Black creators have long faced an uphill battle in securing support for major brand campaigns. From being overlooked to receiving lower pay, systemic barriers have kept Black creatives stalled in their pursuits. The launch of the Live Nation Urban (LNU) Creator Network sets the stage for creators to thrive.
The partnership began with brothers Anthony and Ameer Brown, founders of Breakr, the Black-owned campaign promotion platform. Their payment tool, BreakrPay, which lets talent get paid within two days, was the key to making it happen.
This is a massive shift for creators, considering the standard is 30 to 60 days, sometimes resulting in unnecessary stress and delay in the process.
“We use a platform to curate, negotiate, confirm offers, see analytics, and pay talent within 48 hours,” said Malcolm Gray, VP of Marketing and Partnerships at Live Nation Urban. “That’s not normal in this space, but it should be.”
The LNU has been working on this project for over four years, and they don’t intend for it to be a one-and-done effort. Richard Gay, the COO of Live Nation Urban, doesn’t want another Black History Month or Juneteenth, where Black people are celebrated seasonally; he wants change.
“We have all these people we work with that are great creators,” Gay said, “But now we can pitch them to brands as part of experience. This has nothing to do with whether DEI is in favor or not. It has nothing to do with that. We’re building something that lives beyond trends.”
Black creators have been at the forefront of LNU projects such as The Roots Picnic, Mary J. Blige’s Strength of a Woman Festival, and Sly Lives!
Moments like these would not exist without LNU’s ongoing efforts to support and sustain Black media. The LNU Creator Network is the next big step, one that’s expected to have a ripple effect throughout the industry.
“Creators have long been an integral part of how we market our tours and festivals,” says Live Nation Urban President Shawn Gee. “But the demand from our brand partners pushed us to think bigger, to move beyond treating creator marketing as an internal tool and instead build a business model around it. As brands increasingly looked to us to help them connect authentically with Black audiences, even outside the context of our events, it became clear there was an opportunity to create something larger. With the Live Nation Urban Creator Network, we’re building the largest network of Black creators in the industry—powered by our platform, driven by culture.”
For too long, Black creators have driven culture without receiving their fair share of the spotlight or sponsorships. The Live Nation Urban Creator Network flips that dynamic, providing not only a seat at the table but the tools to build the table entirely.
Applications for the 2025 Creator Class are now available!
