There was a time when being a content creator wasn’t considered a career. It was an experiment, a side hustle, a hobby, or something people stumbled into.

That time is over.

The global creator economy is estimated at more than US$250 billion and is projected to approach US$500 billion by 2027. More than 200 million people worldwide identify as creators, and brands are redirecting billions in advertising dollars toward influencer- and creator-led campaigns.

But while this sector has scaled rapidly, the infrastructure around it hasn’t kept pace. Creators are building multi-million-follower audiences without formal business-strategy training, while social media managers are being pushed into executive roles without a clear understanding of how platforms operate. Careers are increasingly tied to algorithms that determine content visibility, with little transparency or stability.

Ontario Tech University is addressing this gap with the launch of the Master of Social Media Communication in Online Creators (The Creator MA), a first-of-its-kind graduate program in Canada designed to professionalize work in the creator economy and prepare its leaders. Welcoming the first cohort in Fall 2026, the program will offer in-person and fully online options, full- or part-time, making it accessible to working professionals stepping into leadership. These include:

• Content creators building sustainable businesses.
• Social media managers moving into strategic and executive roles.
• Digital strategists, creator managers and influencer marketing professionals.
• Entrepreneurs building digital-first ventures.
• Policy and communications professionals.

A program built for the realities of the industry

“The creator economy looks like an industry on the surface, but underneath, it’s still incredibly unstructured,” says Dr. Emilia King, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Social Science and Humanities (FSSH), and co-director of the program.

Brand deals remain highly unequal, with a small percentage of top-tier creators capturing a disproportionate share of revenue, while mid-tier and emerging creators navigate inconsistent pay, opaque negotiations and limited leverage. Creators from marginalized groups often report less favourable deal terms and fewer opportunities.

At the same time, platforms largely dictate what content gets seen, making success difficult to predict, and influencing what creators choose to produce.

“The Creator MA is about understanding how to build sustainable careers in an environment defined by platforms, data and constant change,” says program co-director Dr. Zenia Kish, Assistant Professor, FSSH.

Students will develop expertise in:

• Content strategy, growth and audience analytics.
• Digital storytelling across platforms, including viral storytelling techniques, narrative design and cross-platform audience engagement strategies.
• Monetization, brand partnerships and campaign execution.
• Platform dynamics, algorithms and discoverability.
• AI tools, policy, regulation and ethical leadership.

“If you don’t understand how the creator economy works, you end up improvising tactics under constantly shifting conditions,” Dr. Kish explains. “We’re training people to recognize those market dynamics and design durable online businesses that can withstand these pressures.”

Beyond coursework, the program is about building shared knowledge in a field where information is often fragmented.

“We’re creating a space where people can actually compare notes in a meaningful way,” says Dr. King. “Where knowledge gets shared, patterns can become visible, and people stop making decisions in isolation.”

Real-world learning with accountability

At the core of the program is a two-semester Capstone project where students launch a real initiative, such as a platform, venture, campaign or policy framework. Each project includes defined goals, public release, and measurable outcomes.

“Rather than analyzing the creator economy from the outside, the students are inside it, making decisions, seeing consequences, adjusting in real time,” says Dr. King. “That’s where the learning actually happens.”

The creator economy influences public discourse, cultural production, political communication and consumer behaviour. With that in mind, Ontario Tech aligns the program with its broader ‘tech with a conscience’ approach, emphasizing innovation and accountability.

“We ask questions that people often avoid because they’re inconvenient,” Dr. King says. “Who holds power here? Who is being extracted from? What are your obligations when you have influence? If you don’t engage with those questions, you’re not really leading, you’re just participating.”

Considering the next step in your career?

Visit The Creator MA web page for program details and admission requirements.