Founder Isaac Hayes III Believes Content Creators Should View Themselves In The Same Regard As A Television Network
Fanbase Founder Isaac Hayes III wants content creators to understand their worth.
The pendulum is swinging in favor of the creator economy.
According to Forbes, the top creators on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube generated $853 million in revenue, excluding brand deals and other income streams, marking an 18% increase from 2024.
Collectively, these creators amassed 3.4 billion followers, a 24% jump from the previous year. By 2030, the number of creators is projected to grow from 67 million to 107 million.
As AI’s influence grows across industries, content creation is expected to become even more streamlined and efficient, fueling further revenue growth.
This year’s list included fashion creator Wisdom Kaye, who generated $5 million in revenue in 2024, AFROTECH™ previously reported.
Kai Cenat is also listed, taking the 28th spot, with a reported $8.5 million in earnings. Cenat is well known for organically growing his presence on Twitch, which currently has 18.2 million followers.
Cenat is known for subathons featuring Druski and Kevin Hart, as well as Streamer University, a boot camp for streamers.
His impressive follower count and high engagement have caught the eye of major television networks, which have approached Cenat with offers. Yet, he declined any offers that would have taken his concept off Twitch, where he earns nearly $400,000 a month, according to Complex.
For Hayes, this is a reminder that today’s creators don’t need to sell their ideas to television networks — because they are the network.
“Consider yourself a television network, consider yourself the same way that Kai Cenat considers himself as he’s a network, but the big separator between what he does and these other legacy media platforms is he’s doing it inside a community infrastructure like Twitch,” Hayes said on the “Black Tech Green Money” podcast hosted by Will Lucas.
Fanbase
Hayes is also among the changemakers making it easier for creators to benefit from their work and connect further with their community.
Through his social media company Fanbase, creators can produce and monetize their content from day one, whether through video, photos, audio, or stories.
“It takes the average content creator six months to earn their first dollar on other social media platforms. We have people earning a dollar in minutes on Fanbase the day they sign up. And it’s not by even subscriptions, it’s from people actually tipping them for their content for something that you say in an audio room or a comment that you leave on a post or something that you say in a dm,” Hayes said during the podcast episode.
The platform is also free to join and uniquely allows creators to also secure a stake in the platform for a minimum amount of $399 for an investment that is “speculative, illiquid, and involves a high degree of risk, including the possible loss of your entire investment.”
Hayes reveals the platform is nearing $13 million in its latest round, bringing its total equity crowdfunding to $27 million, which he claims is a first for a Black founder.
“We’ve made history and I want to continue to make history. I want to continue to be disruptive,” Hayes expressed.
Watch The Full Episode
To check out the full conversation with Hayes, click here.
