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Syracuse, NY-- A few years ago, Sylvie Feldman didn’t know if she wanted to go to college. Millions of people have watched the Syracuse University senior’s makeup videos on TikTok. But at the time, she didn’t know if her success would continue. She wasn’t signed to a big management company that could help support her. “Learning about the business side of creating when it comes to contracts and taxes,” said Feldman, who has over 100,000 followers on TikTok. “I didn’t know any of that.” SU is creating a new center for students just like her who want to become influencers, agents, podcasters and YouTubers. The center is a joint project between the university’s communications and business schools. SU says it’s the first of its kind in the nation, focused on students who want to participate in the $250 billion creator economy. Many SU students are already part of this economy. They post videos of themselves online, selling clothes, sharing makeup tutorials or helping other creators navigate the industry. “We want students to understand that this is a genuine place that will be supportive of your aspirations in this creator economy,” said Alex McKelvie, the interim dean of the Whitman School of Management. For now, the schools don’t plan on offering majors or minors in content creation. Instead, the center will be a resource for students in any major to learn more about the successes and challenges of selling products or their lifestyles online. The center will have a dedicated classroom in Newhouse 3. The school is making an at least six-figure investment for equipment and design for the new space, according to Mark Lodato, the dean of S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Early plans for the center include a green screen, podcast booths and a corner for gamers to livestream, according to SU. It’s supposed to be ready by spring 2026. SU will hire an executive director to lead the center, Lodato said. The center will also highlight a growing list of more than 30 classes that teach content creation skills, such as entrepreneurship, audio engineering and AI tools. For example, student athletes could learn how to build their brand and negotiate deals in a Name, Image, and Likeness class at the Falk College of Sport. SU graduate Ilana Dunn Solomon hosts the dating podcast “Seeing Other People.” The television, radio, and film major said she learned many of the skills that she uses today, like editing, filming and lighting at Newhouse. But an entertainment entrepreneurship course could have taught her how to negotiate contracts, she said. That class will now be highlighted under the umbrella of the center. “Knowing that it’s going to be teaching such a 360 view of content creation,” Dunn Solomon said. “I think it’s invaluable.” SU will host a launch event on campus in November. Alumni who work in the creator economy, like Dunn Solomon, will teach workshops and conduct speaker sessions. “What we’ve done is bring together a lot of really exciting and cutting-edge things that Syracuse University is already doing,” Lodato said. “What we wanted to do is, in essence, bundle this in a way that really secures Syracuse University’s place as a leader when it comes to the creator economy.”
