The old saying “everybody’s in showbiz” has never been more true than in the creator economy. HubSpot’s 2022 “State of Consumer Trends” survey found that 30 percent of 18-to-24-year-olds identify as content creators, while 40 percent among those 25 to 34 also consider themselves creators. The newly formed Creators Guild of America (CGA) aims to give them a voice and a sense of community. The non-profit bills itself as a “professional services organization” that will provide educational and networking events with brands and studios and act as a watchdog on important issues like fair pay.

While the group’s website specifies it is not a labor union, “the non-profit group seeks to back creators with the benefits that workers in more traditional professions also enjoy,” according to TechCrunch. The CGA site explains the organization “won’t act as a collective bargaining unit or authorize strikes.”

Membership isn’t limited to influencers, TechCrunch explains, noting that “the CGA is open to videographers, designers, photographers and others across the ‘supply chain of the creator economy.’”

CGA founder Daniel Abas, whose resume includes a three-year stint in the arbitrations department of the Producer’s Guild of America, has been working with influencers and marketers since 2011. He hopes CGA will function as traditional film industry guilds do in that community. To that end he has assembled a well-credentialed board whose members include Greenberg Traurig attorney Paige Kaplan and YouTube creator Justine Ezarik (iJustine).

Members must pay $99 per year to join in one of three categories: Media (onscreen talent and individuals with significant audiences), Marketing (production, distribution, and design), and Makers (founders, developers, and producers), the CGA website explains.

“Eligibility requirements for each category are mandatory for membership and all applications are reviewed by respective CGA peers,” reports Tubefilter.

A primary function of CGA will be members “can ensure that they receive proper credit for the work they produce,” TechCrunch writes.

“Consider how central IMDb.com has become to the film and television industry; no comparable resource exists for creators,” the CGA website FAQ reads. “By creating a certified public record of your work — independent of who owns that work or where it’s hosted — you establish yourself as a professional, whose skills have been validated by your partners in the creator economy.”

A survey by Influencer Marketing Hub finds more than 200 million adults consider themselves creators, and there are over 35,000 YouTube channels with 1 million or more subscribers.