A New Era Of Protection And Professionalism For Digital Creators

Forbes

10-04-2025

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The creator economy has long been defined by its lack of rules. Millions of independent digital creators post, partner, and promote on platforms every day, without the protections or standard practices enjoyed by professionals in film, TV, or publishing. But this week a new framework has been launched to bring structure to that chaos.
The Creators Guild of America (CGA) has released the CGA Rider, a standardized contract supplement that protects digital content creators' rights around payments, content ownership, usage approval, crediting, and access to performance analytics. In short, it's a new kind of creator contract and it's already supported by some of the biggest names in the industry.
'The CGA Rider marks an important step toward establishing equitable practices in the creator economy,' said Neal Jean, CEO of Beacons, one of the platforms already adopting the standard. 'We are proud to be working with CGA to bring more economic opportunities to creators.'
Designed to be attached to brand or agency agreements, the CGA Rider is not a standalone contract but an add-on, a rider in the legal sense, that introduces essential protections for creators who are often negotiating alone.
'Most Creators are independent operators, working with tight budgets and demanding timelines,' explains CGA Founder and President Daniel Abas. 'Many are without legal or talent representation, especially early in their careers, and commonly feel pressure to sign any agreement put in front of them, lest they lose a rare opportunity. As a result, Creators are often at a crippling disadvantage when it comes to negotiating the terms of their work, as outlets like Forbes have noted.'
'We created the CGA Rider to start to level the playing field. In a perfect world, every Creator would have access to skilled representation. Until that day arrives, CGA members are encouraged to make full use of the Rider.'
The document is available to CGA members only and addresses some of the most common friction points in creator-brand relationships. It establishes a maximum window for payment when one isn't specified. It asserts that creators retain sole ownership of the content they produce. It ensures that creators are credited and that their name, image, and likeness are not reused without approval. It even restricts brands from using creator content to train or feed external AI systems.
'The provisions of the CGA Rider are simply an extension of commonplace best practices,' said Paige Kaplan, CGA Board Member and Associate at GreenbergTraurig. 'This kind of standardization doesn't just help Creators, but creates efficiencies for everyone who facilitates their hiring.'
While the Rider was created to protect creators, its early adoption by leading tech companies and agencies highlights another trend: brands want clarity and consistency, too.
Too often, deals in the creator space are haphazard or misaligned. Brands may be unsure of content rights, unaware of creator expectations, or left scrambling when terms are vague. The CGA Rider solves this by laying out an agreed-upon framework—and making it easier for both sides to collaborate successfully.
That's why companies like Linktree, Whalar Group, Beacons, Influencer, Triller, Collab, Creator.co, Lumanu, and others have agreed to adopt the Rider language in their contracts going forward.
'As someone who's spent the past decade building creator-first businesses, I know how vital it is to establish fair standards in our industry,' said Ben Jeffries, Co-Founder and CEO of Influencer. 'The CGA Rider is a pivotal step in empowering creators—not just with their rights, but with the confidence to grow sustainable careers. At Influencer, we're proud to support this movement toward transparency, protection, and professionalisation across the creator economy.'
Alex Zaccaria, CEO and Co-Founder of Linktree, added: 'Creators are at the heart of everything we do, and central to this is a commitment to ensuring fairness and transparency. We're proud to support the CGA with this Rider, which is a great step forward in empowering Creators to own and monetize their audience.'
The standardization offered by the Rider brings long-term benefits to platforms and marketers. It avoids costly miscommunications, reduces legal risk, and accelerates the dealmaking process by aligning expectations upfront.
'The CGA Rider represents an important standard for the fair treatment of creators in brand partnerships that will help shape mutually beneficial partnerships for both creators and brands,' said Tyler McFadden, Co-Founder of Collab. 'We are proud to support the Creators Guild of America and share their commitment to always doing what is best for creators to protect their rights and grow their businesses.'
'The CGA Rider represents an important step in creating equitable, standardized practices that benefit Creators, agencies, and brands alike,' said Tony Tran, CEO of Lumanu. 'At Lumanu, we believe that trust and transparency are the foundation of a thriving creator economy.'
The CGA is not a union, but its goals mirror those of other entertainment guilds: protection, recognition, and structure. Launched in 2023, the nonprofit offers accreditation, events, and health benefit partnerships, all aimed at helping creators build sustainable, long-term careers.
'Our industry has evolved from the tactic of influencer marketing to the thriving creator economy,' said Whalar Group founder Neil Waller. 'It's gone from a marketing footnote to a boardroom priority. Core to this transformation has been the continual professionalisation of our industry and we're proud to support the CGA Rider, which represents another incredibly valuable raising of the bar to protect the interests of Creators.'
Professionalization is central to the CGA's mission. And while the Rider may seem like a technical legal tool, it reflects a broader ambition: to elevate content creation from a chaotic, gig-based hustle into a recognized and respected profession.
'In Creators' decentralization and independence, we are starting to grasp the faint outlines of the future of work itself,' says Daniel Abas. 'Right now, the creator economy is the incubator for the next generation of entrepreneurs who are going to evolve the ways we consume media, engage in commerce and live our day-to-day lives. And that generation needs protection. It's not going to happen overnight, but the CGA Rider is the first step in a process that's going to ensure that 'Creator' becomes a recognized and sustainable career open to anyone with good content and a strong work ethic.'
Use of the Rider is currently exclusive to CGA members and brands who accept it are awarded the CGA Shield, a trustmark creators can use to easily identify supportive partners. An FAQ is available on the CGA website and businesses can apply to use the Rider online.
Later in 2025, CGA plans to expand its infrastructure with new accreditation tools and the launch of its Created By event series, further steps in codifying what a professional creator career can look like.