The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) has introduced a new degree in Digital Media Influence designed to equip students with practical content creation and audience engagement skills. The program covers key areas such as media strategy, digital marketing, and analytics to drive online influence, preparing students for careers in content creation, digital media, and related fields.
In parallel, YouTube has launched learning programs aimed at helping creators enhance their skills in video production, content strategy, and audience development. These programs focus on essential areas such as video editing, consistency in content delivery, and monetization strategies, providing creators with tools to succeed in the rapidly evolving digital landscape.
Both the UTSA degree and YouTube’s programs address the growing demand for skilled creators who can merge creativity with technical and business knowledge to succeed in the creator economy. The rest of this article explores insights from industry professionals who offer perspectives on the key skills required to thrive in this rapidly evolving field.
As marketing strategies become more digital-centric, there will be an even greater emphasis on data. Students who have an understanding of both the creative and analytic side of marketing will be best positioned to succeed in the creator economy.
It all starts with content on every social platform. First, decide what your content will focus on—what’s your niche or theme? Then, determine your content format: will you create long-form videos, YouTube Shorts, or a mix of both? Next, consider who will be editing the content—will you handle it yourself, or hire an editor?
It’s also essential to decide how often you’ll create and post new content. Consistency is key, especially if you’re treating YouTube as a business. That’s where a content calendar comes in—it helps you stay organized, plan ahead, and ensure you’re posting regularly to keep your audience engaged.
For creators, I’d say the most important skill is storytelling. The ability to capture your audience’s attention, help them relate to you, and elicit an emotional response to your content. Bad editing with great storytelling still does well.
The second most important skill in my opinion would be experimentation. You have to be able to take a systematic approach to trying new things and measuring what works versus what doesn’t. Even the best video editor in the world will eventually feel stale if they can’t try new things and keep their content fresh.
The third most important skill is probably video editing. And not necessarily flashy edits, but just the ability to create engaging video that maintains attention. Combine that with great storytelling and innovating over time, and you’ve got a winner.
As a content creator who recently used ChatGPT to write a 27-page thesis in just 39 minutes, it’s clear that traditional academic programs are falling behind. Schools and universities are still teaching outdated methods that don’t align with the rapid pace of today’s AI-driven world. The creator economy is evolving faster than ever, and academic institutions need to catch up.
The critical skills that aspiring creators and creator economy professionals need aren’t just creativity and strategy—they need to master AI tools that are redefining content creation. Schools should focus on:
AI Integration: Academic programs must adapt by integrating AI into their curriculums, teaching students not just how to use these tools but how to leverage them to maximize efficiency and creativity.
Real-World Applications: Instead of outdated theories, programs should focus on real-world applications of AI in content creation, like using AI to speed up research, scriptwriting, video editing, and even audience analysis.
Rapid Adaptation and Innovation: The speed at which I completed a thesis showcases the gap between traditional education and the demands of the creator economy. Programs need to teach adaptability and the ability to innovate quickly using AI, equipping students with the skills to stay ahead in an ever-changing landscape.
If schools want to remain relevant, they must embrace these AI-driven changes, moving away from old-school methods to equip aspiring creators with the skills they actually need in today’s digital age.
Aspiring creators are not just artists—they’re entrepreneurs and business leaders. Academic programs should focus on concrete skills that equip creators to manage the complexities of this career. Essential skills include mastering video editing tools like CapCut and Final Cut Pro, understanding budget management, taxes, and forming and managing content creation teams. Additionally, negotiation and sponsorship management, pitching to brands, contract reading, and developing effective monetization strategies are critical areas that every creator should be well-versed in.
Beyond the technical skills, the classroom should cultivate a community where students are encouraged to collaborate and explore content creation together. This creative flow, similar to the way we foster collaboration within REACH, is essential for empowering students to create content and leverage each other’s strengths. Universities can play a complementary role alongside organizations like REACH, which provides passionate social media enthusiasts access to opportunities and resources that help them thrive in the creator economy. By integrating these elements into academic programs, institutions can legitimize content creation as a true career path.
First off, I love seeing universities modernize their course offerings and programs. Often, smaller institutions are the first to introduce innovative courses and degrees—take FIT in New York City as an example. Larger universities tend to test the waters by gauging student interest before expanding their offerings. Teaching aspiring creators fundamental skills like Accounting/Finance, Contract Law (including digital usage rights and copyright law), content creation tools, digital production, and distribution is invaluable. More specialized knowledge, like Digital Media Buying, understanding Measurement & Analytics, and marketing, are essential creator skillsets.
