Welcome to From the Gold Room, our biweekly dispatch shaped by the people, ideas, and moments moving the creator economy forward.

We’re kicking off 2026 energized by the momentum we felt at Creator Economy Live West. Spending time with creators, founders, brands, and platform leaders reinforced what we already believe: the creator economy has entered its next chapter, and it’s being shaped in real time by the people building it.

Now, the Bay Area is next.

With the Super Bowl arriving in early February, creators are firmly at the center of culture, conversation, and brand strategy — and we’re excited to see how this moment unfolds on home turf. At the same time, we’re already hard at work planning our Creator Gold SXSW event in March, where we’ll continue creating intentional spaces for creators and industry leaders to connect.

More to come soon.

💛
France & Monica
Co-Founders, Creator Gold

The Bay Area is making history this Super Bowl week.

For the first time, Super Bowl LX is here and so is the creator economy. From major brand activations to headline-making moments like MrBeast and Salesforce, creators have officially claimed their seat at advertising’s biggest table.

Here's what happened: In late December, MrBeast tweeted that he'd been "sitting on an amazing Super Bowl commercial idea for years" and was looking for a brand brave enough to let him make it. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff replied within hours, publicly challenging him to pitch "the craziest Salesforce-Slack love child ad the world's ever seen."

The teaser dropped this week. It's styled like an influencer vlog — MrBeast showing up at Salesforce HQ, pitching his idea, employees agreeing with one condition: the product has to be part of the story.

This isn't celebrity casting. This is a creator setting the terms.

The real flex? Speed.

Most brand partnerships take six months — RFPs, legal reviews, eighteen layers of approval. This one happened in a tweet thread.

As Sean Atkins, CEO of Dhar Mann Studios, pointed out on LinkedIn, Benioff understood something most executives don't: the announcement is the campaign. Every marketing publication covered the deal before the ad even runs. The Super Bowl spot is almost a bonus.

And for MrBeast, this isn't just a paycheck. It's strategic positioning. He's not just the guy who gives away islands to teenagers anymore — he's someone Fortune 500 CMOs are watching. That's intentional.

The companies still running six-month partnership cycles are competing against teams that close deals in a DM. That gap is only widening.

Why this matters:

For years, Salesforce leaned on Matthew McConaughey — Hollywood polish, scripted spots, safe bets. Now they're handing creative direction to a YouTuber whose videos rack up tens of millions of views in hours. That's not a marketing pivot. That's a power shift.

And it’s not just Salesforce.

This week, the NFL named Dhar Mann its first-ever “Chief Kindness Officer”, formally embedding one of YouTube’s most-watched creator-entrepreneurs into its Super Bowl strategy. Dhar Mann will help shape positive fan engagement and produce original content for the NFL’s social channels throughout Super Bowl week.

That’s not a cameo. That’s institutional buy-in.

The NFL has built an entire creator infrastructure around the Super Bowl:

As Ian Trombetta, the NFL’s SVP of Global Social and Creator Marketing, put it:
“Creators aren’t just amplifying the moment — they’re translating it for global audiences.”

The real opportunity isn't the TV spot.

Industry experts are aligned: the 30-second ad is still about spectacle and scale. But creators thrive in the ecosystem around the game — the anticipation, the real-time reactions, the post-game takes.

Aaron King from McCann nailed it: "The smartest use of creators isn't trying to squeeze them into a 30-second TV slot for legitimacy. It's using them to turn a broadcast moment into cultural aftershocks."

That means:

For the Bay Area, this is personal.

Salesforce is a hometown company. The Super Bowl is in Santa Clara. And the world's biggest creator just walked into their headquarters and said, "Let's do something crazy."

He's not the only one. Dhar Mann — the Bay Area creator behind one of YouTube's most-watched channels — has been teasing "something special" being filmed around the Super Bowl. Between Dhar Mann Studios and MrBeast's Salesforce play, Bay Area creators aren't just showing up for the game. They're shaping the conversation.

This is what happens when brands stop treating creators as placements and start treating them as partners.

