Hey Josh Metz here, by way of introduction, I was previously part of the teams that created Tinder, ZitSticka…and now SLUSHY.

Over at Tinder, our playbook was centered around how to turn something awkward into something cool. Sure, Tinder still has a little bit of a stigma, as all online dating does, but I like to think we played a significant role in showing people that it’s okay – it’s normal – to meet people online.

Back then, people assumed you had zero social skills if you resorted to meeting someone on a dating app. Today, it’s pretty par for the course! It’s a great way to get out of your social bubble and branch out into unexplored territory. I’m confident Tinder helped prove that to be true.

We kept the same philosophy when we built ZitSticka. Yea, acne is awkward. No one likes talking about it, and almost everyone hates showing it! Yet pretty much everyone deals with it. So, how were we going to come up with a discreet, effective, and enjoyable acne treatment?

They said it couldn’t be done.

Just kidding. No one said that, but few set out to achieve it! We set out to create something that eases your mind after you wake up with a zit. Instead of panicking or throwing the kitchen sink at it, you just reach for your simple little treatment and go on with your day.

An innovative acne patch with an all-new delivery mechanism and sophisticated ingredient lineup - that’s what we created. It’s not clinical or messy. It’s not obvious or expensive. It’s an accessible pimple treatment that aims to build acceptance around acne. In other words, it’s making acne treatment cool.

We did it again! Ahem. Don’t mean to brag.

And now I’ve made it to my third venture: SLUSHY. This time, our goal is to make subscription-based content cool. Why post everything online for free, lets raise the value of our content and earn deservedly.

SLUSHY, the Creator Economy, and Destigmatizing Paid Content

The creator economy is a really exciting place with limitless potential. Content creators who work for themselves get to control what kind of content they make and how much they charge people who want to buy their content. It has made income generation more accessible than, possibly, ever before!

And content creation is so valuable that corporations are willing to pay big for it – TikTok has a $200M creator fund, YouTube has a $100M YouTube Shorts fund, Twitter has a $20M creator fund – but they put a lot of restrictions on their creators. For example, it’s not uncommon for a content creator on one of these platforms to wake up to their account removed without warning because they violated a vague community guideline. What’s worse, they aren’t afraid to keep any money that wasn’t transferred to the user’s personal bank account.

Subscription-based content is a great way to avoid relying on payment from a platform. Instead of being paid out of a creator fund, content creators are paid by fans who genuinely love their work.

Unfortunately, lots of people think “purchasing photos and videos” means “purchasing adult content.” In reality, many types of content can be bought and sold! Digital paintings, ebooks, songs, movies… there really IS limitless potential in the creator economy. We just need to reframe the way we think about paying for the content we consume.

And that’s why I helped create SLUSHY! I wanted to help people who work hard to provide value get what they deserve: a dedicated audience, the freedom to publish without restriction (as long as it’s safe and legal), and the possibility of earning a living from their passions.

I’d love it if you’d check out SLUSHY and follow us on Instagram @feedmesomeslushy to let us know your thoughts on the creator economy, paying for content, and the future of content creation.