Overview

The Challenge

At YouTube, I worked on the Creator Acquisitions team, where my role was to onboard high-profile creators and public figures to the platform and help them build sustainable YouTube channels.

Across 40+ top-tier creators I onboarded, those channels have gone on to generate billions of views for YouTube. But success wasn’t just about getting someone to sign up - the real challenge was helping creators start and keep posting long-form content in a way that made sense for their lives, audiences, and careers.

My Role

Led creator prospecting, onboarding, and long-term growth strategy for public figures across entertainment, sports, and digital-first platforms - including TikTok stars, professional athletes, and Hollywood talent.

Strategy

Selling YouTube as a Long-Term Creative Home

Many of the creators I worked with already had massive audiences elsewhere or demanding careers outside of social. The hurdle wasn’t awareness - it was convincing them that YouTube was worth the time and effort.

My pitch centered on three ideas:

• YouTube as the best platform for storytelling and depth, not just clips

• Long-term ownership: building a library that grows over time

• New features and monetization tools that could support their broader businesses

A key part of onboarding was also reframing production expectations. I emphasized that creators did not need high-end visuals or studio setups to succeed - filming on a phone at home could feel more authentic and, importantly, was what made consistent posting possible at scale.

Creator Onboarding

Adapting Creators to Long-Form Video

One of the most visible examples was onboarding Charli D’Amelio (featured above), who at the time was the biggest TikTok star in the world and primarily known for short-form content.

I worked closely with Charli’s team - including her father and videographer - to:

• Translate short-form instincts into longer narratives

• Develop repeatable formats that felt natural on YouTube

• Set realistic posting cadences that could be sustained long-term

Today, Charli’s YouTube channel has 9M subscribers and 400M+ views.

Portfolio of Partnerships

Working Across Industries

Beyond digital-first creators, I onboarded public figures from across entertainment and sports, each requiring a different approach:

• Kevin James
  Uses YouTube as a creative outlet for comedy sketches and stand-up clips
  → 939K subscribers · 86M views

• Tyreek Hill
  Built a channel blending personal brand, training, and behind-the-scenes content
  → 1.5M subscribers · 264M views

• Lindsay Lohan
  Leveraged YouTube for personal storytelling, music, and brand connection
  → 127K subscribers · 38M views

One key insight: creators from industries like reality TV or extreme sports often had natural instincts for self-promotion and content. Others - especially professional athletes - needed more hands-on guidance around storytelling, pacing, and audience engagement.

Results

Long-Term Impact at Scale

• 40+ creators onboarded

• Billions of cumulative views generated on YouTube

• Multiple creators scaled into sustainable, long-term channels

• Strong agency relationships supporting continued acquisition

More importantly, creators began to see YouTube not as another obligation, but as a platform for creative freedom, ownership, and long-term growth.