This week, we sat down with a creator attorney, founder, and advocate to talk about bad contracts, knowing your worth, and why ownership is everything.
FEATURED CREATOR LEADER OF THE WEEK
Brittany Ratelle
Founder, Ratelle Law for Creators ∙@brittanyratelle
Before most creators knew they needed a lawyer, she was already building the category. Founding Attorney of Ratelle Law for Creators, she has spent over a decade helping influencers, agencies, and social-commerce brands navigate contracts, licensing deals, and revenue structures. She didn’t wait for the industry to make space for her; she created her own lane. Now she’s using AI to make good legal advice more accessible and affordable.
“Don’t build your content empire on ground you don’t own!”
Tell us about yourself and what you do in the creator economy?
I’m a creator lawyer who supports and advises influencers, creators, agencies, creator economy vendors, and social-commerce brands. I help from startup to brand collabs, licensing deals, entertainment and rev-share deals, publishing, ecommerce, and digital products. I’ve been working in the creator economy for more than a decade and have helped thousands of online businesses.
What’s a career moment that changed everything for you?
In 2016 I launched a podcast and new Instagram channel for ‘Legal help for creative entrepreneurs’ and emailed everyone in my address book asking for any referrals. It was the scariest thing I’ve ever done (professionally) and I’ve never looked back! Sometimes you have to move forward and create your own category, your own job, and if you don’t fee a little ‘cringe’ about your first efforts, then you waited too long!
What’s one thing the industry gets wrong about women in this space?
Women creators are frequently labeled as ‘influencers’ in a pejorative way (which I have a LOT of thoughts on), yet men are rarely called that.
What advice would you give to a woman just starting out?
You don’t need a business partner. It can be nice to have a ‘buddy’ because business is HARD. But, you need to be very intentional about getting business-married to someone and if you can use their skills without making them an equity partner - do that instead!
What’s next for you? What are you most excited about right now?
Excited about how AI can help me help make good legal advice and monetization strategy more available, affordable, and open-sourced (instead of being cloaked in NDAs).
Want to nominate someone or be featured next week?
We spotlight the women shaping the creator economy in our weekly newsletter and on thewomencreators.com. Features and speaker promotions are always free.
Follow Brittany here:
Instagram: @brittanyratelle
Website: brittanyratelle.com
Linkedin: Brittany Ratelle