Inside the Creator Economy: Insights from StarBox Accountants

Once dismissed as a side hustle or cultural curiosity, the UK’s creator economy has become one of the most dynamic and commercially significant sectors in modern media.

What began with individuals monetising YouTube channels and Instagram followings has evolved into a sophisticated ecosystem of creator-led businesses, production studios, talent brands and IP-driven media companies.

StarBox was founded in 2011, at a time when few advisers truly understood the creator economy. Working with creators long before the sector was widely recognised as an industry in its own right, the firm has witnessed and supported this transformation first-hand.

From StarBox Accountants’ vantage point inside the sector, the shift over the past decade has been profound. Creators are no longer simply content makers; they are entrepreneurs, employers and, increasingly, acquisition targets. As the industry matures, financial structure, governance and long-term planning are becoming as important as creativity and audience growth.

Today, creators influence how audiences consume content, how brands reach customers and how new forms of media are built. They operate at the intersection of culture, commerce and technology, and the businesses they build now rival traditional media organisations in reach, revenue and ambition.

The evolution of the UK creator economy

The early creator economy was defined by accessibility and experimentation. Platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram (and later TikTok) removed the need for traditional media gatekeepers, allowing individuals to build audiences directly and monetise content on their own terms. For many, this started informally: a personal channel, sporadic advertising revenue and the occasional brand collaboration.

In those early years, few creators thought of themselves as business owners. Income was often unpredictable, structures were informal, and financial planning rarely extended beyond the next campaign or platform payment. Yet audience growth accelerated rapidly, along with commercial opportunity.

Several forces drove the professionalisation of the industry  that followed.

First, audience behaviour shifted decisively. Digitally native younger demographics increasingly consumed content online rather than through traditional broadcast channels. Attention followed creators, and brand spend followed attention. Marketing budgets that once flowed into television, print and display advertising were redirected towards creator partnerships that offered authenticity, engagement and measurable impact.

Second, platform monetisation diversified. Advertising revenue was joined by subscriptions, affiliate income, tipping, live commerce, digital products and brand-owned IP. Creators were no longer reliant on a single income stream, or even a single platform.

Third, creator ambition grew. What began as personal brands evolved into businesses with teams, production schedules, intellectual property and long-term plans. Creators started hiring editors, producers, managers and commercial directors. Studios emerged, and production quality rose sharply.

From a financial perspective, this evolution fundamentally changed the nature of creator businesses. What were once personal income streams became multi-revenue enterprises, often spanning several platforms and countries. Many creators moved from sole traders to limited companies, and began thinking seriously about tax efficiency, scalability and exit readiness.

Despite its cultural visibility, the financial reality of the creator economy is still widely misunderstood. Public perception often equates follower counts with wealth, overlooking the complexity, volatility and risk that underpin many creator businesses.

In practice, creator income is rarely smooth or predictable. Revenue is often seasonal, campaign-based and dependent on platform algorithms, audience engagement and brand budgets. Payment terms can vary widely, with income arriving in large but irregular bursts rather than steady monthly flows.

As creators scale, financial pressure often increases rather than decreases. Teams need paying regardless of platform performance. Studio space, equipment, insurance and legal costs add fixed overheads. International brand deals introduce currency exposure and cross-border tax considerations. Digital products and subscriptions bring VAT and indirect tax complexity.

Turning income into long-term value

The most successful creators are those who learn to separate income from value. While advertising revenue or brand fees provide short-term cashflow, long-term enterprise value is increasingly driven by intellectual property, recurring revenue, owned audiences and scalable formats.

From a financial perspective, this shift requires a different mindset. Cashflow forecasting becomes essential. Tax planning needs to account not just for income today, but for growth tomorrow. Decisions about business structure, IP ownership and reinvestment can significantly affect both resilience and future valuation.

Many StarBox clients reach a tipping point where they realise that creative success alone is no longer enough. Turning visibility into sustainable wealth requires professional systems and informed decision-making, often much earlier in a creator’s journey than expected.

