About the map and how it is researched
I'm Janis Mjartans, and I made the Creator Economy Map to explain how creator businesses actually connect: who makes the work, who distributes it, who pays, and who does the work behind the scenes.
About Janis Mjartans
I founded Audience Monetize, and before that I worked as a creator, a freelance video editor and a Creator Success Manager at Fangage. Net Influencer wrote about why I built the first version of this map in July 2025. Net Influencer, July 16, 2025.
Find me on LinkedIn or visit Audience Monetize.
How to read the model
The map has 12 stakeholder groups and 102 relationships. Stakeholders are roles, so one company can sit in several. A relationship is a payment, a flow of content, a kind of influence or a service. Circle size, line length and position are layout, not market share.
Sources and selection
For the articles I prefer original research, company announcements and official guidance, with a link next to every claim. Dates say whether something was published, announced or completed. Forecasts are labelled as forecasts, and surveys keep their sample size.
The reading view on the home page is generated from the same data as the map panels, including my take on each stakeholder and the news links. The articles use a stricter set of checked sources: an older map entry is a lead for me to research, not proof on its own.
- Tools come from Creator Economy Tools, my other project. The tools Dive leaves out the Adult category.
- Brands come from two researched spreadsheets. Some entries show a brand that has sponsored creators, not one with an open application program.
- Platforms are a list I compiled by hand. Being on it says nothing about a platform's size and is not an endorsement.
- In the graveyard, tools with evidence of a shutdown are kept apart from tools reported dead that may still be running.
Browse the tools, brands and platforms on the map. They are big, curated lists, not complete counts of the industry.
Limits and corrections
Programs open and close, so re-check a brand's page before you pitch. Tool status, eligibility, prices and platform policies all change after I record them, and the map can't promise you a deal or an approved application.
If something is wrong, message me on LinkedIn with the map entry or article URL, what looks wrong, and a source for the correction. I genuinely appreciate it.
Dates and updates
These pages reflect research checked on October 22, 2026. They are dated references, not live reporting, so follow the linked sources for the current state of any policy, program or figure.
Reuse
I don't grant a reuse license here. Please ask me before republishing the map image or data. Company names and logos belong to their owners.
Changelog
- rewrote the articles in my own voice, added my take on each stakeholder and four new 2026 developments.
- prepared the static reading view, ecosystem guide, overview, introductory explainer and methodology.
- Net Influencer covered the first version of the map in the profile linked above.
Explore the interactive map, read the ecosystem guide, check the 2026 overview, or start with how it works.