Selar hosted the second edition of the Digital Creator Summit on the 6th – 7th of July 2023. The largest virtual event for creators in Africa gathered creators, experts, coaches, and business owners across Africa to discuss “Going Global With Your Message.

The event was designed with keynote speeches from top industry leaders in the creator economy, panel sessions from renowned creators, and other insightful sessions where speakers shared their knowledge on how creators can take their knowledge to the global stage. 

With a lineup of 21 exceptional speakers, including Steve Harris, Dr. Naomi Osemedua, MI Abaga, Mfon Ekpo, Bankole Williams, Tosin Olaseinde, Josh Alfred (Josh2funny), Laju Iren, Fisayo Fosudo, Evans Akanno, Adora Nwodo, Folasade Daini, Mitchelle Chibundu, Mylène Flicka, Elozonam, Aisha Owolabi, Yetunde Bankole-Bernard, Tolu Michaels, Ayobami Oyaleke, and Douglas Kendyson, the summit proved to be a transformative experience, providing valuable insights and real-life experiences for creators to learn from. 

Over 20,000 digital creators registered for the second edition of the Digital Creator Summit 2023 to listen to the speakers share their experiences on various topics such as; 

• Mastering the Business of Your Talent and Taking it to the Global Stage
• How to Build a Digital Community and Movement in the Creator Economy
• The Role of Authenticity and Transparency in Building a Successful Brand as a Digital Creator

And much more.

Panel sessions held during the event covered important areas in the African creator economy such as; 

• The Role of The Creator Economy in The Development of Africa. 
• Leveraging Content Creation for International Recognition 
• How The Internet Has Put The African Creator Economy On The Map. 

And more.

The summit kicked off with a welcome address by Milton Tutu, CMO of Selar. In his speech, he reiterated that the best time to get involved in the Creator Economy is now.

Creators have all it takes to take charge of the global audience and all you need to do is start. In his words, “As a creator you have the mantle and calling to dominate the creator economy and take your creator message global.” 

He further reiterated that being a creator is not limited by geographic location. “Regardless of your location, your content can be consumed by anyone from anywhere in the world. Which is what we have come to share with you today in this summit.” Milton says. 

The first speaker, Steve Harris gave a keynote speech where he charged the attendees by reminding them of the place of “positioning as a creator. In his words, “Your positioning determines your perception, and your perception determines your pricing.”

He continued by encouraging the creators to start now with what they have. “It’s not what you don’t have that limits you, it’s what you have but don’t know how to use,” Steve says. 

Following his keynote speech was a session by Dr. Naomi Osemedua, where she shared strategies for building a Digital community. For her, “A successful digital community is not built by one creator but by the collective engagement and participation by its members.”

Dr. Naomi’s ability to handle her topic with so much intelligence and experience set the stage for a series of engaging discussions on community building throughout the summit. 

Yetunde Bankole-Bernard began the afternoon session with a speech on The Role of Authenticity and Transparency in Building a Successful Brand as a Digital Creator. 

A key highlight of her speech was when she admonished the creators to master an art and bring newness to the world. “You cannot lead with everything, you need to master an art. She followed it up by saying, “There is nothing new under the sun, however, you bring a newness to what you do. So bring something new to the world.”

Highlights from the panel sessions on Day one; the Entertainment Panel Session: How The Internet Has Put The African Creator Economy On The Map, and the Tech Panel Session: The Impact of Technology on the Creative Process and the Future of Creativity left attendees feeling more inspired. 

In the Entertainment Panel, Laju Iren and MI Abaga shared how the internet has helped the Creator Economy in Africa. Laju encouraged the creators to take charge of the internet and treat their content as a product. MI, on the other hand, told the creators to take ownership of their work and not let anyone cheat them out of it.

The Tech Panel session helped attendees to look beyond AI as a replacement tool to an assistant tool. Aisha Owolabi advises to “Go beyond your skill and think about the value you bring to the team. AI can’t replace that. 

Mitchelle Chibundu (Designerbabe) told creators to “Think of AI as an enhancement as opposed to a replacement.” While Adora Nwodo further added to the point by saying, “It’s time we look at ourselves as not just users of AI but also creators of AI.”

Fisayo wrapped up the AI conversation by saying, “You have to provide value to be worthy of something.” Regardless of the new wave of AI, you have to first be valuable. 

Day two of the summit kicked off with a keynote speech by Tosin Olaseinde of Money Africa, where she shared How Money Africa Leveraged The Internet to Grow Their Product. 

While describing how content worked for them, she said, “Money Africa built momentum by developing a consistent and unique consistent style. We also strategically utilized online platforms and content creation, and relatable stories to establish the brand.”

Tolu Michaels came up next, sharing Effective Strategies for Building Unique Personal Brands For Global Recognition. One key takeaway from her session was when she said “A personal brand is not a distraction from your business, it’s an asset to your business. She wrapped it up by saying “Your personal brand is valuable because of you.”

In the afternoon session, Mfon Ekpo gave a resounding keynote speech on Developing Effective Systems as a Creator and Entrepreneur, where she stated that “Your job as a creator is to move from unconscious competence to conscious competence and systems help you do that.” Her session ended on a high note with lots of attendees craving for more. 

Bankole Williams stepped in and spoke about the often underrated part of being a creator – The Creator’s Mental Health.

He spiced up his session using real-life examples and experiences to help creators understand the importance of having sound mental health. In his words, “What you use for survival, you lose for creativity.”

The Content Creation panel session featuring Josh2funny, Elozonam, and Folasade Daini was some creators’ highlights of the summit. Especially creators who wanted to learn how to start creating content online. 

A key takeaway from their session would be to start with what you have, where you are. And as you grow, Elozonam says, “Be so good that you hardly get a no.”

Josh2funny, a popular comedian and actor advises “to give room for growth and focus on doing what you love endlessly.”

Folasade advised creators to genuinely care about the audience and the brands they work with. She topped it up by advising creators to avoid burnout by knowing what their limit is and not overstretching it. 

The final session of the day was the Creator Economy Panel session with Douglas Kendyson, Mylene Flicka, Evans Akanno, and Ayobami Oyaleke where they discussed the future of the creator economy and how Africans can take charge of it. 

Overall, the Creator Summit was a mind-shifting experience for creators where they had the opportunity to learn from experienced speakers and pick insights to guide them on their creator journey. Remember, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. 

If you missed any session of the Digital Creator Summit, you can rewatch it on our Youtube Channel. We’ve created an entire playlist for you. 

And if you’re tired of just hearing from others, and would like to take action from what you’ve learned, you can get started by creating a FREE Selar account and hosting your first digital product. 

We’ve got you!