Name: JIC Speaker Series: Unlocking the Creator Economy
Start: 2026-04-20T17:30:00-05:00
End: 2026-04-20T19:30:00-05:00
Location: 1 E Jackson Blvd

JIC Speaker Series: Unlocking the Creator Economy

Join us on Apr. 20th for a panel discussion with three professionals in the content creation industry.
About this Event

ABOUT

The creator economy is a $250B industry rewriting how media gets made, distributed, and monetized. This Speaker Series event brings together insiders from every angle: an exec who launched YouTube Beauty, an editor making architecture go viral for millions, and a strategist behind one of the internet's most-watched channels. Whether you want to work at a platform, join a creator's team, or build your own audience from scratch, this conversation is for you.

SPEAKERS

Chanel Tyler - Beauty & Fashion Creator; Former YouTube/Google & Estée Lauder Executive.

She built YouTube's Beauty vertical, executive-produced Beauty Fest, and drove over $2M in commerce through Collective Voice, proving that creators are both influencers and business builders. Chanel has operated at the highest levels of both the corporate and the creator side and she's here to break down what that looks like.

Evan Montgomery - Editor & Producer, Stewart Hicks YouTube Channel.

Three years deep into one of YouTube's most distinctive channels, Evan handles everything from concept to motion graphics to final cut. A DePaul Film & TV grad, he's a firsthand guide to what it takes to build a real career making videos for a living.

Eric Villa - Head of Content Strategy, MKBHD's The Studio.

Eric shapes the content strategy for one of YouTube's biggest creators and recently produced a 90-minute documentary on life inside MKBHD. A DePaul grad, he knows what skills one needs to thrive in a creator workplace in this emerging industry.

MODERATOR

Nathan Graber-Lipperman - Writer, Publisher & Founder, Powder Blue Media.

Nathan has spent five years embedded in the creator world as a journalist and community builder. He publishes Creator Mag, has hosted panels at VidCon, and has interviewed the biggest names in the business. As someone who bridges reporting and creating, Nathan understands both the opportunities and challenges of building a career in this rapidly evolving industry.