When the Sidemen launched in 2013, the term "creator economy" barely existed.
YouTube was still largely a platform of individual personalities featuring top creators like Zoella, Joey Graceffa and Dan & Phil. Most creators were building audiences around themselves rather than creating businesses, media brands, or collaborative intellectual property yet. Sponsorships were rudimentary, merchandising was limited, and everyone was selling a book. Few creators were actually thinking beyond platform revenue.
More than a decade later, the Sidemen have become one of the most influential creator collectives in internet history. Through a combination of community building, revenue diversification, and an ability to stay ahead of the internet curve (or in many ways, draw the curve themselves), they helped establish many of the commercial and cultural moves that define the creator economy today.
Now that KSI has announced his departure from the group, the industry is asking a broader question: what comes after the Sidemen?
