Good morning, and thank you for joining me today. My name is Jeron Williams II, and I am the Chief Creative Officer of WGMCorp. I am excited to be joining the Executive Officers department of my family organization, and returning to the company full-time in over two years. I officially started the position as Chief Creative Officer today, July 1st, but I have been acting as the CCO for a few months now. That’s because I wanted to fully immerse myself in the wants, needs, thoughts, feelings, and emotions of Creators before I stepped into this position. I interviewed Creators, dove deep into their careers, had personal conversations, lunches, luncheons, office invitations, coffee shop chats, and so much more over the past two months. I’ve kept a portfolio of clients that I’ve personally worked with one-on-one for years. And, I’ve been more active than ever on social media platforms to really understand what Creators are feeling.
My first, most prominent, overarching, and leading promise to ALL Creators, is that we will create and continue to foster an environment in which you can be yourselves and Create in the ways you want. Full stop. No biases, no restrictions, no censors. I can’t stress it enough, and I don’t know how much I’ve said it at this point. Creators should have spaces to be fully themselves without judgments or restrictions.
A few days ago, I saw a video by Cory Winn, ½ of the Speedy and the G Podcast, and a supremely funny and talented person with an amazing personality. At the beginning of 2021, Cory came out to his followers on TikTok as bisexual. He’s discussed it on the show with his best friend Damen, and has made tons of videos on the topic, most joking, some serious. In the more recent one, Cory briefly touches on how he struggled with suicidal thoughts surrounding his sexuality in high school, after being accused of “queer-baiting” his fans on the platform. Cory cried, and so did I.
People like Lil Nas X, Jojo Siwa, and even Vivian Jenna Wilson are all finding their way as Queer Creators. We are constantly ridiculed for how we present in the world, who we love, and why we are the way we are. What I, Cory, Nas, Jojo, Vivian, and so many of you have in common is that we all continue to Create what we Create and do what we love, despite being told that we shouldn’t and can’t.
As a society, we’ve created standards for acceptance that we sometimes can’t even follow ourselves. However, some individuals have turned from calling Lizzo “fat and ugly” to “big and fluffy” instead. As if that woman doesn’t give great hugs anyway. When it comes to the people we love and enjoy the Creativity of, we also always seem to ridicule the people they are. Rebel Wilson, Adele, and Lizzo have all been in conversations about weight, but have never been in a conversation questioning their talent.
Which brings me to promise two. Everybody say “Love”! Love everyone, and love yourself too. I promise to infuse love, the love of Creating, the love of Creators, the love of living and learning, and the love of being loved into my work at all times. The love of Creating is what got me all the way to CCO. From working with Hunter at Multiply to artists like Lil Kozi, Karter Krueger, John Hatchet, Bobby Chaniel, and numerous others, I have loved each and every single moment of collaboration, partnership, and overall togetherness I shared with those talented individuals and will continue to share for years to come. Each day, when I discover a new song, come across a new recipe, or watch a restaurant review, I take inventory of how to be a better representative for Creators, and exactly how many garlic cloves are used for the best garlic bread. I love small fun facts like the connection between The New Workout Plan by Kanye West and Workout by J. Cole. I love Ernesto Birmingham’s album, So Refreshing. I even love the music I’m Creating. You can check out Sunset Summer by JERON wherever you get your music starting today.
Promise three is to always, always put Creators first. Alongside my new position as Chief Creative Officer, WGMCorp. also handed me an offer for a new position as the Creators First Whistleblower. I’ll be creating new and reviewing existing company-wide policies to ensure that we aren’t being malicious and predatory in working with Creators. That’s why we’ve introduced campaigns like the #InvestInCreators Campaign, and the Month of Creator deals, which offer free* and heavily discounted services to Creators through the end of this month. Sebastian Gonzalez and Daniel Cruz have taken part in the campaigns to start and assist their clothing brands, The Actual Shop and Revenue Island. They were able to take advantage of the funds appropriated for their projects. The Actual Shop was started at no cost to Sebastian at all. That’s because we believe in helping Creators Create.
Promise four, staying true to what got me here. This journey started with a deep connection to music. I got my start in music as a young boy when I joined the Chester Children’s Chorus. My musical talent was fostered and sharpened on the campus of Swarthmore College with former music professor John Alston. I learned classic and contemporary pieces and how to sight-read, picked up a relative pitch skill, and even began composing music of my own before I left in 2017. I still credit the CCC and John for helping me start an amazing journey into the music industry. When I got to Philly, I was introduced to so many more amazing artists and timeless music pioneers that I’d never heard before. From my time in CCC, songs like Killing Me Softly, Spain, and When Doves Cry became my favorites, and upon moving here, more songs like On and On, Keep You In Mind, and Good Form entered my library as repeats. I constantly listen to music, and I’m always stealing someone’s playlist. Chill Vibe Junk by my best friend Zoe has some lowkey, melodic-style songs, and my playlist on Apple Music, Bops of 2020 isn’t half bad either. I’ve gotten some of my more recent favorites from Michael, Zak, and Louis, adding their suggestions and playlists to my own library and meshing them with my music taste. There’s usually a lot of overlap, too. I guess Zoe, Michael, Zak, Louis, and I share some good picks in music.
Straying away from music is never something I intend to do. It’s a huge part of me, and sometimes it’s kept me going when it felt like I couldn’t. It’s my inspiration. And it’s the way I communicate. When I can’t express my thoughts with words, there’s always a song that’ll do the trick. I’m listening to Easily by Bruno Major right now actually. I always have my AirPods in, listening to something on Apple Music.
I was a Creator first, before any of this. I had my sights set on a career as a tenor vocalist in some way or another, but that dream faded. Now, I serve a larger purpose in helping Creators Create. And Creating you are. You are all so strong and convicted, talented and brave, and some of the most amazing people I have the greatest honor and pleasure to represent. The Creator Revolution is upon us, and you all are pioneers of the new wave.
I can’t wait to see what you’re Creating with our awesome products and services, like Placard Media for website design and drop-shipping merchandise, Trilo Music for musical performance and mechanical licensing, and 12:23 Distribution for global music distribution. These services and WGMCorp. were built by Creators, for Creators.
Thanks to Stephen, WGM’s President, and my family for trusting me with this position. And thank you again for joining me today. I’ll see you out there in the world.
Jeron Williams II, Chief Creative Officer