It wasn’t that long ago that a brand announcing a creator had taken up an internal role would’ve triggered an eye roll. Gemma Collins called herself creative director at Canva. Dhar Mann as the NFL’s chief kindness officer. Olivia Nell became “out of office” director at ASOS. Those examples were all recent, but something is shifting rapidly in the space.
But as CMOs and now CEOs start taking creators seriously and the creator budget expands, that’s shifting, along with creators’ ability to join the C-Suite in more meaningful ways.
In the spring, creator and comedian Jack Shane was made chief creative officer of German candy company Katjes, to help grow it in the U.S. Similarly, soft drink brand Cool Sips named reality TV star and creator Whitney Leavitt as its chief creative and brand officer. Cherub, an investment platform connecting creators with startups, named entrepreneur Nadya Okamoto as its chief creator officer earlier this summer, to help source deals.
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