A total of 77% of Gen Z and 61% of Millennials actively seek financial advice or information online or through social media platforms, according to a recent Intuit Credit Karma study. However, after analyzing over 2,400 stock-related videos across platforms, Social Capital Markets found that 71% of the financial advice young adults consume is misleading.

This glaring statistic reveals a market failure that needs to be addressed, and two major players have decided to tackle this daunting task.

In February, Fuse Media partnered with the Singleton Foundation for Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurship to launch ProfitHub, a financial education media brand that collaborates with credible financial creators to produce entertaining, accurate content distributed across Fuse Media’s and Singleton’s streaming platforms, TV networks, and social media channels.

Patrick Courtney, Chief Business Officer at Fuse Media, explains how uncovering a critical insight became a catalyst for their strategy: “We know that attention broadly is shifting from institutions to individuals.” 

This observation forms the foundation of ProfitHub’s approach to closing the widening financial literacy gap.

“These social platforms reward engagement more than they do accuracy or the credibility of the information,” Patrick explains. “There are some great financial creators. But we felt that there was an opportunity to start to bring some sort of credible layer to all of this.”

The team observed that financial literacy has become a major concern. As Patrick notes, “When you dig into financial literacy, the gap in financial literacy rates is just getting wider.” 

This challenge exists despite the explosion of financial creator content over the past several years—creating an environment where young adults struggle to distinguish credible advice from content optimized primarily for engagement.

Creator-Centered Strategy: Trust Through Authentic Voices

To address the said challenge, ProfitHub needed to diverge from traditional financial education initiatives. Rather than positioning the brand as the authority, ProfitHub collaborates with creators who already have established relationships with audiences.

“We have made a concerted effort to bring in people who do have credibility,” explains Mitch Lewis, one of ProfitHub’s development leaders who previously created award-winning digital content for Comedy Central. “We’ve got Ross Mac (Maconomics), Yanely Espinal, Chris Browning (Popcorn Finance), and Paco de Leon – these are all people who have a history of working in various aspects of the financial sector.”

What makes this strategy distinctive is the selection criteria for these creators. In addition to expertise, ProfitHub prioritizes relatability. 

Steve Elliott, who previously oversaw digital development at Comedy Central and now works on ProfitHub, notes: “Many of the people we’re working with aren’t coming from wealth. They might be the first in their family to attend college or the first generation to build financial stability.”

Content Formats: Entertainment with Substance

ProfitHub’s content strategy leverages the team’s extensive background in entertainment to develop formats that make financial topics engaging without sacrificing accuracy.

Mitch describes an example called “Show Me Your Ride,” which explores car ownership—”one of the biggest purchases that most people will make in their lives.” The format takes inspiration from popular social media formats, where people ask to see apartments or clothing, and this familiar approach is applied to financial education.

The development process draws on multiple sources: “We’re coming up with ideas, working with the Singleton folks. They are bringing ideas to the table. And as we talk to more and more creators, we’re like, ‘What have you got?'” Steve explains, adding that this collaborative approach ensures content remains both entertaining and substantive.

Importantly, these formats are designed to counter the “get rich quick” mentality prevalent in online financial content. 

As Patrick emphasizes: “Don’t believe everything you see. There’s so much FOMO. Like I should be doing better than I am, there are all these rich people around me or this person. ‘If I just got into crypto in the right way, I could be making millions of dollars.’”

Distribution Strategy: Extending Creator Reach

A significant value proposition ProfitHub offers creators is access to Fuse Media’s extensive distribution network. 

As Patrick explains, “Fuse Media has been in the entertainment business for over 20 years. We have two pay TV networks, seven streaming networks, and our own digital and social footprint.”

This multi-platform distribution strategy enables content to reach audiences across different environments. Content initially developed for digital and social platforms through both ProfitHub and Singleton Foundation channels can extend to streaming environments via Fuse’s FAST (Free Ad-Supported Television) channels. 

The team also creates formats suitable for linear television through Fuse’s pay-TV networks while developing potential branded content opportunities that span these platforms.

For creators who may have specialized in one platform, this integrated approach provides visibility across a broader ecosystem, potentially reaching an audience that might otherwise be inaccessible. 

“Our pay TV networks combined, all of those platforms together reach over 50 million monthly viewers,” Patrick notes. “And that’s where we think we can also be very helpful for creators who maybe have specialized in one platform or another.”

The Psychology of Financial Education

What distinguishes ProfitHub’s method is its recognition of the psychological barriers to financial education. 

Mitch articulates this insight: “If I’m hearing financial advice from a financial expert who’s maybe got millions of dollars in the bank, I may aspire to be like that person. But I also have to face my insecurities… With comedians and other entertaining talent, there’s usually some level of humility or relatability that makes it a little easier to receive whatever the insights are.”

Steve adds: “We’re working to destigmatize talking about money. Comedians are natural storytellers, and like everyone else, they’re navigating the ups and downs of personal finance.”

This perspective informs not only who delivers the content but also how it’s framed. Rather than presenting financial expertise as something inaccessible, ProfitHub frames it as an ongoing journey that anyone can undertake.

Measuring Impact and Future Vision

For measuring success, Mitch notes that “historically, Singleton has worked with focus groups where they are actually tracking the degree to which the insights they’re sharing through their content are being received and integrated by the audiences that are tuning in.”

The team pictures expanding beyond digital content in the future. As Mitch shares, “We envision a future where there are events that we’re hosting and maybe even conventions where we’re bringing people together, where we’re able to track all kinds of things. We want this to be a community where people are sharing.”

They also see significant opportunities in the corporate sector. “Fortune 500 companies have not only a responsibility to make sure that the money they’re paying their staff populations is going to good use, but it’s also in their best interest,” Patrick explains. “We want to start to bring financial creators into this world where we think there’s going to be a lot of opportunity.”

As the financial literacy gap continues to widen, ProfitHub offers a model for how media companies, mission-driven organizations, and creators can collaborate to produce content that is both entertaining and informative.

“We’re just getting started,” says Patrick. “We’re looking to work with more creators, looking for partnerships, looking for people that share the same mission as we do.”