24: https://content.tfl.gov.uk/research-guide-24-harry-beck.pdf This episode includes AI-generated content.
26 Oct 2026
The Half Hour Before the Word Count
Anthony Trollope’s famous writing quota leaves out a quieter part of his morning: half an hour rereading the work already on the page. Coco and Jonathan explore what that changes about returning to an unfinished project, and some practical ways to leave yourself an easier restart. Source: Anthony Trollope, An Autobiography, Chapter XV: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/5978/5978-h/5978-h.htm This episode includes AI-generated content.
23 Oct 2026
Who Sets the Clock on Your Creative Work?
A supporter expects one bill. A creator expects room to make the work. Coco and Jonathan follow a 3D-printing team’s billing surprise, Patreon’s approaching migration deadline and Bandcamp’s recurring sales days to ask what a payment actually promises. Sources: https://www.patreon.com/PatreonforCreators/posts/how-ill-gotten-141293908 https://support.patreon.com/hc/en-us/articles/27992352573069-How-to-move-from-per-creation-to-subscription-billing https://blog.bandcamp.com/2025/12/03/bandcamp-fridays-return-in-2026-with-more-opportunities-to-support-independent-music/ Written companion: https://withaim.beehiiv.com/p/the-price-was-clear-the-bill-was-a-surprise This episode includes AI-generated content.
21 Oct 2026
He Charged People to Sharpen a Pencil
David Rees really sharpened the pencils. Coco and Jonathan follow the cartoonist’s unlikely service, the customers who wanted something different from what he expected, and the delivery work behind a memorable offer. A historical creator-business story about what people actually want to receive—not a promise that novelty makes a profitable business. Companion newsletter: https://withaim.beehiiv.com/ Sources: The Erasable Podcast interview, September 23, 2014: https://scribe.erasable.us/episode/015/ CultureMap interview, April 2012: https://austin.culturemap.com/news/innovation/04-12-12-12-49-talking-to-professional-pencil-sharpener-david-rees-on-his-new-handbook-his-upcoming-visit-to-book-people-and-the Time Out, April 2012: https://www.timeout.com/newyork/things-to-do/how-to-sharpen-pencils This episode includes AI-generated content.
19 Oct 2026
He Wrote Four Books in Secret
Four secret novels, an audience that trusted the author, and the work waiting after the reveal. Coco and Jonathan follow Brandon Sanderson’s 2022–2023 story, with a detour into the awkwardness of announcing a project before you have tried making it.An evergreen story, not a new campaign announcement.Companion reading: Creator CTRL newsletter (https://withaim.beehiiv.com/p/he-wrote-four-books-in-secret).Sources State of the Sanderson 2022 (https://www.brandonsanderson.com/blogs/blog/state-of-the-sanderson-2022) Kickstarter: How the campaign worked (March 2022) (https://updates.kickstarter.com/how-brandon-sandersons-kickstarter-project-broke-the-bookish-internet/) State of the Sanderson 2023: fulfillment and operations (https://www.brandonsanderson.com/blogs/blog/state-of-the-sanderson-2023)
18 Oct 2026
Your Channel Can Have an Ending
Coco and Jonathan follow Tom Scott’s finite England series into a familiar creator dilemma: when does a little project become a promise to keep posting forever? A relaxed conversation about finishing things, leaving room for lunch, and deciding what comes next. This is a current case study, not a breaking announcement. Read the companion Creator CTRL newsletter for the budgeting and scheduling questions: https://withaim.beehiiv.com/p/your-channel-can-have-an-ending Sources: https://www.tomscott.com/england/ https://www.tomscott.com/ https://www.tomscott.com/newsletter/2026-03-16/ https://www.tomscott.com/newsletter/2026-07-20/
15 Oct 2026
Who Made the Song You Love?
You love the song. Then you notice how it was made. Does that change anything? Coco and Jonny get into YouTube Music’s new labels for AI-generated songs, fictional musicians, awkward song recommendations, and why an artist’s story can matter as much as the sound. For the details on what YouTube’s disclosure rules cover, read Creator CTRL: https://withaim.beehiiv.com/ Sources: YouTube’s October 14 announcement: https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/youtube-music-ai-labels/ YouTube disclosure guidance: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/14328491 How content disclosures work: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/15447836
14 Oct 2026
Your Next Viewer Won’t Search Like You
A blurry haircut photo, a room that sounds like a bathroom, and the words people use before they know your craft. Coco and Jonathan explore why your next viewer might describe a problem very differently from you—and what YouTube’s conversational search expansion does and does not tell us. The everyday scenarios are imagined examples, not reported creator experiences. Read the companion Creator CTRL newsletter for the practical written version: https://withaim.beehiiv.com/ Source: YouTube, October 12, 2026 — https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/ask-youtube-web-mobile-tv/
13 Oct 2026
Your Next Business Might Start as a Favor
Derek Sivers built a way to sell his own music. Friends asked for help, their friends started calling, and a buyer saw an opportunity he had missed. Coco and Jonny follow the small requests that became CD Baby—and the awkward line between a favor and another job. A historical story from Sivers’s first-person accounts, not a review of CD Baby today. Creator CTRL newsletter: https://withaim.beehiiv.com/ Read the companion edition for practical ways to assess a recurring request without overcommitting. Sources: https://sive.rs/ayw3 https://sive.rs/changeplan https://sive.rs/ayw4
12 Oct 2026
Your Audience Didn’t Sign Up for This
What happens when you finally find an audience—and want to make something else? Coco and Jonny follow an imagined apartment-makeover creator weighing a new direction, with a small detour into disappointing sandwiches and suspicious chairs. A relaxed conversation about creative freedom, audience expectations and trying something before announcing a whole new identity. Companion newsletter: https://withaim.beehiiv.com/p/your-audience-didnt-sign-up-for-this Sources: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/16541080?hl=en ; https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/youtube-executives-share-strategies-on-channel-pivoting/830850/ The apartment-makeover creator is an explicitly imagined scenario. This is an evergreen discussion, not breaking news.
