Empowering Creativity: Building Businesses and Jobs In Europe’s Creator Economy

For centuries, Europe has been a cultural powerhouse, exporting its art, theatre, job literature and music to all corners of the world. From Renaissance masterpieces to the symphonies of Beethoven, Europe’s creators have shaped the way countless individuals we picture and experience the world.

Today, this tradition continues, however in a greatly different landscape. The digital age has transformed how material is produced and shared, democratising the tools of development and breaking down old barriers to gain access to. Anyone with a smart device and a spark of imagination can now become a material producer and reach a global audience.

Platforms like YouTube have ended up being main to this new ecosystem. These platforms not only empower creators to share their stories, but also drive economic growth and community structure in methods unimaginable just a few years ago. Today’s creators are not restricted to the beauty salons of Paris or the auditorium of Vienna – they are reaching millions from home studios, transcending borders with a single upload.

In 2022, YouTube’s innovative ecosystem alone included over EUR5.5 billion to the GDP of the EU27 – and supported more than 150,000 full-time comparable tasks. According to Oxford Economics, 7 out of 10 European developers who make money from YouTube agree that the platform helps them export their content to global audiences which they would not access otherwise.

We need to motivate the work that young developers are doing, and support platforms and creators alike

This changing landscape was the focus of a recent discussion at the European Parliament in Brussels, where policymakers and YouTube creators came together to explore the profound effect of the developer economy. By examining how platforms like YouTube are reshaping the creative environment, the event highlighted the capacity for European creators to not only captivate but to create tasks and reinforce Europe’s cultural footprint worldwide.

Zala Tomašic, an EPP MEP from Slovenia and a member of the CULT Committee, kicked off the conversation with a personal story, revealing that she had when harboured aspirations to be a “YouTube star”. As a child she created a channel, however her aspirations fell at the first hurdle when she realised quite just how much knowledge is needed across editing, sound, lighting, recording, and marketing for content creation. “Companies use big departments to do what a creator does on their own, all by themselves,” she kept in mind.

Gaspard G – another of the attendees – was more effective in his attempts at building a profession on YouTube. G began posting on YouTube at the age of 10, and soon started his own channel, covering a mix of politics and current occasions. Since then, his channel has actually grown to more than 1.1 million subscribers. He is also the founder of a creative media agency, representing developers on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn.

Earlier this year, he was designated Secretary General of the Union of Influence Profession and Content Creators (Union des Métiers de l’Influence et des Créateurs de Contenus, or UMICC), the very first professional federation devoted to the influencer sector in France. In his speech about becoming of a successful developer, he highlighted the increasing power and responsibility of YouTube developers, a few of whom progressively surpass traditional media outlets in reach. This brings with it duty to professionalise, he said. Alongside supporting and representing influencers, UMICC intends to create recognition and ethical requirements for online creators, to bring it into line with other recognised professions.

MEP Tomašic worried that, while policy-makers need to deal with some obstacles such as data defense and the spread of mis- and dis-information, they should not forget the “big positive elements” that platforms like YouTube bring. “They produce an environment where people can access details, get rid of barriers to the spread of knowledge, and open extraordinary opportunities for employment and development,” she stated, keeping in mind how numerous business owners and small businesses utilize these platforms to reach more comprehensive audiences and developing their brand names while creating new task opportunities. Additionally, she kept in mind how social networks continues to amplify advocacy and awareness on social issues, supplying an effective tool to mobilize neighborhoods and drive change.

To ensure Europe realises its possible as a global center for creativity, she advised policy-makers to do more to support digital skills development. “We need to increase the digital literacy abilities. We need to purchase the digital area. We need to encourage the work that young creators are doing, and we need to support platforms and developers alike,” she added.

Veronika Cifrová Ostrihoňová MEP, a previous journalist, echoed these ideas, but revealed her issues about the role of social media in spreading out misinformation. “Despite the fact that social networks is a fantastic tool for us to utilize, it’s simply a tool,” she said. “We require to take on concerns like misinformation, disinformation, and algorithmic blind spots.”

David Wheeldon, Managing Director and Head of EMEA Government Affairs and Public Policy at YouTube, highlighted the platform’s distinct position in the innovative economy. YouTube not only offers a space for creators to share their work but also drives financial and community development. are not simply developing careers for themselves. As Gaspard G shows, they are also forming the future of media by creating tasks and constructing whole media companies and sectoral organisations. As Wheeldon highlighted, YouTube creators in Europe are reaching a global audience, with 65% of their watch time originating from outside the continent. This broad reach presents an opportunity for European developers to purchase their culture and creativity, extending their impact worldwide.

Looking ahead, YouTube is checking out innovative ways to assist creators reach even larger audiences. Wheeldon announced the approaching expansion of AI tools, such as YouTube Aloud, which utilizes AI to dub creators’ voices into other languages. “We are going to release YouTube Aloud in increasingly more languages in Europe, where AI will take your voice and lip sync and you will be talking in another language,” he explained. “We have actually got five languages up and running, and we’re going to build that with time. This creates a huge opportunity for all creators in Europe to gain access to audiences across the continent and beyond.”

The event highlighted the need for policymakers to acknowledge the capacity of the creator economy and promote an environment that nurtures digital skills. MEP Tomašic kept in mind that the imaginative economy offers youths a special chance to turn their passions into professions. “60% of Generation Z and millennials desire to turn their hobbies into a profession,” she said, highlighting the sector’s significance to future job markets.

By investing in digital literacy and supporting platforms that empower creators, Europe can strengthen its position as a worldwide hub of creativity and innovation. As MEP Tomašic concluded, the developer economy isn’t practically private success – it has to do with constructing a vibrant, sustainable cultural and financial ecosystem that benefits all of Europe.