Journalists Must Embrace Business Acumen for Creator Sustainability

Fernando Hurtado's leap from NBC to YouTube reveals a critical tension for modern journalists: the stark difference between audience engagement and business sustainability. While traditional media trains journalists to focus on the "product" for their audience, Hurtado's journey highlights the often-neglected business mechanics--retention, churn, and monetization--that are essential for independent creators. This conversation uncovers the hidden consequences of prioritizing journalistic output over business acumen, demonstrating how a lack of financial literacy can undermine even the most impactful storytelling. Journalists and creators looking to build sustainable careers will find an advantage in understanding these downstream effects, learning how to "fish where the fish are" by embracing the business side of content creation.

The Unseen Costs of Content Creation: Beyond the Byline

Fernando Hurtado's transition from a stable, six-figure career at NBC to the precarious world of independent YouTube creation is a masterclass in consequence mapping. His initial success with a viral video on Chicano English, leading to rapid YouTube monetization, masked a crucial learning curve: the business of content creation is far more complex than simply producing compelling stories. Hurtado’s early missteps with brand deals, where he "negotiated way too high" due to a lack of market research, illustrate how a journalist's focus on audience value can blind them to the economic realities of the creator economy. This isn't just about knowing your worth; it's about understanding the market dynamics that dictate pricing and packaging.

The immediate gratification of views and early monetization can create a false sense of security. Hurtado recounts his initial thought, "Man, I've made it," after five days to monetization and inbound brand offers. However, the subsequent loss of all those initial brand deals served as a stark "wake-up call." This highlights a common pitfall: mistaking audience engagement for commercial viability. The downstream effect of this miscalculation is a struggle for sustainable income, forcing creators to scramble for deals or compromise their content. Hurtado’s eventual success in securing a brand deal with Amazon's "This Is Small Business" podcast, five months after launching and after about ten videos, underscores the time and effort required to bridge the gap between journalistic output and business closure.

"Every journalist has this difficulty understanding the business side. We're always thinking about the audience, but when you're thinking about your audience, you have to think about the product you're giving your audience. Why aren't we thinking about retention, about return customers, about churn, etc.?"

This quote encapsulates the core challenge. Journalists are trained to be audience-centric, but this focus often stops at content quality. The business of media, however, demands a deeper understanding of audience behavior as it relates to revenue. Retention, return customers, and churn are not typically part of a journalist's lexicon, yet they are fundamental to building a sustainable creator business. Hurtado's journey suggests that ignoring these metrics leads to a precarious existence, where immediate success is fleeting and long-term stability is elusive. The conventional wisdom of "just make good content" fails when extended forward into the business reality of independent creation.

The Buffer Paradox: Reactivity vs. Planning

Hurtado's initial strategy of launching with a month-and-a-half buffer of five videos, a decision influenced by advice from fellow creator Cleo Abram, reveals another layer of consequence. While Abram suggested a smaller buffer (two videos) to allow for audience reactivity, Hurtado found that losing his initial buffer actually enabled him to respond more effectively to the "zeitgeist." His video on ICE raids at Home Depots, for instance, was timely and impactful precisely because he wasn't constrained by pre-scheduled content. This presents a paradox: while planning provides stability, reactivity can lead to greater relevance and impact.

The downstream effect of this reactive approach is the ability to contribute meaningfully to current conversations. Had Hurtado maintained his buffer, his contribution to the ICE raids discussion might have been "outdated and honestly not as much of a value add." This highlights a competitive advantage gained through flexibility. However, this agility comes at the cost of predictable output and potentially more consistent monetization, as brand deals often require advance planning. The challenge lies in balancing the need for timely content with the business requirement for predictable revenue streams.

The "Fishing Where the Fish Are" Imperative

Hurtado’s decision to leave NBC was driven by several factors, but the desire to "fish where the fish are" stands out. This meant moving to platforms where the audience--particularly younger demographics--was already congregating: YouTube and other social media. Traditional media outlets, he notes, often struggle to monetize content for these demographics effectively, creating a disconnect. His experience teaching at USC, observing how students are "innate video editors" and casual social media users, further cemented this realization. The future of visual journalism, he posits, is increasingly intertwined with creator-led platforms.

The consequence of remaining within traditional media structures, from Hurtado's perspective, is a disconnect from the audience and a missed opportunity to engage them on their preferred platforms. The "firewall" between journalists and the business side of publications also prevents journalists from understanding the full ecosystem of content creation and monetization. By going independent, Hurtado gained direct access to this ecosystem, learning about terms like "top of funnel," "retention," and "lifetime value" (LTV), which are crucial for building a sustainable business but often absent in traditional journalism training.

"Why aren't we thinking about retention, about return customers, about churn, etc.? And why are we leaving that to someone else who has a firewall and quite literally can't see what we as journalists are working on?"

This rhetorical question underscores the systemic issue. Journalists are tasked with informing the public, but their understanding of how that information is sustained financially is often limited. The "firewall" creates an information asymmetry, where creators lack the business context to build viable careers, and media institutions may be slow to adapt to new monetization models. Hurtado’s embrace of these business concepts, even if initially uncomfortable, is what allows him to build a more robust and independent career.

Key Action Items

• Immediate Action (Next 1-3 Months):

  • Develop a Sales Deck: Create a professional sales deck outlining your content, audience demographics, and sponsorship packages. This is crucial for outbound brand outreach.
  • Research Pricing Standards: Invest time in understanding industry benchmarks for ad reads, integrated sponsorships, and package deals relevant to your niche.
  • Experiment with Short-Form Content: Dedicate time to creating standalone short-form videos for platforms like TikTok and Instagram, focusing on platform-native hooks and pacing, rather than simply repurposing long-form content.
  • Identify "Fish Where the Fish Are": Analyze where your target audience spends their time online and begin building a presence on those platforms, even if it's just consistent posting.

• Medium-Term Investment (3-12 Months):

  • Build a Content Buffer: Aim to re-establish a content buffer (e.g., 2-3 videos) to provide a safety net and allow for more strategic content planning, balancing reactive opportunities with consistent output.
  • Explore Package Deals: Shift from single-video sponsorships to offering multi-video packages to brands, providing greater revenue predictability and a better ROI for advertisers.
  • Invest in Production Value: Allocate resources for higher-quality B-roll, potential travel, or specialized shooting to elevate your content and justify premium pricing, especially for key topics.

• Long-Term Investment (12-18+ Months):

  • Launch a Newsletter: Develop a newsletter as a direct communication channel with your audience, offering exclusive content and creating another revenue stream independent of platform algorithms.
  • Diversify Revenue Streams: Actively pursue multiple income sources beyond ad revenue and sponsorships, such as teaching, speaking gigs, or merchandise, to build resilience against platform changes.
  • Focus on Audience Retention Metrics: Begin tracking and analyzing audience retention data on your long-form content to understand what keeps viewers engaged, informing future content strategy and product development.