Adetutu, former Google leader and founder of Woof Studios, joins The Afropolitan Podcast to unpack the truth about Africa’s creator economy, why billions leave the continent every year, and how she is building the infrastructure creators desperately need.
From transforming YouTube strategy across Africa to launching the continent’s most advanced creator service company, she explains the real business behind content today, monetization, algorithms, brand deals, and why African creators must start building for a global audience, not just a local one.
She opens up about:
✦ Why now is the most profitable moment in history for African creators
✦ Why Nigerian creators earn 1/20th of U.S. creators on YouTube
✦ The true business behind CPM, RPM & brand ROI
✦ Why “care” and craftsmanship are Africa’s missing advantage
✦ How she left Google after 10 years to build Wolf Studios
✦ Why most creators fail and what the top 1% do differently
✦ How African creators can finally get global brand dollars
✦ The five platforms every creator must master in 2025
✦ What brands REALLY want from creators (but never say)
✦ Why African storytelling is the next trillion-dollar industry
If you’re a creator, entrepreneur, or digital strategist, this episode will give you a masterclass on monetization, distribution, and building a long-term creative business from Africa to the world.
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For more unfiltered conversations with Africa’s boldest builders, creators, and storytellers.
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00:00 Intro
00:28 Why now is the moment for African creators
01:25 How creators actually get paid in Nigeria
02:23 Why multinational brands don’t spend in Africa
03:41 Why African creators earn less than US creators
04:40 The new money in social commerce, affiliates & merch
05:09 How global creators build multi-country audiences
06:03 Why Nigerian filmmakers win, distribution secrets
07:01 Why she deeply cares about creators
08:56 What creators misunderstand about YouTube money
10:22 Why tech companies deprioritise Africa
11:44 Ranking TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn
14:36 Why YouTube is still the best platform in 2025
17:38 Why TikTok grows fastest (but pays least)
18:06 Breaking banking & payment barriers on the continent
20:02 Why African storytelling hasn’t broken globally
22:33 How she took creators to Cannes Lions
25:48 Inside the YouTube Plugged In event
29:07 Leaving Google: the real story
32:22 The business model behind WOLF Studios
33:43 Which industries pay creators the most
38:02 How to manage brands, teams & bad stakeholders
40:50 Building structure as a creator
41:45 How Afropolitan can scale globally
44:27 Why WOLF Studios rejects certain creator verticals
48:29 The future of licensing, web series & Nollywood
55:21 Should Nollywood charge micro-fees?
57:46 Why FOMO is the missing monetisation lever
01:00:26 What TV stations will pay creators for
01:02:19 The trillion-dollar opportunity in social commerce
01:05:24 Final toasts
01:06:17 Why RiseVest matters
01:07:13 Rapid Fire
01:11:22 Creator burnout & how to reinvent
01:13:18 Final message
Learn the strategies behind tech and crypto within the African diaspora. We demystify the pathways to limitless value creation within these emerging technologies and the communities around them.
