10 years ago…
Wow, did I really just write that!
10 YEARS!
Let’s start again. And a pre-warning – this might be quite a long one…
The beginning
10 years ago, after a particularly dreadful job interview, I started to wonder whether my dream of being a writer was destined for failure.
I began to spiral.
I’d always wanted to be a writer, I’d always been obsessed with stories; writing my own, reading others. But clearly it was over.
At this point, I was tempted to open a bottle of wine and drown my sorrows, and really embrace my (self-indulgent) quarter life crisis.
But before I made my way to the fridge, I opened my laptop – why exactly I can’t remember – and the last tab I had opened was that of my favourite travel blogger at the time.
I started to read… and read… and read.
It was the perfect way to unwind, to get lost in words and escape my ‘never going to make it as a writer’ reality.
I read through the archive, and decided I’d like to find more bloggers like this one to add to my list. So I started to look.
And wow.
I became very overwhelmed, very quickly. For every good blog that was out there, there were tens that were out of date (including my own), badly written, poor quality, and the lists that I could find recommending bloggers to follow were all written by PR companies, or Marketing Agencies…
And it got me thinking… who better to tell you which bloggers to follow than bloggers themselves? And could this be done not just in Travel, but over lots of different sectors… like Beauty, Fashion, Food etc.
Could you curate the blogosphere?
But how could you get lots of bloggers – who already have big audiences online – all come together into one place? Offer something different.
What’s the opposite of digital… print!
A print magazine that curates the blogosphere! And a publication that champions bloggers!
(NB: mainstream press were not impressed by bloggers at the time ‘most famous person you’ve never heard of, who just sit in their rooms and make loads of money’).
And that is how – 10 years ago – the idea for Blogosphere was born.
And on October 16th 2013, the very first issue of the magazine – which starred Estée Lalonde (known back then as EssieButton) – was published.
The growth
The magazine grew a loyal following quickly, and we began publishing bigger and bigger issues, packed with more and more interviews (many of which I got to write – I’d become a writer after all!).
Our cover stars included Fleur De Force, Joe Sugg, Samantha Maria, Victoria Magrath, Zoella, Dina Tokio, Louise Pentland, Lydia Millen and Casey Neistat (we flew to New York for the interview).
The magazine didn’t just build a following though.
It built a community.
A community of like-minded people, who were passionate about the online world – and taking it seriously.
And these were people who wanted to meet. What is the best way for people to meet? Events.
So we launched our Blogosphere events.
They started with magazine cover reveal parties, community get togethers – Blogosphere Tea Party, Blogosphere Valentine’s, Blogosphere Pamper Evening, Blogosphere Festival… and then we launched the Blogosphere Awards.
In 2017, one hundred bloggers attended our first ever Blogosphere Blog Awards.
By 2019, we hosted 250 creators at One Marylebone and the event was headline sponsored by TikTok.
The rocket ship had launched.
So we made the decision to pivot to focus on our live events.
Yes, at the end of 2019, we had decided to focus on live events. And then came…
2020.
I’ll just leave that as a stand alone. We all know what happened. And let’s just say it wasn’t great for live events businesses…
However, our community rallied together, and we managed to come back stronger than ever before, with more than 30,000 creators nominated for the 2021 Blogosphere Awards, and a ceremony that brought everyone back together.
Grace Victory winning creator of the year – and the reaction in that room – was one of the most amazing things I have ever witnessed.
And then last year.
The Blogosphere Awards 2022.
More than 50,000 creators nominated, headline sponsored by YouTube Shorts, 300 creators at the ceremony (with a collective following of more than 100 million), and a social reach – audited by LaunchMetrics – of 179 MILLION!
Our re-introduction
The data was backing what we as a team were thinking. The decision we made in 2019 was right…
It is time to concentrate on live events.
It is time for our next chapter.
So let us introduce ourselves.
We are bCreator. We bring brands and creators together through premium events.
What does the ‘b’ in bCreator stand for?
For us it’s an homage to Blogosphere – we’re keeping our branded b; we won’t forget where we came from and we’re really proud of what we’ve achieved under the name.
But the b also stands for be. This industry – the creator economy – is a place where you can find a space and truly be who you want to be. It is a place where you can find people like you, simply by be – ing yourself.
That’s what excited me a decade ago, and what continues to drive the team today.
There are so many voices to hear from, so many stories to share. There are so many creators to celebrate.
So welcome to bCreator. Join us on this ride through the world of creators. We’re 10 years in, and we’re only just getting started!