Brandon Smithwrick, Kickstarter
Brandon Smithwrick, Kickstarter
💭 Thoughts on perfectionism, Bilt, and focusing on more balance & travel in 2024.
Thought Enthusiast is an AdHoc Project where we chat with fascinating thought leaders across various facets of music, tech, and culture whose work we admire, simply asking “what’s on your mind?” and “why do you care?” 💭
Brandon Smithwrick is an award-winning content marketer who has recently been featured on the 2024 Forbes 30 Under 30 list in Marketing & Advertising. He is currently serving as Head of Content at Kickstarter and has previously held content positions at Songfinch, Squarespace, Ralph Lauren, and GREATS. With his vast experience, he has been invited to speak at Rutgers University, NYU, Ohio State University, AdWorld Conference, LaterCon, and The Creative Collective. Apart from his full-time job, he is also a creator/entrepreneur and has collaborated with notable brands such as LinkedIn, Semrush, SproutSocial, amongst others. If you are looking for him, you'll most likely find him in Brooklyn trying a new restaurant, traveling with friends, or breaking a sweat doing a workout he'll regret later.
🎯 Current focus
I am extremely thrilled about the vast opportunities that lie ahead of me at Kickstarter. The creators on the platform are constantly exceeding my expectations and I never imagined the immense potential for growth and monetization it offers. Having experience on both ends of the creator economy, I understand the challenges and time required to establish something significant, and whether you are a filmmaker, inventor, author, or musician, the possibilities are endless.
🤝 Linkedin is the new Twitter for thought-leadership
I love how LinkedIn is being repositioned in culture. Shocker, a LinkedIn influencer talking about LinkedIn but I think ever since Elon took over Twitter (yep, I refuse to call it X) all the thoughts have migrated to LinkedIn and even this “polished-only” perspective of the platform is slowly changing.
🌴 Focusing on more balance & travel in 2024
My fiancé and I will be traveling to Mexico City soon and I'm looking forward to it because this has been hands down, my busiest year. I even started a new job with very little time off and growing as a creator on TikTok and LinkedIn has made my weekends just secondary work hours so I need some R&R. 2024 in general will be a year of more balance and more travel.
💻 Skillshare videos on YouTube Premium
Working in content has forced me to (a) consume more content on a daily basis and (b) view content very differently. My favorite way to consume content now that brings enjoyment and personal growth, and leaves me feeling better about myself is YouTube Premium.
Hear me out ... so, versus spending a lot of time watching Netflix, which I still do when I can. I have YouTube playing while I do casual work or cook because I can learn about financial tips, credit card hacks, fitness tips, etc. for hours with no ads, which is why most people don't spend too much time watching YouTube. Doing this has improved my mental health, financial knowledge, and leaderships skills. I know it sounds boring to basically watch skillshare style videos 24/7 but I like it.
💳 Bilt
Bilt is one of my favorite companies right now. It's a fintech startup that allows renters to pay their rent with a credit card, but they've made content that works very well and applies to a younger demo more than I've seen brands like Chase or Amex ever do.
💪"Perfect is the enemy of done."
"Perfect is the enemy of done." It's easy to become obsessed with perfection and end up not accomplishing anything. I have many tasks and ongoing projects in both my personal and professional life, and I find it more productive to focus on doing my best and completing them rather than trying to make everything perfect. This is where I often get stuck.
📌 Notion
I have had to organize my life, and Notion has allowed me to keep track of everything from personal to professional conversations, to-do's, and everything in between to help me plan better. It's hard to explain the impact but people who unlock the benefits for their life rarely use anything else afterwards.