Universities are having a harder time staying relevant and this degree in Digital Media Influence at UTSA directly addresses that. Whether you want to become a successful content creator or work at a PR company, marketing agency, talent agency or media company this degree will help tremendously. You really don’t need to take a high-level math course or know anything about Shakespeare if you want to kill it as a content creator or work at YouTube or Instagram one day. So this makes so much sense. With a focus on moving an audience to take action there’s a ton of value in understanding the psychology of media and persuasion digitally speaking. Even if you want to be an attorney at Meta or Snapchat one day this degree will make you a stronger participant in the creator economy.
A degree like this melds the desires of many parents to have their kids get a degree and the child/student who wants to become a content creator or work in the creator economy space. Probably one of the best ideas I’ve heard in a long time is this degree. I think we’ll see more and more universities add degrees like this and if they don’t they’ll lose tuition dollars to those universities that will offer them for students wanting to enter the exploding creator economy space. This new degree is a shot across the bow to universities – get with the program or get left behind.
Content creation can be a full-time job involving many parallel processes, and to succeed, creators need to blend creative, business, and digital skills. Therefore, key areas of courses can focus on multimedia production, platform-specific expertise, and audience engagement strategies.
Knowledge of social media marketing and analytics can also help creators identify the main trends and grow their online presence. Not forgetting about business skills—financial literacy and monetization strategies can increase not only reach but also profits. In content creation, it is also vital to have an understanding of laws and regulations, namely intellectual property rights, to prevent content theft.
It’s pretty interesting to see higher education begin to offer learning options for the creator economy because it’s historically been such a self-taught industry. My candid opinion is that if someone doesn’t have the drive to learn how to create their own audience, then I’m not totally convinced going a higher education route will be beneficial.
With that said, I’d probably focus on helping them understand story structure because that’s applicable to all levels of being a creator. I’d also spend some time on the business side. Most creators are not familiar with running a business, the intricacies of that, taxes, etc., and I’d make sure there’s some curriculum educating them on how to run a small business.
I still believe that if someone is going to end up becoming a creator, then they need to have some initiative and drive to do so. And that’s not something higher education can necessarily teach.
There’s the basic stuff like ideation and how to do research for content pillars, consistent editing and visual language, and understanding algorithms. But I think an equally important yet overlooked point is cultivating the right creator mindset to make this path emotionally sustainable and healthy.
David Adler is an entrepreneur and freelance blog post writer who enjoys writing about business, entrepreneurship, travel and the influencer marketing space.
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The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) has introduced a new degree in Digital Media Influence designed to equip students with practical content creation and audience engagement skills. The program covers key areas such as media strategy, digital marketing, and analytics to drive online influence, preparing students for careers in content creation, digital media, and related fields.
In parallel, YouTube has launched learning programs aimed at helping creators enhance their skills in video production, content strategy, and audience development. These programs focus on essential areas such as video editing, consistency in content delivery, and monetization strategies, providing creators with tools to succeed in the rapidly evolving digital landscape.
Both the UTSA degree and YouTube’s programs address the growing demand for skilled creators who can merge creativity with technical and business knowledge to succeed in the creator economy. The rest of this article explores insights from industry professionals who offer perspectives on the key skills required to thrive in this rapidly evolving field.
Josh Rosen, CEO, TRG Sports & Entertainment
As marketing strategies become more digital-centric, there will be an even greater emphasis on data. Students who have an understanding of both the creative and analytic side of marketing will be best positioned to succeed in the creator economy.
Jim Silver, CEO, FamFluence
It all starts with content on every social platform. First, decide what your content will focus on—what’s your niche or theme? Then, determine your content format: will you create long-form videos, YouTube Shorts, or a mix of both? Next, consider who will be editing the content—will you handle it yourself, or hire an editor?
It’s also essential to decide how often you’ll create and post new content. Consistency is key, especially if you’re treating YouTube as a business. That’s where a content calendar comes in—it helps you stay organized, plan ahead, and ensure you’re posting regularly to keep your audience engaged.
Josh Norris, Founder & CEO, Josh Norris Consulting
For creators, I’d say the most important skill is storytelling. The ability to capture your audience’s attention, help them relate to you, and elicit an emotional response to your content. Bad editing with great storytelling still does well.
The second most important skill in my opinion would be experimentation. You have to be able to take a systematic approach to trying new things and measuring what works versus what doesn’t. Even the best video editor in the world will eventually feel stale if they can’t try new things and keep their content fresh.
The third most important skill is probably video editing. And not necessarily flashy edits, but just the ability to create engaging video that maintains attention. Combine that with great storytelling and innovating over time, and you’ve got a winner.
