Bartlett's Disney dream will test the reach of the creator economy

Venture capitalists are striking more deals with influencers, but do they have the right business models to rival Hollywood, asks Stephen Armstrong

- Stephen Armstrong

When Steven Bartlett, Dragons' Den judge and host of podcast The Diary of a CEO, raised an undisclosed eight-figure sum from venture capitalists and angel investors last week, it surprised the UK media. But for analysts, it was just the latest rush of capital towards the so-called creator economy.

Bartlett said when announcing the deal that he wants to be a modern Disney, "but in our world, the IP is not a fictional character. The creator is the new franchise."

Content creators are an increasingly valuable commodity, with revenue from ads, brand deals and sponsorships expected to increase by 20% this year, according to WPP Media, attracting more revenue than traditional media in the agency's estimate. This is expected to more than double to £286bn by 2030.

"Advertising returns have declined and there's a lot of brand frustration with social advertising," says Charles Nicholls, co-founder and CEO of SimplicityDX, which links creators directly with brands. "Fee returns going down, cost per 1,000 impressions are going up. Creators offer content which is more authentic [and] drives better conversions."