The bottom line:

The Super Bowl used to be about who could afford the biggest celebrity. Now it's about who can earn the most authentic cultural moment.

Creators don't replace the broadcast. They extend it, humanize it, and keep it alive long after the final whistle.

Welcome to the Bay, Super Bowl. The creators are ready.

Super Bowl week is about to take over the Bay. If you're a local creator planning content around the game — or just have a hot take on the MrBeast-Salesforce move — hit reply. We’re featuring the best responses in next week's issue.

The Moves, Moments, and Momentum to Know

1️⃣ Creator ad spend projected to hit $44B in 2026
The IAB forecasts U.S. creator economy ad spend will jump from $37B in 2025 to $43.9B in 2026 — an 18% increase. Much of this spend flows through Bay Area platforms: Meta (Menlo Park), YouTube/Google (Mountain View), and Pinterest (San Francisco) remain the infrastructure powering creator marketing. (IAB/Digiday)

2️⃣ TikTok confirms new U.S. ownership structure
TikTok announced "TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC" with Silver Lake, Oracle, and MGX as majority owners (15% each), while ByteDance retains 19.9%. Two of the three new majority owners — Oracle (Redwood City) and Silver Lake (Menlo Park) — are Bay Area companies. The platform says it will "retrain" the algorithm on U.S. user data. TikTok is still experiencing technical issues in the U.S., with advertisers warned about missing features and monetization disruptions as infrastructure stabilizes. (TikTok)

3️⃣ The creator economy is now "Wall Street ready"
A record 81 M&A deals closed in the creator economy in 2025 — up 17.4% YoY. Landmark deals include Bending Spoons' $1.38B acquisition of Vimeo and Later's $250M purchase of Mavely. Valuation multiples are now matching traditional SaaS and media benchmarks. The question has shifted from "Is this real?" to "Which assets are best positioned?" (Forbes)

4️⃣ Meta rolling out ads on Threads next week
Menlo Park-based Meta announced it will roll out ads on Threads to all users globally starting next week. Threads is now seeing more daily usage than X on mobile devices — a milestone for the hometown platform. (Meta for Business)

5️⃣ YouTube quietly becoming the default “stable platform”
YouTube has overtaken Reddit as the most-cited social platform in AI search results and is doubling down on creator-led Super Bowl programming, reinforcing its position as the most durable creator infrastructure heading into 2026. (Multiple sources)

A curated look at the rooms shaping what’s next in the creator world.

⚡ Super Bowl City & The Fan Village:  Saturday, Jan 31 – Sunday, Feb 8,| Justin Herman Plaza & Sue Bierman Park (Embarcadero), San Francisco 
The free, waterfront festival hub for Super Bowl week features games, live entertainment, and interactive installations. Open 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM daily, with extended hours Fri–Sat.

👖 Levi’s “Home Turf” Experience | Jan 31 – Feb 8 | One Montgomery Street, SF (Financial District)
Free public entry all week! Immerse in Bay Area culture with live music curated by Empire Records and custom denim tailoring stations. For detailed info:

💻 Super Bowl Opening Night -  Monday, Feb 2, 2026 | San Jose McEnery Convention Center                                                                                                          
The first public appearance of both Super Bowl teams. Live player interviews on the floor, musical performances, and cheerleaders. But first come first serve. (Free Registration but must register:  download the NFL OnePass App or register at NFL.com/OpeningNight

⚡ Super Bowl Experience presented by Jersey Mike’s — February 3–7, 2026 | Moscone Center, San Francisco
The NFL’s central immersive football festival with interactive games, memorabilia, autographs, exhibits, and fan fun. Free for kids 12 and Under - Public tickets available via Ticketmaster.