Ruben Hassid, Founder, easygen.io & rubenhassid.ai
As a content creator who recently used ChatGPT to write a 27-page thesis in just 39 minutes, it’s clear that traditional academic programs are falling behind. Schools and universities are still teaching outdated methods that don’t align with the rapid pace of today’s AI-driven world. The creator economy is evolving faster than ever, and academic institutions need to catch up.
The critical skills that aspiring creators and creator economy professionals need aren’t just creativity and strategy—they need to master AI tools that are redefining content creation. Schools should focus on:
If schools want to remain relevant, they must embrace these AI-driven changes, moving away from old-school methods to equip aspiring creators with the skills they actually need in today’s digital age.
Dylan Huey, Founder & CEO, Reach
Aspiring creators are not just artists—they’re entrepreneurs and business leaders. Academic programs should focus on concrete skills that equip creators to manage the complexities of this career. Essential skills include mastering video editing tools like CapCut and Final Cut Pro, understanding budget management, taxes, and forming and managing content creation teams. Additionally, negotiation and sponsorship management, pitching to brands, contract reading, and developing effective monetization strategies are critical areas that every creator should be well-versed in.
Beyond the technical skills, the classroom should cultivate a community where students are encouraged to collaborate and explore content creation together. This creative flow, similar to the way we foster collaboration within REACH, is essential for empowering students to create content and leverage each other’s strengths. Universities can play a complementary role alongside organizations like REACH, which provides passionate social media enthusiasts access to opportunities and resources that help them thrive in the creator economy. By integrating these elements into academic programs, institutions can legitimize content creation as a true career path.
Dan Albert, Co-founder, 456 Growth Media
First off, I love seeing universities modernize their course offerings and programs. Often, smaller institutions are the first to introduce innovative courses and degrees—take FIT in New York City as an example. Larger universities tend to test the waters by gauging student interest before expanding their offerings. Teaching aspiring creators fundamental skills like Accounting/Finance, Contract Law (including digital usage rights and copyright law), content creation tools, digital production, and distribution is invaluable. More specialized knowledge, like Digital Media Buying, understanding Measurement & Analytics, and marketing, are essential creator skillsets.
Ramon Mendez, Co-Founder & CEO, Brand Army
Universities are having a harder time staying relevant and this degree in Digital Media Influence at UTSA directly addresses that. Whether you want to become a successful content creator or work at a PR company, marketing agency, talent agency or media company this degree will help tremendously. You really don’t need to take a high-level math course or know anything about Shakespeare if you want to kill it as a content creator or work at YouTube or Instagram one day. So this makes so much sense. With a focus on moving an audience to take action there’s a ton of value in understanding the psychology of media and persuasion digitally speaking. Even if you want to be an attorney at Meta or Snapchat one day this degree will make you a stronger participant in the creator economy.
A degree like this melds the desires of many parents to have their kids get a degree and the child/student who wants to become a content creator or work in the creator economy space. Probably one of the best ideas I’ve heard in a long time is this degree. I think we’ll see more and more universities add degrees like this and if they don’t they’ll lose tuition dollars to those universities that will offer them for students wanting to enter the exploding creator economy space. This new degree is a shot across the bow to universities – get with the program or get left behind.
Tachat Igityan, Founder and CFO, destream
Content creation can be a full-time job involving many parallel processes, and to succeed, creators need to blend creative, business, and digital skills. Therefore, key areas of courses can focus on multimedia production, platform-specific expertise, and audience engagement strategies.
Knowledge of social media marketing and analytics can also help creators identify the main trends and grow their online presence. Not forgetting about business skills—financial literacy and monetization strategies can increase not only reach but also profits. In content creation, it is also vital to have an understanding of laws and regulations, namely intellectual property rights, to prevent content theft.
Wes Elder, Founder, Creatorspace
It’s pretty interesting to see higher education begin to offer learning options for the creator economy because it’s historically been such a self-taught industry. My candid opinion is that if someone doesn’t have the drive to learn how to create their own audience, then I’m not totally convinced going a higher education route will be beneficial.
With that said, I’d probably focus on helping them understand story structure because that’s applicable to all levels of being a creator. I’d also spend some time on the business side. Most creators are not familiar with running a business, the intricacies of that, taxes, etc., and I’d make sure there’s some curriculum educating them on how to run a small business.
I still believe that if someone is going to end up becoming a creator, then they need to have some initiative and drive to do so. And that’s not something higher education can necessarily teach.
Andy Yong, Creator & Educator
There’s the basic stuff like ideation and how to do research for content pillars, consistent editing and visual language, and understanding algorithms. But I think an equally important yet overlooked point is cultivating the right creator mindset to make this path emotionally sustainable and healthy.