At 29, I wasn't just finalizing a divorce. I was entering a new era of contractual self-protection. That meant completely rewiring how I think about partnership, boundaries, and my own value. When you go through something like marriage fraud, you learn firsthand that love without legal protection can cost you more than heartbreak. It can cost you your peace, your assets, and your sense of control. That experience completely changed how I approach contracts, not just in relationships, but in business.
As content demands continue to skyrocket, marketing teams are under increasing pressure to produce more, faster, without sacrificing quality or team well-being. From repurposing assets to leveraging AI and modular design systems, sustainable scaling requires creativity, structure and focus on what truly drives value. Balancing innovation with efficiency can help brands stay consistent and authentic even at high volume. To help, 18 members of Forbes Communications Council share the best strategies for scaling creative output while protecting both quality and your team.
YouTube has become the most significant platform in media, yet one of the most misunderstood. According to Nielsen, YouTube accounts for 10.4% of all TV viewing in the U.S., more than any single broadcast or cable network. It dominates viewing on living-room screens. It's where creators have built media channels of their own, and where millions of people now watch them the way they once watched prime-time shows. Ask a brand if they're on YouTube, and most will say yes; they buy ads. But buying ads around creators is not the same as working with them. One is media buying. The other is partnership. And until recently, only media buying could scale.
You've probably heard of House of Highlights-even if you're not a sports fan, it's hard to miss, whether on YouTube or scrolling through your social feeds. What started as a college dorm Instagram account has grown over 11 years into the #1 sports media brand on the platform, boasting 100 million followers and billions of monthly views. Today, House of Highlights is a multi-platform sports media powerhouse, producing creator-led content and original series that rival traditional TV.
There's rarely a dull moment in platform land but even by those standards, this year has been unusually turbulent. A new administration in Washington, rising competition, regulatory pressure and economic uncertainty have all collided to reshape the platform landscape. The Result is a new, more fragile equilibrium for the companies that once seemed untouchable.
and with Connected TV viewing (i.e. people watching YouTube content on their home TV sets) continuing to grow, it's legitimately a competitor for traditional TV channels in many respects. And with YouTube's more advanced ad targeting tools and options, that could make it an increasingly valuable consideration for your campaigns, enabling broad reach to sports fans, with hyper-targeted, even AI-facilitated targeting to maximize reach and resonance.
Gretchen Rubin's newsletters, including "5 Things Making Me Happy," "5 Things To Try This Month," and "5 Things Not To Miss," have attracted over 1.3 million subscribers, providing insights and practical tips.
