How I've Helped Creators Think Like Businesses

Bridging corporate strategy and online culture — and why both matter

By Steve Sharpe

Over the years, I’ve built a career in digital and creative marketing, and prior to that revenue growth, playing a leading role in campaigns for some of the world’s biggest blue chip biggest brands. Alongside that, here and there over evenings and weekends, I’ve taken on a quieter stream of work: consulting with digital creators in fitness, music, and entertainment.

It’s a space I’ve grown into naturally. And it’s taught me a lot about where structure meets creativity, and where strategy can make all the difference.

Creators have reach. But they don’t always have structure.

Many of the creators I support have large audiences, strong platforms, and impressive momentum — but little of the underlying infrastructure to build something sustainable. They’re talented, visible, and growing fast. But like any business, growth without structure can lead to confusion, burnout or missed opportunity.

That’s where I come in.

Strategy, not spectacle

My background is in digital and creative marketing, working across major accounts for brands like Microsoft, Stellantis, and the John Lewis Partnership. I also studied law for four years, and spent time freelancing as a digital consultant — which opened up a different kind of door.

That journey took me from traditional agency work into more unconventional projects, including:

• Supporting Versace with the launch of their Mercury sneaker range

• Handling product placement and social content for Dutch Barn Orchard Vodka in an Ed Sheeran music video

• Advising Armz Korleone, a well-known fitness creator and combat athlete, on brand rebuilding, platform strategy and long-term growth - see Armz Korleone here

This work isn’t about managing talent. It’s about adding value through structure, clarity and strategic thinking — and doing it quietly, with trust and alignment.

What I bring

I help creators with:

• Sponsorship structure and negotiation

• Legal thinking around IP and rights

• SEO and content strategy

• Platform optimisation

• Partnership architecture

• And most importantly, clear thinking under pressure

Some have management. Others don’t. But nearly all benefit from someone who can help them shift from reactive to intentional — and stay focused on the long game.

Why it matters

The creator economy is growing. Fast. But not evenly. I’ve seen creators undersell themselves, lose momentum, or end up in difficult contractual situations simply because no one brought the right expertise at the right time.

When you apply the same kind of commercial thinking used by large brands — adapted for the creator economy — the results can be transformative. A platform becomes a business. A moment becomes a model.

And because I understand both sides — creative energy and commercial structure — I’m able to support without slowing people down.

Where this fits into my career

This work has always run alongside my core career in digital and creative marketing. It began during my freelance years and has continued since. Sometimes it’s brand-facing. Sometimes creator-facing. Always strategic.

It’s helped me stay grounded, too. I’ve worked across both boardrooms and backstage dressing rooms, in pitch meetings and post-fight locker rooms. And I’ve found that whether you’re a brand director or a creator, the same truths apply: clarity wins. Relationships matter. And structure unlocks potential!