Exclusive: Marie Claire publisher Future launches creator program
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Future has launched Collab, a new initiative for creator-led content that runs across its portfolio of media brands including Marie Claire, Homes & Gardens and Who What Wear, executives exclusively tell Axios.
Why it matters: As site traffic declines and audiences fragment across platforms, publishers are seeking to reassert themselves as trusted curators and tapping on creators' direct relationships.
Driving the news: Collab will host a network of creators and integrate their content across Future's portfolio with new franchises associated with the existing brands.
- The new franchises are Style at Large on Marie Claire, By Design on Homes & Gardens, Editors in Residence on Who What Wear, Open House on Ideal Home and Adviser Intel on Kiplinger. Replay on GamesRadar+ will launch in the coming weeks.
- Creators will be hand-selected and paid flat fees as contributors. The initial focus is long-form articles, which will be promoted across the websites, newsletters and social channels.
- Hillary Kerr — co-founder of Who What Wear who serves as Future's senior vice president of women and luxury, homes, music, photography and design — says creators gain exposure from the authority of its brands and in turn offer their agility and community.
- "What I've always done with Who What Wear is look for talent and curate," Kerr says. "We are still going to have the same vision and the same quality standards, but then it's also just expanding the number of people who can speak to our audience on our platform."
State of play: Media companies are attempting to build scalable businesses around creator collaborations.
- Condé Nast recently announced a new shopping platform with creator-led storefronts called Vette, launching in 2026.
- Vox Media has partnered with creators like Tefi Pessoa, who launched an advice column with The Cut and a pop culture podcast with the Vox Media Podcast Network.
- Yahoo released its own creator publishing tools last year with Yahoo for Creators.
Between the lines: Relying on contributors isn't new to publishers. Magazines have long hired freelancers. Digital media outlets like the Huffington Post offered a self-publishing contributor platform.
- But these relationships are now more formalized and paid, relying on people who publish their own content across platforms like YouTube and Substack and have built their own followings.
The big picture: As audiences shift from websites to social apps and crave connections with individuals versus media brands, publishers are betting on closer ties to creators.
- "This is a long-term partnership model, not volume-based content pipeline," Kerr says. "We really are invested in these creators and see them as true partners and that their success is directly linked to ours."
