DEAR PATREON
You may not remember me, but we go way back.
Like you, I’ve been helping creators earn a better living before the “Creator Economy” was a phrase. After being an independent touring musician myself, my first job in this space was at a company called Stageit, where we helped artists monetize live-streamed performances - a new concept at the time. We were too early, but gave hundreds of artists a new creative format and meaningful revenue source.
During my time at Stageit, one of our favorite artists on the platform, Jack Conte, launched a cool new company focused on helping creators with real communities earn a better living from their work. That was you, of course!
Since then, I’ve helped hundreds of creators with the planning, production and promotion of virtual events like livestreams, listening/watch parties and PPV specials at companies like Maker Studios (acquired by Disney) and Moment (acquired by you, Patreon). I’m proud to have helped creators earn $8M+ via this niche corner of online entertainment.
Along the way, I was diagnosed with a rare muscle disease called LGMD2i which, honestly, wasn’t great. But it has fueled my mission more than it slowed me down. At the end of 2024, I hit pause on full-time work and focus on my health for the first time ever. I’m glad to say it’s helped significantly. I’m back and ready to do the best work of my life!
Enough about me - let’s talk about what Patreon has been up to - and how I’d love to help. I dig the new “Drops” product and I’m excited that native livestreaming tools are almost here. I’m biased, but I always believed virtual events are the perfect way to kick off and breathe new life into ongoing membership campaigns on Patreon. They also work great as standalone paid experiences for otherwise free members and the perfect way to celebrate major milestones and moments in a creator’s career.
As someone who has been called an “expert” with “one-in-a-million experience and success” at this model by several smart and cool people, I’d love to help make virtual events an integral part of why creators and fans love Patreon by:
-Being a resource for high-touch creators and their teams for the planning, production and promotion of their virtual events on Patreon. From fresh ideas/proposals that always come from a creator/audience-first - to making big ideas already cooking as successful as possible. If your Creator Success team could use a hand giving someone white glove treatment for any virtual event, I'm there.
-Building self service virtual events How-To resources to help longtail creators dive in and have the most success possible, and being a resource to those who need to go deeper to feel ready and get the best results.
-Since I’m already helping creators, management companies and even independent filmmakers with the full life cycle of their virtual events, I’d love to bring new talent onto Patreon that might not have previously considered the platform for their art and communities. With one-off purchases, Drops and livestreams, Patreon is appealing to new verticals of creators that might not know how well it can serve them. I’d love to help get the word out to the hundreds of creators that have trusted me with this stuff in the past.
I doubt you’re hiring someone to oversee this new, specific corner of Patreon full-time quite yet but I’d love to connect and see what makes sense on your end, even as an informal resource to your team. As mentioned, I’m ready to do the best work of my life, and I’d love to collaborate with a company that’s always been special to me who happen to be leaning into a format that I’ve spent my entire career helping creators embrace and have success with.
I can help Patreon be the best virtual events solution out there, in addition to everything else you’ve already mastered. Plus, we’ll have some fun!
If you’d like to know more about me, here’s my website and good old Linkedin.
With respect and gratitude,
Tony