The creator economy today: scale, structure and maturity

The UK creator economy is now a significant contributor to national output. According to an impact report by Oxford Economics, YouTube content creators alone contributed £2.2bn to the UK economy in 2024 and supported around 45,000 jobs. This figure captures only part of the picture, excluding income generated through podcasts, live events, merchandise, licensing and emerging formats such as live shopping.

What distinguishes today’s creator economy is not just its scale, but its structure.

Many established creators now operate through group structures that separate personal brand activity from production, merchandising, IP ownership and investment vehicles.

Revenue is diversified across platforms and formats to reduce reliance on any single algorithm or income stream. Governance, reporting and compliance increasingly resemble those of high-growth SMEs rather than freelance operations.

What investors and buyers look for

This maturity has attracted attention from institutional investors, broadcasters and global media groups. Creator businesses are now assessed on metrics such as recurring revenue, audience retention, IP ownership, scalability and governance, not simply follower counts or viral reach.

The result is a sector that looks increasingly familiar to traditional business observers, even if its cultural outputs remain novel. Creator-led companies are hiring at scale, investing in infrastructure and planning for the long term. In doing so, they are reshaping what modern media businesses look like.

Trends shaping the creator economy in 2026

From StarBox’s perspective, several trends are likely to define the next phase of the creator economy.

1. Consolidation and M&A activity will accelerate

Creator-led businesses with strong IP, diversified revenue and professional governance are increasingly attractive acquisition targets. We expect more studio-level deals, minority investments and strategic partnerships as buyers seek culturally relevant audiences and scalable content formats.

2. The separation between creator and business will deepen

As businesses grow, successful creators are working to reduce dependency on a single individual. This includes franchised formats, multiple on-screen talent and clear IP ownership, all of which enhance enterprise value and exit optionality.

3. Tax and regulatory scrutiny will increase

As the sector grows in economic significance, HMRC and regulators are paying closer attention to income classification, employment status and international tax exposure. Informal structures that once went unnoticed are unlikely to survive sustained scrutiny.

4. Professional management will become the norm

Finance directors, COOs and commercial leads are increasingly common within creator businesses. This reflects the need for operational discipline alongside creative output, particularly as teams grow and external investment becomes more likely.

5. Globalisation will be the default

UK creators increasingly operate global businesses from day one. International structuring, currency management and cross-border compliance will be central to sustainable growth.

Creators who plan for these realities early will be best placed to capitalise on the next phase of the sector’s growth.

Creators as long-term entrepreneurs

This focus on longevity and sustainability is increasingly common across the creator economy. Many creators now view content as the engine of a broader commercial ecosystem rather than an end in itself.

StarBox clients such as Lilly Sabri have shared how digital platforms enabled them to build businesses that create jobs, invest in new ventures and generate sustainable income beyond advertising. Others include KSI, who recently served as a full-time judge on Britain’s Got Talent in 2025, and Lucy Edwards, who has launched the accessible beauty brand Etia through Estée Lauder’s Catalyst programme.

Beyond StarBox’s client base, leading influencers in the creator economy, including Niko Omilana, George Clarke and Angry Ginge, have successfully transitioned into mainstream media, live events and global brand partnerships.

Angry Ginge’s journey, from his first Twitch stream in 2020 to performing in front of 90,000 people at Wembley and winning I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! in 2025, illustrates the speed at which creator brands can scale when supported by engaged audiences and a strong commercial infrastructure.

For creators, this evolution brings opportunity and responsibility in equal measure. Building a sustainable business requires early decisions about structure, governance and reinvestment, often long before external buyers or investors appear.

Policy and the future of creator-led media

The creator economy’s growing economic impact has not gone unnoticed at a policy level. The launch of an All-Party Parliamentary Group dedicated to UK creators and influencers reflects increasing recognition of the sector’s contribution to employment, exports and innovation.

