Shira Lazar

6 days ago | shiras-newsletter.beehiiv.com | Shira Lazar

Hey friends, Back from Cannes—and while there were yachts, panels, and plenty of rosé, here’s what actually stood out this year for creators and digital culture-watchers like me. This year, creators were the celeb sightings. Not just on panels or at brand villas— but in pitch meetings, CMOs’ dinners, and on the stages where big decisions are made. It was the most visible, active creator presence I’ve seen at Cannes. But while presence is progress, the infrastructure still hasn’t caught up.

1 week ago | shiras-newsletter.beehiiv.com | Shira Lazar

Every June, two events shape the state of digital culture: VidCon and Cannes Lions. On the surface, they couldn’t be more different— VidCon centers creators and their communities, while Cannes is filled with CMOs, brand execs, and industry power players mapping the future of advertising. But Cannes has been making moves into the creator space and basically following the money, launching a Creator Pass in 2024 and expanding its programming even more this year.

1 month ago | businessinsider.com | Manseen Logan |Shira Lazar |Henry Blodget

I first met Mark Cuban on a red carpet for a movie premiere I was covering as a young entertainment host. At the time, Mark was already a recognizable figure — not just for selling Broadcast.com to Yahoo during the dot-com boom, but as one of the faces of that entire era of internet-fueled wealth. He even made a cameo on "The Simpsons."Fast forward to 2011: I had just launched "What's Trending," one of the first live digital shows covering internet culture, and CBS News picked it up.

1 month ago | inc.com | Shira Lazar

The creator economy is booming—currently valued at over $250 billion and projected to reach nearly half a trillion dollars by 2027. With more than 200 million creators worldwide, this burgeoning industry is reshaping how we consume content, engage with brands, and even define entrepreneurship. Yet, beneath the surface of viral videos and brand deals lies a pressing issue: the mental health crisis among digital creators.

1 month ago | whatstrending.com | Shira Lazar

We talk about the highs of the creator economy all the time—brand deals, viral moments, the freedom to be your own boss. But we don’t talk enough about the mental health toll that comes with it. As someone who’s been in this space for over a decade, I’ve seen the emotional rollercoaster creators go through. The pressure to perform. The burnout. The loneliness that comes with tying your self-worth to an algorithm.