11 Oct 2026
Your Old Videos Are Not Dead Yet
Your best work might still be waiting for its audience. Coco and Jonny follow the story of Nathan Apodaca, a broken-down car and the Fleetwood Mac song that found a new generation. Then they get into YouTube’s plans to give older videos another chance—and why something old to you can be brand new to everyone else. A bonus conversation about second chances, the things we nearly don’t post, and the strange timing of being discovered. Want the details behind the conversation? The companion Creator CTRL newsletter explains what YouTube announced, what creators can use and where the limits are: https://withaim.beehiiv.com/p/your-back-catalog-is-about-to-wake-up Read more: https://withaim.co/youtube-back-catalog-reactivation/ Sources: https://ottawa.citynews.ca/2020/10/09/with-dreams-and-juice-idaho-man-finds-online-fame/ https://www.wlrn.org/2020-10-11/tiktok-sensation-meet-the-idaho-potato-worker-who-sent-fleetwood-mac-sales-soaring https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/made-on-youtube-new-tools-power-creation-journey/ Nathan’s story is from 2020; YouTube’s announcement is from September 2026. Tool availability and results vary. No song or third-party interview audio is included. This episode includes AI-generated content.
11 Oct 2026
More Views Won’t Pay Your Rent
Millions of views. A much smaller bank balance. Coco and Jonny follow the problem that led musician Jack Conte to cofound Patreon, then ask what being watched actually means when you're trying to keep making things. A story about attention, the people who come back, and a hypothetical frog whose business plan gets slightly out of hand. Historical creator story; no new Patreon launch is being announced. Read the companion Creator CTRL newsletter for the sources and a clearer look at reach, repeat interest and sustainable support: https://withaim.beehiiv.com/p/more-views-wont-pay-your-rent Sources: https://www.patreon.com/about https://kk.org/thetechnium/1000-true-fans/ https://news.patreon.com/articles/state-of-create
10 Oct 2026
Claude Can Animate Your Ideas
An animated arrow does not need a backstory. Your next creative decision might. Coco and Jonny unpack Claude Motion, Claude Dashboards and YouTube’s recent brand-partnership changes: three stories about making work, measuring what matters and keeping a say in where your recommendations travel. Expect bread, questionable charts and a return ticket for your own voice. The Claude announcement is dated October 8; the YouTube announcement is September 23, revisited as context. Creator examples are explicitly hypothetical. Read the Creator CTRL newsletter for access details, useful tests and the commercial questions behind the stories: https://withaim.beehiiv.com/p/... (https://withaim.beehiiv.com/p/claude-can-animate-your-ideas) Sources: Anthropic: Dashboards and Motion, October 8, 2026 — https://claude.com/fr/resource... (https://claude.com/fr/resources/articles/dashboards-and-motion) YouTube: Creator monetization and brand partnerships, September 23, 2026 — https://blog.youtube/news-and-... (https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/made-on-youtube-creator-monetization-shopping/) Creator CTRL — Create like yourself. Operate like a team. This episode includes AI-generated content.
10 Oct 2026
Your Weird Side Project Might Work
A hobby website. Readers with questions. A book that found a much bigger world. Coco and Jonny follow Andy Weir’s unusual route to The Martian, and the small audience requests that can open a new door without taking the steering wheel. A lighthearted conversation about side projects, useful feedback and making your work easier to enjoy. Creator CTRL — Create like yourself. Operate like a team. Read the companion newsletter: https://withaim.beehiiv.com/p/... (https://withaim.beehiiv.com/p/your-weird-side-project-might-work) Go deeper: https://withaim.co/andy-weir-c... (https://withaim.co/andy-weir-creator-audience-feedback/) Historical case study, not a new platform announcement. Sources: Andy Weir explains his path to publication: https://www.goodreads.com/ques... (https://www.goodreads.com/questions/226332-i-ve-heard-that-the-martian-had-a-very) Sandia interview with Andy Weir, October 2, 2015: https://www.sandia.gov/labnews... (https://www.sandia.gov/labnews/2015/10/02/the-martian/) NASA Gravity Assist interview, 2017: https://science.nasa.gov/solar... (https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/gravity-assist-science-science-fiction-with-andy-weir/) Penguin Random House author biography: https://www.penguinrandomhouse... (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/184612/andy-weir/) This episode includes AI-generated content.
9 Oct 2026
The Dream Trap
Spotify’s October 20 Memberships change is a reason to fix the promise before adding more things to your plate.
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