"Most Creators Won’t Make It. And the System Is Designed That Way"

A Creative Systems Essay Based on a Conversation with Ronald C. Pruett, Jr., Managing Partner at The Boston Associates.

There is a persistent belief at the center of the creator economy.

That with enough consistency, enough effort, enough time… most creators will eventually find their way.

It’s an easy belief to hold.
The platforms feel open.
The tools are accessible.
The success stories are everywhere.

But when you look more closely at how the system actually works, a different structure begins to emerge.

One where outcomes are not evenly distributed.
And more importantly, one where they were never meant to be.

Value Doesn’t Start With Creation

When asked what is actually driving value in the creator economy today, Ronald C. Pruett, Jr. doesn’t point to creators.

He points to platforms.

“What’s really driving the global Creator Economy today is the platform… which allows for new creative to be found and consumed.”

This distinction matters.

Because it reframes where value begins.

Platforms like YouTube are not just hosting content. They are doing what broadcast networks once did. Building audiences, enabling discovery, and creating monetisation pathways through advertising and subscriptions.

“The network was the infrastructure and distribution system… the underlying tenet was advertising and eventually subscription revenues.”

Creative work sits within that system.
But it is not the system itself.

Not Quite an Economy Yet

Despite its scale, the “Creator Economy” doesn’t fully function as an economy in the traditional sense.

Pruett offers a more precise framing:

“The ‘Economy of Creatives’ is likely a better term… it is inherently a diverse and disconnected world.”

Creators operate across different platforms, formats, and markets. But they are not deeply transacting with one another.

Money does not circulate within the creator layer in a meaningful way.

“Are creators paying other creators for their wares? Not really. And that is the definition of an economy where all are participating with each other.”

Instead, much of the financial value flows toward tools, platforms, and advertisers.

Which leaves creators participating in the system… without fully owning it.

Where Value Actually Concentrates

Across creative industries, one pattern continues to repeat itself.

Value concentrates.

And according to Pruett, this isn’t new.

“There’s something happening in the Creator Economy… the predictable phenomenon called the Power Law, a ‘winner-take-all’ market made up of hits and misses and a languishing middle class of creators.”

In systems like this, a small number of players capture the majority of attention, revenue, and influence.

Everyone else exists somewhere below that line.

Not because they aren’t creating.
But because the structure doesn’t distribute outcomes evenly.

The Middle Is Where the Tension Lives

Most conversations about the creator economy focus on the extremes.

At the top, you have breakout success.
At the bottom, early-stage creators just starting out.

But the real pressure sits in the middle.

Creators who are visible.
Active.
Consistent.

But not quite breaking through.

The Power Law doesn’t just elevate the top. It compresses everyone else.

And in that compression, sustainability becomes difficult.

Why the System Keeps Reinforcing the Same Winners

The concentration of value is not just structural. It is behavioral.

Platforms use algorithms to surface what performs well.
Audiences gravitate toward what is already popular.

Which creates a loop that is hard to break.

Even when platforms attempt to reduce reliance on top creators, the system resists.

“The platform algorithms will try to reduce dependency on certain stars… but audiences will demand more of a Mr Beast in a push and pull game.”

So while the mechanism evolves, the outcome stays consistent.

Attention recenters.
Visibility compounds.
And a small number of creators continue to dominate.

Access Is Open. Outcomes Are Not

One of the defining features of the current system is accessibility.

Anyone can create.
Anyone can publish.
Anyone can reach an audience.

But access does not equal success.

“Barriers to entry… are low. Anyone can launch… though most who do, drop out quickly. Why? Because it’s hard to become a hit.”

This isn’t a failure of effort.

It’s a reflection of how creative industries have always worked.

There are many participants.
But only a few outcomes that scale.

The Gap Between Impact and Income

Another layer of the system is the disconnect between cultural relevance and financial return.

Creative work can shape conversations, influence culture, and build audiences, without immediately translating into income.

“Frequency of exposure, mass distribution, and being able to monetize audiences determine when and if these impactful changes will drive financial returns.”

In some cases, global stars are able to close this gap quickly.

“Global cultural ambassadors… break through the noise and quickly close this gap becoming megastars.”

But for most creators, that gap remains.

More Creators, Same Outcome

There are more creators in the system than ever before.

More tools.
More access.
More output.

At first glance, this should expand opportunity.

But it doesn’t fundamentally change how value is distributed.

More creators means more competition for the same limited attention.

And in a system already defined by concentration, that pressure only increases.

Platforms as Gatekeepers

Platforms today are not just part of the system.

They are the system.

“Platforms today are the infrastructure, distribution and economic gatekeepers all rolled into one.”

This creates a dependency that creators have to navigate carefully.

Growth often requires platforms.
But reliance on them comes with trade-offs.

Which raises a critical question:

How much of your audience, your revenue, and your future can you actually control?

Africa’s Growth, Same Structural Reality

In emerging markets like Africa, creative output is expanding rapidly.

More creators are entering the system.
More content is being produced.
More global visibility is emerging.

But the underlying dynamics remain the same.

The challenge, as Pruett frames it, is not just participation. It is positioning.

“Creators are entrepreneurs… they find a way to give the market what it can bear.”

The opportunity is not just to create within existing structures.
But to build formats, products, and categories that fit the realities of the market.

What Happens If Nothing Changes

If structural gaps persist, the most immediate pressure point is creator sustainability.

“The inability of enough creators making a living… will be the first, most visible gap.”

But the system itself will continue.

Platforms are resilient.
Audiences will keep consuming.
And creators will keep creating.

“Creators will continue to create because that is what they do… earning a financial return would be warmly accepted, but a lack of it won’t stop many.”

An Incomplete System

For the creator economy to fully mature, it needs more than visibility and participation.

It needs structure.

It needs systems where value can be owned, tracked, and exchanged.

“When the Creator Economy has a sustainable model… that others believe they can invest in and trade in the future, then it will become its own standalone asset class.”

Until then, it remains in transition.

Expanding.
Evolving.
But not yet complete.

The Reality Beneath the Narrative

The creator economy is often framed as open, accessible, and full of opportunity.

And in many ways, it is.

But it is also shaped by concentration.

Driven by platforms.
Reinforced by behavior.
And structured in ways that limit how widely success can be distributed.

Which leads to a difficult but necessary conclusion:

Most creators will not reach the top.

Not because they didn’t try.
But because the system does not produce that outcome at scale.

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Credits

This article is based on a written conversation with Ronald C. Pruett, Jr., Managing Partner at The Boston Associates. He advises consumer and creator economy brands globally, with a focus on how value is created, distributed, and captured across evolving media and platform ecosystems.

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Written by Layo
Lead Editorial Writer, Creative Brief Africa

Outside of her editorial work, she writes Curious Health, a newsletter focused on everyday health questions, explored with clarity and care.