Curios Unveils $1 Million Creator Fund to Empower Creators and Influencers

In response to news of TikTok's possible ban in the U.S. and TikTok's closure of its creator fund, Curios is stepping up to fill the void with a creator fund of its own, alongside its suite of creator and influencer publishing, fan engagement, and monetization tools.

Curios recently launched Curios Studio, which gives content creators the ability to sell and distribute their content directly to their audience and to better understand their fan base. The fund and platform together create an ecosystem where new artists can get discovered and succeed.

Are your followers really yours?

When influencers and creators gain followers on TikTok or other social platforms, access to those followers is extremely limited. A creator can be deplatformed at any time, for no reason, and every one of those fans is instantly gone. More commonly, influencers may have millions of followers but reach only a few thousand of them with any given post, depending on the feed algorithm. And they know virtually nothing about the people who follow them.

Curios redefines what a follower is. When someone follows a creator on Curios, the creator receives that user's contact information on an opt-in basis, so they can communicate and engage directly. Built-in communication and engagement tools make that seamless. When a creator posts an update to their followers, all of their followers receive it unless they have opted out. The traction and conversion of updates such as a new album release on Curios versus social platforms is estimated to be roughly 1,000% greater.

Creators need better ways to monetize

Producing high-quality social content, music, well-produced audiobooks, comedy specials, or film all require access to capital that creative individuals rarely have when starting out. That gap pushes creators to sell their IP and the rights to their content just to see the work come to fruition. Curios wants to break that cycle.

"Curios is going all in on you, the creator," said Grant Powell, founder of Curios. "We believe that hard-working artists deserve the right to own their work and own their customer information, and receive the majority of the profits from their work."

Key features of the fund

The most important aspect of the fund is that it rewards creators for their work. It is not designed to randomly select creators to support, or to support creators who aren't putting in the work. Instead, it outlines specific steps and milestones creators must accomplish to earn rewards, support, recognition, and cash.

• Financial support: the $1 million fund is allocated to support creators at various stages, from production costs to marketing and promotion.
• Promotion and recognition: Curios markets, features, and promotes participating creators.
• Community building: the fund facilitates networking opportunities, collaborations, and mentorship programs.
• Monetization opportunities: resources and guidance on diverse revenue streams, so creators can turn their passion into a sustainable career.
• Open to all digital content creators: while the fund emphasizes musicians, comedians, and authors, it is open to creators across mediums.

"We believe in the transformative power of creativity and the positive impact it can have on individuals and communities," said Greg Keogh, Head of Product at Curios. "The Curios Creator Fund is our commitment to supporting the incredible talent within our community and beyond. We are excited to see the amazing content that will be born out of this initiative."

Curios plans to run a test pilot of the Creator Fund rewards program granting rewards, benefits, and cash to up to 100 participants initially. Pending the success of that pilot, Curios will open the remainder of the $1 million in cash and other rewards to unlimited participants until the funds run out.