Dialectic 52: @jackconte! Jack is not an entrepreneur who makes art on the side. He is a lifelong artist and musician who became the unlikely founder and CEO of @patreon, the only company he has ever worked for. At his (musical) peak, Jack was releasing 100 music videos a year between his bands @pomplamoose and @scarypockets while building one of the few enduring creator platforms on the web. He started Patreon to solve his own problem as a full-time YouTuber: he wanted fans to pay him directly for his work rather than accepting a dashboard that told him 3 million views were worth $18. Patreon is rare amongst its peers: it's a platform built first and foremost for creators, not consumers. It makes money when creators get paid. Jack believes that incentive alignment has helped Patreon earn creators’ long-term trust, and will help it endure as mediums, technology, and platforms evolve. I talked to Jack about all of this and more: - creative endurance and becoming “post-chaos” - why Silicon Valley undervalues art, brand, and storytelling - why art isn't content and getting paid isn’t selling out - creator-first incentives, trust, and 100 years of Patreon - why Jack is still the right CEO after 13 years - leadership: ambition, obsession, self-reflection, and learning from people better than you - Charlie Kaufman, authenticity, and making fans - lucid dreaming and taking more risks 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, and 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 @dialecticpod Ep. 52: Jack Conte - Draw the Next Page - is out now, below and on all platforms.