Dear Philanthropy, Reimagine What Creators Can Dream Of
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We are witnessing a massive wave of consolidation across entertainment, media, and technology right before our very eyes. It begs the question: what is the role of individuals and institutions? For efficacy, agency, and innovation.
What we deem to be true and the “parties” that we deem to be legitimate (government, private conglomerates, news anchors, etc.) are constantly being re-evaluated in the modern media ecosystem.
Historically, when we think of the ability to break barriers and innovate in American society, the idea (“myth”) that we are sold is that our breed of capitalism allows for unbridled innovation. In reality, what we are truly inventing is the audacity for imagination. To dream.
(Almost) Anyone Can Have A Platform
Enter the great equalizer: a phone in your hand and the ability to be a one-hit (or more) wonder in the social media sphere. A single viral TikTok can propel you into a career that lands you on the front cover of TIME Magazine. Likely only if you gamify the algorithm right, post consistently and constantly, and learn the language of translating your content for brands.
As we see a deep distrust and skepticism around legacy institutions, people treat the creators that they watch as trusted sources, voices of reason, communal trendsetters, and… friends.
Our parasocial relationships convince us that we know them and are entitled to access, even if what they divulge is a filtered highlight reel at best.
To understand digital ecosystems, we must account for the individual creator's personal prerogatives, fears, and hopes, as well as the institution's distribution of wealth, access, and opportunity through brands, fellowships, and grants. A creator’s risk appetite, privilege, and livelihood on these platforms are often at odds with what they actually want to spend time on: their creative pursuits, their ambitions for their own image and likeness, and their ability to scale projects they care about.
The role of philanthropic entities is to give creators the freedom to imagine. To take risks. And to co-create culture rather than taking the backseat.
Culture eats policy.
Yet the roles of the institution and the individual have been fundamentally flipped in an age of tech warfare, AI, and automation. Online subcultures operate with their own language to communicate: idiosyncrasies around specific emojis, subversive create-mode posts, screenshots from the group chat. It is a constant reminder that human communication cannot be defined by rigid institutions. Culture is held and shaped by our collective reactions to order and disorder (the chaotic good kind), by the humor in the comment section, by absurdist comedy used as comic relief, and by the way audiences remix and reinvent trends.
The role of philanthropy is not to ideate; it is to platform and enrich through unrestricted belief. The best brief a creator can ever receive is no brief at all. Philanthropic organizations can place control back in the hands of creators, enlisting their imagination and audience to amplify passion projects.
Today, creators consistently lack access to physical third spaces, capital for their projects, and ownership of their IP.
As unregulated AI breeds fear and the cost of everyday living rises, we are collectively experiencing a loss of agency. The normative reality we exist in is defined by disappointment with the status quo, while the underbelly of the public market tells us we are simply struggling to survive.
What can philanthropy do to help us thrive?
Launching the Creator Dream Factory.
What dreams can we conjure? What imaginative hopes can we fulfill? What rent costs can we cover?
Historically, philanthropy has aligned with the mandates of a small set of individuals, letting pedigree and proximity to wealth define legitimacy rather than lived experience. Creators understand their audiences because their connection is rooted in shared lived experiences. They understand the real-time feedback of a comment section, know why a video gets more shares than likes, and hold a laundry list of ideas they are too scared to pursue due to cost barriers, shadowbanning, and censorship.
My reckoning to funders is this: the main barrier to entry is a lack of belief. We have allowed superfluous engagement metrics and quantified ROI to dictate reality rather than indexing on what is possible. We literally choose to feed the machine, appease the algorithm, and maximize output—leading to burnout and digital fatigue—rather than pursuing unfiltered storytelling.
This is the real cost creators face:
- The cost of real-world responsibilities and basic essentials.
- The cost of lacking third spaces and community hubs to convene and collaborate.
- The cost of emotional labor and digital distrust.
How do we fund a dream pipeline for people with a platform? How do we empower them to tell the stories of immigrant grandparents, celebrate the joy of a meal at a local bodega, or share vulnerable experiences in trusted physical spaces?
It starts by reimagining what is worthy of our time, energy, and capital.
The new media ecosystem is changing storytelling. TikTok thought leaders “greenscreen” legacy media headlines and provide their own commentary (“POV”) on world news. That is modern day information sharing.
Creators post their date debrief on TikTok before they even share it with their friends in the group chat. That is modern day group therapy.
Food creators share everyday sustainable practices for recipes and the comments are flooded with people testing the recipe the very next day. That is modern day cooking shows.
We owe it to ourselves to innovate internally and externally to match the speed of culture. Trends evolve second by second, distrust of institutions increases day by day, and creators are yearning for permission to just create without worrying about their next brand deal.
It is time to reimagine ROI as a Return on Innovation and Imagination. Fund the pop-up series. Co-launch projects with creators. Embed yourself in the cultural ecosystem across media, entertainment, sports, and gaming. Because if Knicks in 5 taught us anything, it is that people want to experience joy in person with friends and strangers alike. Making dreams come true is possible and we don't need to wait 53 years to champion creators differently.
About the Author
Shaina Zafar co-founded the largest and most popular Gen Z marketing agency, which was acquired by United Talent Agency in March 2024. She also leads Good Neighbors, a community-based project to bring together cross-sector thought leaders on cultural topics with support from Doris Duke Foundation. She spends her time at the intersection of new media and creators for purpose-driven campaigns.
She is a graduate from the University of Pennsylvania and wrote her thesis on impactful ESG practices for businesses. She now serves on the Doris Duke Foundation Creator Advisory Board and Penn Young Alumni Board.
She has spoken for major brands like Mondelez, L'Oréal, and KPMG as well as conferences like the CES and Cannes Lions. She has been quoted in the likes of The Washington Post, Teen Vogue, Ad Age, Adweek, Wall Street Journal, and Business of Fashion.
Follow her @shainazafar.
