A 2013 Boston Globe report on Baz Luhrmann’s version of The Great Gatsby included a throwaway line that caught my eye. Theoni Aldredge was a legendary costume designer credited with films like Moonstruck, Ghostbusters, and Annie. But her contribution to 1974’s Gatsby was different and the film’s effects and retail tie-ins would change lifestyle branding forever thanks to a then-unknown designer. Some would argue that a small-time tie-maker out of Manhattan defined a menswear style that would last decades.
If you’re an independent creator, it’s likely that Patreon is a platform that you call home. Nearly 100,000 creators do. The platform has achieved notable traction in a relatively short period of time. It’s reported that by 2018, they’d process nearly $1 billion. Cofounders Jack Conte and Sam Yam’s creation launched in May of 2013 after Conte grew frustrated by Youtube’s lack of alternative monetization. As the story would go, Conte beta-tested the site with his own personal Youtube audience and began raking in $7,000+ per video. Youtube’s monetization would earn him a little more than $50 for the same work. Fast forward five years and Patreon is synonymous with patronage, as much as Kickstarter is synonymous with crowdfunding.
