Empowering Creativity: Building Businesses and Jobs In Europe’s Creator Economy

For centuries, Europe has been a cultural powerhouse, exporting its art, theatre, literature and music to all corners of the globe. From Renaissance work of arts to the symphonies of Beethoven, Europe’s developers have shaped the way millions of people we imagine and experience the world.

Today, this legacy continues, but in a significantly different landscape. The digital age has actually changed how content is produced and shared, democratising the tools of production and breaking down old barriers to gain access to. Anyone with a smartphone and a spark of creativity can now end up being a material producer and reach a worldwide audience.

Platforms like YouTube have become central to this new community. These platforms not just empower creators to share their stories, but also drive economic growth and employment neighborhood building in methods unimaginable simply a few years earlier. Today’s developers are not restricted to the hair salons of Paris or the show halls of Vienna – they are reaching millions from home studios, transcending borders with a single upload.

In 2022, YouTube’s creative ecosystem alone added over EUR5.5 billion to the GDP of the EU27 – and supported more than 150,000 full-time comparable tasks. According to Oxford Economics, 7 out of 10 European creators who generate income from YouTube concur that the platform helps them export their content to worldwide audiences which they would not access otherwise.

We need to encourage the work that young creators are doing, and assistance platforms and developers alike

This altering landscape was the focus of a recent discussion at the European Parliament in Brussels, where policymakers and YouTube creators came together to explore the extensive effect of the . By taking a look at how platforms like YouTube are reshaping the innovative ecosystem, the occasion highlighted the capacity for employment European developers to not only entertain however to create tasks and reinforce Europe’s cultural footprint worldwide.

Zala Tomašic, an EPP MEP from Slovenia and a member of the CULT Committee, began the discussion with a personal story, exposing that she had once harboured ambitions to be a “YouTube star”. As a child she produced a channel, however her aspirations fell at the very first hurdle when she realised quite just how much expertise is required across editing, noise, lighting, recording, and marketing for content production. “Companies employ big departments to do what a developer does on their own, all on their own,” she noted.

Gaspard G – another of the guests – was more effective in his attempts at developing a profession on YouTube. G started posting on YouTube at the age of 10, and quickly started his own channel, covering a mix of politics and current events. Since then, his channel has actually grown to more than 1.1 million subscribers. He is also the founder of an imaginative media firm, representing creators on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn.

Earlier this year, he was designated Secretary General of the Union of Influence Profession and Content Creators (Union des Métiers de l’Influence et des Créateurs de Contenus, or UMICC), the very first expert federation devoted to the influencer sector in France. In his speech about becoming of a successful creator, he highlighted the increasing power and obligation of YouTube developers, a few of whom significantly go beyond traditional media outlets in reach. This brings with it obligation to professionalise, he said. Alongside supporting and representing influencers, UMICC aims to produce recognition and ethical requirements for online creators, to bring it into line with other acknowledged professions.

MEP Tomašic worried that, while policy-makers must address some difficulties such as data protection and the spread of mis- and dis-information, they must not forget the “substantial positive aspects” that platforms like YouTube bring. “They produce an environment where people can access information, get rid of barriers to the spread of knowledge, and open incredible chances for employment and development,” she stated, keeping in mind how numerous entrepreneurs and small companies use these platforms to reach more comprehensive audiences and developing their brands while developing new task chances. Additionally, she noted how social media continues to amplify advocacy and awareness on social concerns, providing an effective tool to set in motion communities and drive modification.

To ensure Europe realises its prospective as an international center for creativity, she urged policy-makers to do more to support digital skills development. “We require to increase the digital literacy skills. We require to purchase the digital space. We require to encourage the work that young creators are doing, and we require to support platforms and developers alike,” she included.

Veronika Cifrová Ostrihoňová MEP, a former journalist, echoed these concepts, however revealed her issues about the role of social media in spreading false information. “Although social media is a terrific tool for us to use, it’s simply a tool,” she said. “We require to deal with problems like false information, disinformation, and algorithmic blind spots.”

David Wheeldon, Managing Director and Head of EMEA Government Affairs and Public Law at YouTube, highlighted the platform’s special position in the imaginative economy. YouTube not only provides an area for creators to share their work but also drives economic and neighborhood advancement. Creators are not simply building careers for themselves. As Gaspard G programs, they are likewise shaping the future of media by producing jobs and developing entire media business and sectoral organisations. As Wheeldon highlighted, YouTube creators in Europe are reaching an international audience, with 65% of their watch time coming from outside the continent. This broad reach presents an opportunity for employment European creators to invest in their culture and imagination, extending their influence worldwide.

Looking ahead, YouTube is checking out innovative ways to help creators reach even larger audiences. Wheeldon revealed the approaching expansion of AI tools, such as YouTube Aloud, which uses AI to dub developers’ voices into other languages. “We are going to release YouTube Aloud in increasingly more languages in Europe, where AI will take your voice and lip sync and you will be talking in another language,” he explained. “We have actually got five languages up and running, and we’re going to build that in time. This creates an enormous opportunity for all creators in Europe to access audiences across the continent and beyond.”

The event underscored the need for employment policymakers to acknowledge the potential of the creator economy and foster an environment that supports digital skills. MEP Tomašic noted that the creative economy uses youths a special opportunity to turn their passions into professions. “60% of Generation Z and millennials wish to turn their hobbies into a profession,” she said, highlighting the sector’s significance to future job markets.

By investing in digital literacy and supporting platforms that empower creators, Europe can strengthen its position as a global hub of imagination and innovation. As MEP Tomašic concluded, the creator economy isn’t practically private success – it has to do with developing a vibrant, employment sustainable cultural and financial ecosystem that benefits all of Europe.