Creator Advocacy Day launches push for greater voice in US policymaking

Creators gathered in Washington last week for the first Creator Advocacy Day, a new initiative aimed at helping the industry play a bigger role in shaping the policies affecting their businesses.

More than 30 creators, representing a combined audience of 20 million followers, joined advocates, platforms and industry figures from 11 states for the creator-led event.

Shira Lazar, founder of Creators 4 Mental Health, which co-organised the day, said the initiative was designed to help creators navigate an increasingly complex policy landscape rather than rally support around a single piece of legislation.

"We intentionally did not organise around one specific bill because there is still a major education and access gap," she told The Daily Influence. "Many creators do not know which bills affect them, how the legislative process works or even that direct conversations with lawmakers are possible."

Instead, the day aimed to give creators a direct route into policy discussions that are increasingly shaping how they build and run their businesses.

"With AI, ownership, privacy, benefits and small-business protections all moving quickly, advocating only from our own platforms is no longer enough," Lazar added. "The first step was getting creators in the room, helping them understand the landscape and giving them the confidence to participate."

The day included meetings with Adobe, YouTube and TikTok before creators headed to Capitol Hill, where discussions focused on the CREATOR Act, the NO FAKES Act and the proposed Creator Bill of Rights.

The Creator Bill of Rights, a resolution introduced in January by California representative Ro Khanna and co-developed by Lazar, calls for greater platform transparency, fairer appeals processes and benefits such as healthcare and pensions that creators can keep between platforms.

The CREATOR Act, introduced by a bipartisan group of House representatives and backed by Adobe, would establish a federal right protecting visual artists from commercial AI systems deliberately imitating their distinctive styles.

The NO FAKES Act would give people greater control over AI-generated replicas of their voice and likeness, allowing creators to challenge unauthorised digital copies of themselves.

Organisers hope the initiative becomes an ongoing effort, with plans for regular virtual town halls, continued engagement with lawmakers and another Creator Advocacy Day.

"There have been media days and platform-led trips bringing creators to Washington, but we saw the importance of creating a day that was creator-led and platform-agnostic," Lazar said. "Creators are building real businesses and shaping culture, yet policies affecting our work are still often written without us in the room."

"The biggest takeaway was that creators are ready to be part of these conversations, but access and education have to be consistent and cannot only happen after a crisis or once decisions have already been made."