Who actually pays for a creator? - Isabella Tarsitano

An audience doesn't always translate into income. For the first episode of CROSS, we're joined by TikTok creator and filmmaker Isabella Tarsitano to talk about making money as a creator, working with brands, finding your niche, and what happens when your followers don't financially support the projects you care about most. From turning a $300 content gig into an ongoing brand partnership to the challenges of crowdfunding her short film, Isabella breaks down the business behind building an audience. Recorded live at Omni House in Los Angeles, followed by questions from the creators in attendance. *EXPLORE CROSS* Website: [https://crossforcreators.com](https://crossforcreators.com) Instagram: [  / crossforcreators  ](  / crossforcreators  ) TikTok: [  / crossforcreators  ](  / crossforcreators  ) Creator opportunities, casting & events: [https://crossforcreators.com/links](https://crossforcreators.com/links) Work with CROSS: [https://crossforcreators.com/apply](https://crossforcreators.com/apply) Apply to be a podcast guest: [https://crossforcreators.com/podcast](https://crossforcreators.com/podcast) *FOLLOW ISABELLA* TikTok: [  / lesbibella  ](  / lesbibella  ) Instagram: [  / isabella.tarsitano  ](  / isabella.tarsitano  ) *CHAPTERS* 00:00 Welcome to CROSS 01:46 How Isabella built her audience 02:58 Finding your niche 04:38 How creators actually make money 07:54 What brands look for in creators 09:04 Getting people to watch and engage 10:48 Trends, sounds, and the algorithm 17:10 Dealing with online hate 19:08 Crowdfunding a film with your audience 22:36 When to turn down a brand deal 27:28 Audience Q&A *ABOUT CROSS* CROSS helps creators and brands build, manage, and monetize their audiences. Through technology, strategy, creative production, and partnerships, we help turn attention into real business opportunities. The CROSS Podcast features conversations with creators, entrepreneurs, artists, and people building interesting things. Filmed at Omni House, Los Angeles. #CROSS #CreatorEconomy #ContentCreators