The Battle for the Soul of the Internet

<p>Today, we hear the story of Patreon, as told by cofounder and CEO Jack Conte. More pressing for our purposes as makers, however, is the driving belief Jack shares which is the beating heart of the creator economy -- or should be.</p><p>There's a coming fork in the road we'll face if we want to create for a living and thrive. The decision is embedded into the very name of the movement: creator economy. </p><p>I think the pendulum has swung too far towards the economy part, and we need to remember what this is for: finding ways to fund the work and lives of the creative people who make our world -- and our experience of it -- better. </p><p><strong>SHARE THE SHOW:</strong></p><p>Help others find Unthinkable in their favorite podcast player by sharing this link: <a href="https://pod.link/jay">https://pod.link/jay</a></p><p><strong>SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER:</strong></p><p><a href="https://jayacunzo.com/newsletter">https://jayacunzo.com/newsletter</a></p><p>Every Friday, I send a new idea, story, or framework for crafting more resonant work to thousands of subscribers, ranging from entrepreneurs, freelancers, and independent creators, to marketers and leaders at brands like Adobe, Red Bull, Shopify, Salesforce, the BBC, Wistia, HubSpot, Drift, ProfitWell, a16z, and the New York Times.</p><p><strong>VOICES IN THIS EPISODE:</strong></p><ul><li>Jack Conte, cofounder and CEO of Patreon -- <a href="https://twitter.com/jackconte" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/jackconte</a></li></ul><p><strong>SPONSOR: Riverside</strong></p><p>Riverside is the easiest way to record podcasts and videos in studio quality, from anywhere. Record separate audio tracks to avoid the cut-outs, optional video to enhance the show’s experience, and even clip content for sharing elsewhere, all without leaving the platform. Riverside is powerful enough to be used by Marvel, the NY Times, TED, Freakonomics, Indie Hackers, GaryVee, and Guy Raz, but simple enough for thousands of indie creators and new podcasters to use it for their shows.</p><p