Content monetization and career opportunities will be high on the agenda as Kenyans join the global community to celebrate the International Creators Day.
The celebrations will be held at the University of Nairobi on April 23rd and is expected to pull together more than 2,000 social media influencers and several public and private institutions.
The International Creators Day is a global initiative established to celebrate the significant contribution that digital content creators have made to the lives of people around the world.
It acknowledges the entrepreneurship of career creators and their ability to inspire, entertain, and educate communities worldwide.
Announcing the celebrations, the International Creator Day Kenya Coordinator and the Kenya Social Media Awards (SOMA) Director, Mr Martin Muli, said the event will give creators, brands and industry service providers a platform to meet and interact through exhibitions and conferences.
“We have designed the event to be one of the largest convergence of creators, brands and content creation enablers in the region.
“It will bring together renowned content creation thought leaders, experts and practitioners to deliver quality sessions.”
The major highlight of the celebrations will be a conference where industry thought leaders, experts and practitioners in the creator space will explore different global and local trends through different sessions held at the conference.
Content monetization, engagement, tools and equipment, brand influencing, and creator start-up financing are some of the topics to be explored at the conference.
Representatives from leading digital platforms,creator management agencies and industry brands have confirmed attendance.
The event will include an exhibition where industry enablers will showcase latest innovations, equipment and new tools for creators.
There will also be a Creators Studio where people will walk in and create content instantly.
Leading mobile telecommunications service provider, Safaricom and the University of Nairobi are some of the institutions that have confirmed their participation with Safaricom as the anchor sponsor.
Safaricom’s Chief Consumer Business Officer, Fawzia Ali, said it’s time to empower and up-skill the creators who bring our favorite stories, art, and content to life.
“This celebration creates endless possibilities for established and upcoming content creators.
“Young people can monetize their content and at the same time become valuable talent with skills that are relevant in the modern workplace.
“Through our youth platform Safaricom Hook, we are at the forefront of collaborating with the youth and empowering them to pursue their passions.”
Last year, the mobile services provider launched Safaricom Hook, a platform that seeks to empower the youth by leveraging the power of technology.
The platform focuses on three hooks; technology, career and culture, to nurture and support the aspirations of Gen Z demographic and transform their lives by being a technology enabler.
University of Nairobi’s Corporate Affairs Director Mr John Orindi said: “We are at the forefront of digital transformation and in the lookout for opportunities that will empower our students with modern skills that will give them a competitive edge in the job market.
“We want our students and the lecturers to be part of the emerging creator economy that presents employment and entrepreneurship opportunities.”
Kenya’s digital content creator economy has grown significantly over the past few years with creators monetizing and sharing their work with larger audiences.
Memes, videos, vlogs, live streams, blogs, courses,photos, comics, games, infographics and apps are examples of content that have become popular as content making continues to become a sought-after professions in the country.
The creator economy has mushroomed and is expected to grow even more in the coming years, according to a study published by Goldman Sachs in 2023.
The research shows the 50 million global creators will grow at a 10-20% compound annual growth rate during the next five years.
Only about 4% of global creators are deemed professionals, meaning they pull in more than US$100,000 a year
Creators earn income primarily through direct branding deals to pitch products as an influencer; via a share of advertising revenues with the host platform; and through subscriptions, donations and other forms of direct payment from followers.
Brand deals are the main source of revenue at about 70%, according to survey data.
