“Creators are business owners”: Zoom unveils first Zoombassador cohort

Zoom has unveiled the inaugural cohort for its Zoombassador programme, bringing creators into the product development process as it looks to build tools that better serve their businesses.

Whitney Magnuson, head of brand & media at Zoom, told The Daily Influence the company saw an opening in how SaaS brands typically engage creators.

"We saw a real gap there, and an opportunity to show up differently," she said. "Rather than running a traditional paid sponsorship campaign, we wanted to invest in creators as business owners, give them tools that actually help them operate, and build a relationship grounded in genuine utility rather than a one-off transaction."

Over six months, ambassadors will get access to Zoom Workplace and a Bonsai by Zoom licence, covering contracts, invoicing and proposals, alongside monthly sessions with executives and monetary compensation. Zoom said it expects to run paid campaigns with many of the ambassadors during the year, but didn't want sponsored content to be the programme's main focus.

The inaugural cohort includes Jayde I. Powell, Jack Appleby, Shira Lazar, Helen Yu, Blake Morgan, Bashel Lewis, Olivia Jenkins, Olamide Olowe, Ama Hill, Justine Ezarik, Gabby Beckford and Hannah Zhang.

The programme is in two tiers, with a second tier expected to launch over the next six months.

Magnuson said Zoom selected creators based on the businesses and communities they were building, rather than follower count.

"We were looking for creatorpreneurs, creative professionals, and brand founders who are genuinely running businesses and communities with an active, engaged audience," she said.

Zoom will judge the programme's success by how creators use its tools and the feedback they provide.

"We want creators to leave this program more credible, more capable, and more connected than when they entered it, and we want Zoom to be more informed about what the modern business of one actually needs," Magnuson said.

Shira Lazar, founder of Creators 4 Mental Health and one of the first Zoombassadors, told The Daily Influence what stood out to her was that the programme isn't a one-off sponsored post.

"Zoom is bringing together creators who are also small business owners and giving us six months to use the tools, connect with one another and offer real feedback based on how we run our businesses," she said. "We're being invited to use the products, share feedback, pitch ideas and potentially collaborate on additional paid campaigns. Creators are entrepreneurs, creative partners and valuable sources of insight, not simply distribution channels."

The initiative comes as more brands bring creators into product and campaign development rather than only using them to promote finished work. Publicis Media recently launched its Creator Collective, bringing together nine creators to advise brands on campaign strategy and creative development.