52: Jack Conte - Draw the Next Page

Full transcript and all links: ⁠dialectic.fm/jack-conte⁠

Jack Conte (Patreon, YouTube, YouTube Pt2, X, LinkedIn) is the co-founder and CEO of Patreon. He is also a lifelong artist and musician, who at his peak released 100 music videos per year between his bands Pomplamoose (a duo with wife Nataly Dawn) and Scary Pockets (a funk collective), and was a longtime YouTuber.

Jack is not a tech CEO who happens to like music. He is an obsessive, prolific artist whose first conventional job is running Patreon. This has shaped him as a founder and executive, and his mission at Patreon is to build an enduring and truly creator-first company that empowers creators to earn a living from their work.

We began with how he manages to do it all, where his energy comes from, and what it’s like to be “post-chaos.” Then, we talked about art, content, and commerce, Patreon’s model (that isn’t actually pure patronage), and why Silicon Valley undervalues art, brand, and narrative — and Patreon. Jack shared the benefits of a business model that is fully aligned with creators, why he hates the word influencer, and why he’s still the right man for the job after 13 years of leading Patreon. We also covered what great leadership looks like, building fans and community, filmmaking, authenticity (from Charlie Kaufman to Prince), and remembering to take risks until the very end.

I hope you’re inspired to make things you are proud of and to draw the next page even when you have no business doing so.

While I have you: I’d strongly recommend Jack’s recent SXSW talk on AI, creativity, and change.

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Timestamps:

• (0:00) Opening Highlights
• (1:38) Intro to Jack & Thanks to Notion
• (3:44) Start: Prolific Output, Energy, Juggling, Endurance, and Becoming Post-Chaos
• (22:04) Combining Creativity and Business and Art vs. Content
• (33:21) Advertising vs. Membership & Patronage vs. Patreon
• (44:06) Jack's First and Only Job, and Silicon Valley's Undervaluing of Creativity, Brand, and Storytelling (and Patreon)
• (55:17) Building for Creators First, Incentive Alignment, Trust, 100 Years of Patreon, and Why Jack is the Right CEO for Now
• (1:04:49) Leadership: Types of Ambition, Obsession, Self Reflection, Bias to Action, Learning from Others
• (1:12:59) Talent vs. Enthusiasm, Being Proud of What You Make, Making Fans and Being True, Managing Parasociality, and Community
• (1:28:30) Filmmaking, Labels and Collectives vs Individuals, Breaking Patterns, Creative Intimacy, Music, Patreon's Origin, Persistence, Lucid Dreaming, and Taking Risks
• (1:49:26) Thanks Again to Notion