essay: content creator lifespan

tom scott just posted his ten year "Goodbye" video and i've started thinking about content creator lifespans. tom created something wonderful and is stepping back from his consistency, but in his video, he outlines where he could have gone in the future if he continued down the road he was walking. eventually he would start hiring people full time, become a corporation, and eventually manage those people. this is very reminiscent of the smosh or rhett and link models where the main content creators foster a content community. tom is walking down a different path and stepping back.

this event is very reminiscent of other artists that i really respect, people who have stepped back from the creative journey because they had run the course. people who have stepped back because they have achieved what they want with the art project. bill waterson, creator of calvin and hobbes. watsky, musician. arguably jenna marbles. those are artists who were ok closing a chapter and subsequetnly have gone down in history as respected artists. i thouroughly believe that tom scott has now joined that list.

we're still learning what the lifespan of a 'successful' content creator is during modern times. i think it's something that's ever evolving with the mediums that must be pursued to maintain relevancy, but there are models that are being watched and people who are innovating in their career paths. as mentioned, smosh/rhett and link are creating talent pools and a brand, the founders are still active, but building a creative community around them as they age and become less relevant. ludwig (livetreamer) has founded offbrand and other companies that will outlast him while he sunsets.

there are content creators who still act as individual media creators such as trisha paytas. so far there is no proven path to lead to glory. every significant content creator's journey will be different, but what i can say with confidence is that tom scott has just become one of the greatest content creators of all time.