PTR for Non-Audio Creators
Clubhouse CEO Paul Davison tells everyone in his townhalls to support creators by changing their profile pics. That’s an interesting thing to say, because it ignores the fact that visual art is one of the oldest artforms in the world.
How can someone depend on PTRtists to learn and pay for Photoshop and other photo editing programs without respecting them as creators?
In fact, all of the most popular Creator First Pilots involved visual art. It’s a necessary ingredient in a successful Clubhouse room. However, Davison insists he only respects the room creators on his app. This means all the talented non-audio creators that Clubhouse depends on were completely ignored.
This is a problem that proves that Davison’s company is not being built in the “creator first” manner he sells everyone on. In fact, even voice-over actors and beatboxers were completely ignored by the platform. It’s a pity to see so much wasted talent get disrespected.
Thoughts on Non-Audio Creators
On today’s YouTube livestream, I’ll be discussing the many forms of non-audio creations you can find on Clubhouse. The problem is nobody pays for any of it and just expects it for free. So, if you’re an artist, graphic designer, writer, programmer, developer, social media expert, or involved in any creative art besides on-air voice talent, you’re less than dirt on Clubhouse.
Let’s breakdown all the many reasons non-audio creators are an essential ingredient in the success of a social audio platform. A lot more goes on behind the scenes than anyone on this platform seems to understand.
Dr. Carlene MacMillan, MD and Owen Muir, MD The Frontier Psychiatrists
The Frontier Psychiatrists Daily were shoo-ins for the Creator First sophomore class. Doctors are typically viciously attacked on Clubhouse for attempting to correct misinformation. Not only can this couple navigate the toxic culture, but they also outplayed everyone in Davison’s game.
Because of that, they gained entry into the inner circle. Meanwhile, I got thousands of dollars worth of free time speaking to a mental health professional.
Final Grade: A
Henry Kaiser and Friends NNPR
NNPR is another obvious choice I knew was coming, but the way it was handled disturbed me. Kaiser put his entire family on the line to help Leah Lamarr with Hot on the Mic before going out on his own with a pack of groupies. If I could go back, I would grade this show in the A- to B+ range.
Kaiser is the nicest guy on Clubhouse, but the company he keeps personally offends me. They all pretended to be my friend so they could use me for my writing skills. I don’t hate them, but I burned the bridges because none of them respects creators.
Final Grade: A+
Rahaf Harfoush and Kat Cole Thought Experiment
My personal favorite show of the entire pilot season perfectly encapsulates everything about Clubhouse culture. Cole and Harfoush are both experienced public speakers who attend conferences like TEDx. And the topic they picked for this pilot defined the theme of the Creator First program.
Friendship is a survival instinct that transcends our species. It’s used for both good and bad, and the bonds formed by Clubhouse created cliques that are often weaponized on people like me.
Final Grade: A
Rick Smolan Against All Odds
Clubhouse is filled to the brim and overflowing with fake news. That’s because a lot of marketers pretend they’re journalists just because they wrote an editorial (not journalism) or were interviewed on the news (not journalism). Every news and media club on Clubhouse is run by fake news marketing schills.
Smolan and his Against All Odds Productions team are true photojournalists. If you’re going to find news, it’ll be through them. Everyone else is just faking the news for their own benefit.
Final Grade: A
Cyndi Pham and Magali Rheault Sex Profiteers
Sex Profiteers brought a former Suicide Girl who started her own web-based businesses while pioneering the punk porn movement. While Joanna Angel is a fascinating person, she struggled through an unorganized interview she led as the subject over her inexperienced hosts.
For $5,000 per month, I would expect people to prepare more and act more professionally. That these women were chosen over the Harvard Business Review crew who truly prepared is a travesty.
Final Grade: B-
Robert Keniston Clubhouse Squares!
Davison wants people to come up with ideas that use the full feature set of Clubhouse. Keniston tries that by reviving a dead TV concept using d-list Clubhouse personalities. The cast of 12 is needed to even begin a room, and if servers crash (which they do with regularity), the audience will leave while they reset.
Don’t get me started about how this “game show” and all the rest tried to fake prizes. The FCC needs to crack down on Clubhouse for all the false monetary promises made by creators. It’s legitimate fraud on an FBI-jurisdictional level.
Final Grade: C+
Danny Chung Inside K-Pop
The biggest problem with Clubhouse is that performative amateurs pretend to be legitimate professionals. Luckily, Chung is not among them — he’s an experienced music industry veteran from Hong Kong who is deeply embedded in the K-Pop culture and business.
If you’re looking for guidance on how to be an audio creator, there’s no better place to look than the music industry. In my humble opinion, Chung is one of the guru subject matter expects everyone should follow and listen to.
Final Grade: A
CoreyBe Sherrill Comedy Court
Comedy Court is one of three pilot season shows that promised to tackle real-life problems. As the first that aired, I picked it apart for not creating the proper atmosphere. While well cast with an amazingly talented cast, the judge wasn’t the man in the top-left corner.
I’m glad to see Sherrill win, and I hope he leverages this to get some great gigs on tour and screen. He deserves it, because he’s a hard-working entertainer with real depth in his life experiences that seep into his material.
Final Grade: A
Brandon Batstone Psychedelics + Addiction
The Creator First pilot season had a lot of faux pas. One of the biggest was when an untrained, unlicensed, uncertified amateur tried to run a room about illegal drugs. Despite having trained medical professionals on stage, a racist comment was made about crack vs psychedelics.
When I called out the racism, Davison and co apologized to Batstone for his traumatic experience of being coached on how to end the drug war instead of using drugs to target people for police brutality. They should’ve hired Sacred Realms, but that’s how this game works.
Final Grade: C
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Originally published at https://clubhouseconversations.substack.com.