🔥 A Spike in Hidden Connections Hits Creatorland

Last week, hundreds of creators reconnected with old friends and industry contacts, sparking new deals and fresh opportunities.

From brand partnerships to collabs, your hidden network shows up in a big way. If you haven’t reached out yet, now’s the perfect time. A quick message could turn into your next big win.

Already took action? Tell us what happened. Your story could inspire the next creator to take that leap.

P.S. Need help getting started? Our updated VIP Connections Playbook includes new templates and outreach tips. Grab it below 👇

🏈 Schools Can Finally Pay Athletes: The $2.8 Billion Ruling That Changes Everything

A federal judge just approved the largest settlement in college sports history, and it's about to create chaos in ways no one is talking about yet.

For over 100 years, college athletes couldn't receive a dime beyond scholarships. That's over. Judge Claudia Wilken signed off on the House v. NCAA settlement Friday, meaning schools can now pay athletes directly—up to $20.5 million per school annually. Nearly $2.7 billion will flow to former players over the next decade.

But here's the part that should have every agency, brand, and creator paying attention: schools can offset their new salary burden by securing brand deals for their athletes.

We've been tracking this since the preliminary ruling dropped in October 2024. Since then, NIL directors at major conferences have been quietly preparing, recruiting with salary expectations in mind, building internal teams, and reaching out to agencies. The landgrab for expanding NIL deal flow is already well underway.

The Math That Changes Everything

Let's break down why schools are about to become desperate for brand partnerships:

Schools must pay roughly 22% of their media rights revenue to athletes as salaries. For a Big Ten school pulling in $40 million annually in media rights? That's $8.8 million in new salary costs—every year.

But here's the kicker: every dollar they secure in brand deals for athletes directly reduces that salary obligation. Land $3 million in NIL deals? Your $8.8 million burden drops to $5.8 million.

This isn't about fairness anymore. It's about survival. Schools that don't master brand partnerships will get priced out of competitive athletics.

What's Coming Next (And It's Going to Get Messy)

Based on our conversations with NIL directors across major conferences, here's what we're seeing:

Schools Are Scrambling for Solutions Most athletic departments know nothing about creator marketing, pricing talent, or managing brand relationships. They're desperately seeking partners who can help them navigate this new world, and the major agencies are already licking their chops.

The Agency Wars Have Begun Top agencies are already forming internal task forces to represent top conference schools. This isn't their traditional expertise, but the money is too big to ignore. Expect Publicis, Ogilvy, and WPP to start aggressively pitching schools on comprehensive NIL representation deals.

Brands Will Get Flooded Brand & Agency Marketers, for better or worse, your inbox is about to explode with outreach from schools and agencies pushing athletic talent. Unlike traditional creator marketing, there's no standardized pricing, no clear performance metrics, and no established best practices. It's the Wild West.

Why This Matters to Digital Creators

This kicks off (see what I did there 🥾🏈) the creation of a net new creator class with built-in institutional backing:

A New Talent Pool Emerges Student-athletes will now have a brand deal pipeline fueled by their university, and with that an increased financial incentive to build personal brands and social media presence (even before they make it to college). The backup kicker with an emerging TikTok following might suddenly be earning more than the star quarterback with no on-screen charm or stage presence.

Infrastructure Needs Explode Schools need creator economy tools they don't have: talent discovery platforms, campaign management software, pricing standardization, creative development capabilities. The first platforms to solve this will capture a massive market (hint hint).

Creative Opportunities Multiply Agencies working with traditional creators will find new opportunities in athletic talent. But they'll need to educate themselves on NCAA compliance, academic schedules, and the unique constraints of student-athlete partnerships. I also expect that we’ll see some pricing normalization occur as we have with every other major creator vertical, something in my opinion required for the NIL industry to be adopted by the existing creator/influencer brand buyers.

The Land Grab Is Already Happening

We're witnessing the real-time professionalization of college athletics. Schools that were recruiting based on facilities and coaching staff are now factoring into recruiting NIL earning potential. Athletes will be and are making education decisions based on which programs can deliver the most lucrative brand partnerships and/or salaries, we’re in a completely new era now of college athletics.

The schools that master building internal creative capabilities, developing agency partnerships, and creating systematic approaches to organizing their talent & brand development will dominate recruiting and competitive success.

For creators, marketers, and agencies reading this: the opportunity window is open, but it won't stay that way long.

The College Sports Commission launches this summer to oversee the new landscape. Schools start paying athletes July 1st. The 10-year, $2.8 billion settlement clock starts ticking now.

^{For the full article from the Associated Press at CNN, click here.}

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👋 Happy Networking!

~ Brian F.

Content We Referenced Today

1. Federal judge approves $2.8B settlement, paving way for US colleges to pay athletes millions - CNN

2. $2.8 billion House v. NCAA settlement: Game changer for college sports, but at what cost? - Badger Herald

3. Judge OK's $2.8B settlement, paving way for colleges to pay athletes - ESPN