Sharing musings on the creator economy | Managing creators and helping them scale | Built and sold a newsletter

Brett Dashevsky is a founder, creator, and industry leading voice building at the intersection of tech, creators & culture.

He is the co-founder of Siftsy, the social insights platform analyzing comment sections to uncover the signals that drive culture and commerce. Brands and agencies use Siftsy to understand real audience sentiment, spot emerging trends, and make smarter decisions around campaigns, product direction, and business strategy.

Brett is also the founder of Creator Economy NYC, the country's fastest-growing media and events brand rooted in New York’s creative energy. What began as a small IRL gathering has evolved into a leading hub for creators, marketers, and platforms - hosting panels, mixers, curated dinners, and industry conversations that shape the future of the creator economy.

Previously, Brett served as Head of Content Creators at Kickstarter, where he partnered with top creators and teams to develop high-impact launches and guide them through the crowdfunding process. Before that, he built and sold a creator-led media brand, later leading content and monetization efforts across several creator-driven properties at the acquiring company.

A creator and marketer himself, Brett blends experience, insight, and execution - bringing both practical understanding and strategic clarity to every project he builds.

He regularly speaks at industry events and conferences, including Cannes Lions, SXSW, VidCon, Social Media Week, Observe Summit, and more, where he leads conversations on creator marketing, social insights, and the future of online storytelling.

For inquiries: brett@creatoreconomynyc.com

I curated a room of marketing leaders in NYC last week.

Three themes kept surfacing:

1️⃣ Clipping is becoming a big social strategy.

Not just “cut the podcast into shorts," but building systems around identifying moments.

The smartest social teams are asking, “How do we extract and scale what’s already resonating?”

That shift matters.

2️⃣ The Staples example.

One of the most talked-about marketing examples wasn’t a planned campaign at all.

An employee at Staples started posting TikToks highlighting in-store products and services in a very Gen Z native way.

And instead of shutting it down... Staples leaned in.

We discussed how the next breakout brand moment might already be happening inside your company.

But most brands are structured to control ideas, not recognize them.

Modern marketing isn’t just about creating fresh campaigns, it really is about spotting signal early… and having the courage to lean in.

3️⃣ Brands still need convincing when it comes to creators.

This one was interesting.

In PR conversations especially, traditional media validation still carries more weight internally.

Like the Forbes feature.

But amplification today doesn’t only live there. Of course, creators move culture faster and they drive action faster.

Yet many brands are still in “convince me” mode.

What stood out most to me overcall:

The industry is clearly shifting, but inside organizations, comfort levels haven’t fully caught up.

Oh how early we still are in this space! 

Grateful to everyone who joined us at our latest Marketing Innovators Dinner in NYC - co-hosted with Creator Economy NYC and Siftsy - and contributed to such a thoughtful evening.

If you’re building in this space... I’m curious: which of these feels most relevant in your world right now?

Photos from the night below 👇

Brett Dashevsky

Marketing Innovators Dinner - Feb 24

When I started my career at Capital One, I overheard something in a meeting that I still think about years later.

It was about how they approach the location of their cafes. 

They position them next to Apple stores, Lululemons... brands that already attract the exact customer they want. 

It's a deliberate proximity play.

And it's become one of the best marketing and life lessons:

Show up where the people you want to attract already are.

Digitally. Physically. Both.

For the marketers: you already know this. Channel selection, community building, influencer partnerships, it's all proximity strategy at its core. 

You're engineering closeness to the right audience.

But most of us don't apply the same logic to ourselves.

The events you attend, the communities you engage in, the conversations you show up for online... all of it is shaping the opportunities you can even see.

Your environment is doing quiet work on your ambition every day, whether you're paying attention or not.

And who you're surrounded by sets the ceiling on what feels possible.

Stop waiting for the right opportunities to find you. 

Position yourself where they already live.

I made it a goal to post more on Reels in 2026.

And if I’m being honest…

I’ve been slackin’.

Which is exactly why this feels timely.

Stan is launching their 30-Day Dare to Post Challenge starting Feb 17:

Post 30 days in a row and you’re eligible for part of their $100,000 prize.

The challenge runs Feb 17 (12am PST) through March 18 (11:59pm PST).

No excuses. Just show up. Consistently.

I’m joining.

And on Day 2 of the challenge, I'm hosting a live virtual fireside chat inside the Dare to Post community with Reels legend, Oren John.

Oren has grown to 600,000+ followers and posted 1,000+ days straight. That's a lot of consistency.

We’re breaking down together what’s actually working on Reels in 2026, what’s not, and how to think about consistency so it compounds.

If you’ve been meaning to get serious about Reels this year…

Join the Dare to Post challenge with me. And join our virtual event for motivation and strategy (happening inside the community below).

Link here: https://lnkd.in/e6GjPzVF

Let’s win Reels in 2026 👊

P.S. do me a favor and share this with someone who needs to join this challenge and event. rising tide lifts all boats

Here's what's actually driving Reels growth right now.

(Save this)

I sat down with Oren John - a creator who's posted a Reel every single day for 1,000+ days straight, built 1M+ followers across platforms, and didn't even start until he was 37!

Here are the 7 tactics he swears by 👇

7 Tactics for Growth on Reels - CENYC

Your dinner party is forgettable.

And you don’t know why.

It’s not the food... or the venue.

It’s that you sat people down too fast or didn’t set the room up for conversation.

I’ve hosted a lot of dinners for my two companies - Creator Economy NYC and Siftsy.

Some of the best conversations we’ve had with creators, marketers, and customers started at these tables.

The right room setup changes relationships.

Changed relationships change businesses.

If you’re hosting a dinner soon, these 3 things will make it memorable:

Influencer marketing lives in the comment section.

But most teams aren't analyzing them properly.

Every wrap report starts the same.

You’ve got: reach, impressions and engagement rate.

Then you hit the comment section.

Now you’re scrolling. Copy-pasting. Screenshotting.

A mess of a process.

But this is where the real value actually is.

Because comments tell you:

- If people trust the creator
- If there’s real buying intent
- If the campaign actually landed

The problem?

It’s slow. Manual. And it doesn’t scale.

There's a simpler way with Siftsy.

You still report the numbers, but now you understand the conversation behind them.

And that’s what stakeholders really care about. That's what wins and retains business.

🤔 How are you currently analyzing comment sections?

An influencer marketer’s guide to Siftsy

This is where the future of media is headed.


We’ve spent a decade optimizing for digital reach. 

Follower counts. Watch time. Click-through rates. 

And somewhere in there, we forgot that the moments people actually remember (the ones that create real loyalty) happen in real life.

IRL is having a renaissance. 

Not because online stopped working, but because everyone online is starting to feel the same.

The brands and creators who figured this out early are building a foundation of belonging.

And belonging doesn’t scale the same way content does. 

That’s exactly what makes it so powerful.

And that doesn't mean online is going away…

The future will look more like this:

IRL creates meaning. Digital extends it. Community sustains it.

Agree?

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