This legitimacy matters. Access to finance, training, studio space and appropriate regulation will shape how the sector develops over the next decade. As creator businesses become more embedded in the wider economy, they will increasingly be expected to operate to the same standards as other professional enterprises.

For StarBox, this moment represents both validation and responsibility. The creator economy is no longer emerging: it has arrived. Helping creators professionalise, scale and ultimately realise value will be central to ensuring the sector’s continued success.

starbox.co.uk

Case study: The Fellas Studio – building an acquisition-ready creator business

The sale of The Fellas Studio to Global marks a defining moment for the UK creator economy. As the first UK creator-led podcast studio to complete a deal of this scale, it signals a shift in how creator businesses are valued, structured and recognised by mainstream media and institutional investors.

StarBox has advised The Fellas Studio for several years, supporting its founders as the business evolved from a creator-led venture into a multi-platform production company with significant commercial value. The relationship began when Calfreezy became one of the first creators to join as a StarBox client and has evolved alongside the founders’ journey from individual creators to building a scalable media business.

Building brands, systems and scale

In a relatively short period, The Fellas built a portfolio of influential Gen Z-focused podcasts, distributed across YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and social platforms. Each show operates as a distinct brand, supported by professional production, purpose-built studio environments and a clear commercial strategy.

Crucially, the business moved beyond reliance on individual personalities. Revenue diversified, and intellectual property was clearly defined. Systems and governance were put in place to support scale.

As CEO and co-founder Callum Airey reflects,

“There comes a point where you realise this isn’t just content anymore: it’s a business with real scale and long-term potential. The creator economy is still evolving, but we’re only at the beginning of what’s possible when you combine creative talent with the right commercial foundations.”

From an advisory perspective, the transaction highlights how far the sector has matured. Creator businesses are no longer judged solely on audience size or cultural relevance. Buyers increasingly look for robust financial reporting, clean structures and evidence that a business can operate independently of its founders.

Chief Creative Officer and co-founder Josh Larkin describes the shift:

“What started as a creative project has grown into a production business with teams, systems and responsibility. That change affects how you think about structure, about longevity, and about building something that can exist beyond the founders.”

For advisers, deals like this demand a blend of traditional corporate finance disciplines, including tax planning, due diligence and deal structuring, alongside a deep understanding of digital platforms, audience monetisation and brand-led growth.

As StarBox Partner Nick Tebb notes, the ability to bridge those worlds is critical. “Understanding the commercial realities of digital platforms, while also meeting the expectations of global media buyers, is what allows deals like this to happen.”

The timing of the acquisition reflects broader market dynamics. Media groups are increasingly acquiring creator-led assets to reach younger audiences, while creators are more focused than ever on building businesses with long-term value.

The Fellas Studio transaction demonstrates what is possible when creative talent is supported by robust financial foundations and strategic planning from an early stage.

StarBox: accountants for creators and new media entrepreneurs

StarBox provides specialist accounting and business advice to the people shaping the modern media landscape. Working with content creators, social influencers and new media entrepreneurs, the team supports clients behind the scenes so they can focus on building audiences, brands and sustainable businesses.

A market leader in the UK creator economy, StarBox works with around 500 individual clients across the sector, including content creators, influencers, app and game developers, production studios, musicians, actors and professional athletes. As part of accountants, tax and business advisers Carpenter Box, StarBox combines deep industry insight with the resources of a full-service professional firm.

From tax compliance and accounting to strategic planning, investment advice and international structuring, StarBox supports creators at every stage of their journey.

Founded in 2011 by Sam Uwins and now led by Tax Partner Dan Hobbs, the team has built a reputation for high-quality, tax-led advice tailored to a fast-moving and complex digital marketplace.

StarBox at a glance

• First client: October 2011

• Clients: 1,000+ combined individuals and businesses

• Team: Nearly 30 specialists supported by the wider Carpenter Box group

• Combined client revenue: c.£500m

• Collective experience in the creator economy: 150+ years

Get in touch – starbox.co.uk / hello@starbox.co.uk / 01273 043678