⚡ BAHC Live! SF Fan Zone | Feb 3 – Feb 7 | Yerba Buena Gardens, SF (SOMA)
Free entry Experience a "Best of the Bay" fest featuring the Live Mural Series, where top artists paint oversized footballs daily, and a Tech Playground with 3D-printed championship rings. Must Register: download the NFL OnePass App 

💻 The Business of Sports & Tech Innovation Conference — February 4, 2026 | Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center, San Francisco
A ticketed industry crossover event around sports, tech, and media that’s useful for creator economy builders at Super Bowl Week. (Eventbrite)

🧧 Chinatown Lunar New Year Block Party | Wednesday, Feb 4 | Grant Avenue, SF (Chinatown)
Free public entry from 5–9:30 PM! Celebrate the Year of the Horse and the Big Game with a massive night market featuring 49ers DJ E-Rock, lion dancing, and panel discussions with icons like Kristi Yamaguchi and Michelin-starred chef Brandon Jew.

💻 Shaq’s Fun House – Fri, Feb 5 | 8:00 PM | San Francisco
It is a hybrid of music festival meets full-scale carnival. With live performances, over-the-top circus acts, and actual carnival rides, it’s the ultimate backdrop for creators to capture viral-worthy content and experience one of Super Bowl week’s most unforgettable parties. Buy Tickets

💻 Super Bowl LX Projection Show | Feb 5 – Feb 7 | The Ferry Building, SF (Embarcadero)
Free nightly 10-minute shows from 6–11 PM! Capture a cinematic "time machine" of NFL history projected onto the iconic facade. 

💻 Sports Illustrated The Party – Fri, Feb 6 | San Francisco | The Chainsmokers, Ludacris
For the celebrity-industry crossover, SI The Party brings top artists, immersive brand activations, VIP lounges, and high‑energy entertainment. Strictly 21+ with valid ID for entry. Buy tickets:  

💻 Taste of the NFL - Saturday, Feb 7, 2026 | Pier 27 (The Cruise Terminal), San Francisco.
30+ tasting stations representing every NFL city. Perfect for "Foodie" creators to capture high-end content. Hours: 3:00 PM – 7:00 PM. Buy Tickets: ht tps://tasteofthenfl.com/)

🎙️ Marketing Evenings NYC: The Future of the Creator Economy with #paid — February 11, 2026 | New York, NY
An intimate creator economy talk + networking event featuring insights into creator business models, monetization, and trends led by #paid and industry leaders. Tickets are low-cost and targeted at professionals. 

🎤 2026 ANA Creator Marketing Conference — February 23–25, 2026 | Las Vegas, NV
A major industry summit bringing together creators, brands, agencies, and platforms to discuss storytelling, partnerships, strategy, and creator-centric marketing. (ANA)

Carefully chosen content that moves the creator world forward, from platform updates to standout storytelling and Bay Area discoveries.

▶️ WATCH
Creator Marketing Is Broken — Here’s How to Fix It
A timely breakdown from HubSpot Marketing of why traditional creator marketing falls apart and what actually works when creators are treated as strategic partners, not distribution channels. A must-watch for creators and brands thinking long-term.

Watch → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Och9626AAEc

🎧 LISTEN
How MrBeast Built Feastables in 90 Days
A behind-the-scenes look at how one of the biggest creators in the world launched a consumer brand at speed, with lessons on product focus, distribution leverage, and why audience trust matters more than hype.

Listen → https://open.spotify.com/episode/2L5OeprLBjWk81rbhilYRj

🍽 EAT
Cioppino at Sotto Mare Oysteria & Seafood — San Francisco
Recently spotlighted by @sherryeatsworld, this is the kind of dish that reminds you why San Francisco food culture still hits. Her post calls out the cioppino as deeply comforting, generously portioned, and exactly what you want on a cold SF night — rich tomato broth, fresh seafood, and zero shortcuts.

And yes, cioppino was born in San Francisco. The dish dates back to the late 1800s, created by Italian immigrant fishermen who cooked the day’s catch into a communal seafood stew near the city’s waterfront. Sotto Mare has become one of the modern keepers of that legacy.

Eat → https://www.sottomaresf.com✨

Creator Gold is a curated creator community and experience series founded by France Tantiado and Monica Khan in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Born from the momentum of Bay Area Creator Economy (BACE), Creator Gold creates elevated spaces where creators, founders, brands, and platform leaders connect with intention — turning conversation into collaboration.

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