How Katie Fang Turned Her Viral Tears Into A Social Media Empire from Forbes Top Creators Show

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How Katie Fang Turned Her Viral Tears Into A Social Media Empire

43 minutes Posted Jul 9, 2026 at 6:40 pm.

Live from Cannes Lions

Katie Fang’s Viral Origin Story: Crying on TikTok

Jared Carneson: From Mommy Bloggers to Head of Social Media

Heart Over Tools: What Actually Makes Content Successful?

Katie’s Breakthrough Kit with Glow Recipe

AI Hype & The Gossip Goblin

What are Microdramas? The New Face of Entertainment

Why Gen Z Ditched TV News for TikTok

The #1 Mistake Brands Make with Creators

Inside Katie's Long-Term Deal with Pink

Dealing with the Hamster Wheel of Content Pressure

Katie’s Ultimate Secret to Staying Relatable

Traditional Media vs "Clip Farming"

Turning Down Massive Brand Deals (Katie Spills the Tea!)

Future Outlook: What to Expect at Cannes 2027

How Gen Z Students Actually Use AI at NYU

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How do you turn a silent GRWM video of yourself crying before a dreaded restaurant shift into a full-time, highly lucrative career?

Welcome to the Forbes Top Creator Show! This week, host Steven Bertoni records live from the Cannes Lions festival for a special two-for-one episode featuring Forbes Under 30 creator Katie Fang and Adobe’s Head of Social Media, Jared Carneson.

(Produced in partnership with Adobe.)

In this episode, Katie breaks down her explosive growth from 800 followers to 1 million in a single month and how she leveraged her relatable "get ready with me" content into massive, long-term brand deals. Together, Katie and Jared dissect the current state of the media landscape, diving into why Gen Z has ditched traditional news for 30-second TikTok clips and the rising necessity of "clip farming." Jared shares profound insights on why AI "generates a repository of the predictable," and explains Adobe's pivot from traditional ads to scripted workplace microdramas. Finally, Katie shares her strategy for maintaining long-term audience credibility, revealing exactly why she isn't afraid to say "no" and turn down massive brand paydays.