Representatives Yvette Clarke (D-NY) and Beth Van Duyne (R-TX) launched the bipartisan Congressional Creators Caucus on Thursday, which aims to support the creator economy.
Though it once seemed like a pipe dream to make a living on the internet, this industry has become a reality — Oxford Economics estimates that YouTube’s ecosystem alone powered over 390,000 full-time equivalent jobs in 2022, while Goldman Sachs estimates that the creator economy could be worth half a trillion dollars by 2027.
But the U.S. government doesn’t have much regulatory oversight or understanding of the creator economy as it stands, leaving creator businesses in a bind.
“As digital content creators’ online presence continues to reach billions globally, Congress must work to ensure resources and protections are in place to support their success in this new era of start-ups,” Representative Clarke said in a statement.
Matthew Patrick (MatPat) and Stephanie Patrick, who founded the popular digital production studio Theorist Media, spoke at a press event for the launch of the caucus. The husband and wife duo have spent over a year lobbying on Capitol Hill to advocate for creators’ needs.
“We’re trying to educate lawmakers about what the creator economy is, and that it’s an actual job and that we are actually small businesses, and as a result, there are certain tax codes and things that apply to small businesses,” Matthew Patrick (the creator known as MatPat) told TechCrunch last year. “Even when you talk to accountants, they’re like, well, are you though? Because there’s not a clear indicator on tax forms — like, what is a creator business?”
The Patricks have also pushed to point out that the creator economy isn’t an industry confined to the coasts, in entertainment industry hotspots like New York City and Los Angeles — rather, it’s an industry that needs support across the nation. Theorist Media and MrBeast, the most popular YouTubers in the world, are both based in North Carolina. Meanwhile, John and Hank Green have used their success on YouTube to launch businesses like the educational media company Complexly, which has headquarters in Indiana and Montana.
Patreon and YouTube, two of the most vital companies that help creator businesses operate, have affirmed their support for the new caucus.
As a Patreon blog post explains, creators often build businesses without the same protections that more traditional businesses have, like insurance, disaster relief, and access to loans. Even startups like Karat Financial have sprung up to fill in some of these gaps, providing business credit cards and banking to creators who are often denied these services because legacy financial institutions don’t understand their businesses.
“Too often, creators are overlooked in economic policy discussions—despite being small business owners, employers, and cultural tastemakers in every congressional district,” explained Courtney Duffy, Patreon’s Head of External Affairs and Strategic Engagement, in a statement. “The bipartisan Congressional Creator Caucus is a crucial step toward recognizing their impact and ensuring they have a seat at the table in shaping the policies that affect their livelihoods.”
Amanda Silberling is a senior writer at TechCrunch covering the intersection of technology and culture. She has also written for publications like Polygon, MTV, the Kenyon Review, NPR, and Business Insider. She is the co-host of Wow If True, a podcast about internet culture, with science fiction author Isabel J. Kim. Prior to joining TechCrunch, she worked as a grassroots organizer, museum educator, and film festival coordinator. She holds a B.A. in English from the University of Pennsylvania and served as a Princeton in Asia Fellow in Laos.
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