Christian Franz: Community vs Cash?

Social Media Saving Lives

Would you rather build a platform 100% about community or get a 5-figure check each year?

In a world where inflation can turn the price of eggs to cost more than a gallon of gas, many people have turned to content creation as a side hustle. And while the initial thought behind Christian Franz’s venture into content wasn’t to make money, it quickly became a side hustle he had to think about.

Franz is the visionary behind the "Friends of Franz" podcast, a global phenomenon that reaches over 100 countries and spans six continents. The narrative takes us back to its origins, born out of the bleak moments of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a new graduate nurse in the epicenter of the crisis, he identified a need to combat misinformation and leverage expert voices in healthcare. 

“Being a Covid-19 ICU nurse was really one of the most bleak moments of my life,” Franz said. “There was so much brokenness and so much darkness, but I also saw much humanity. I think part of humanity was obviously the fear from the public. And when there is fear, there's a lot of misinformation. I firmly believe that misinformation and information itself can actually either cost or save lives.”

Franz would start an Instagram live and cold outreach to physicians and other experts, enlisting their help to debunk misinformation. After a season one run, season two was marked by over 10,000 downloads and a flood of resumes from surgeons, researchers, and experts worldwide who wanted to be on the podcast. Since its inception, the @friendswithfranzpod Instagram page has received hundreds of thousands of views and with that success came eight brand partnerships and affiliate codes, generating income that surpassed $10,000. 

Love Partnerships

But with the launch of season three, Franz gave all of that potential money up.

“I honestly didn't feel great getting money from a passion project. I don't feel comfortable getting money from medical information. With the third season I really saw my passion for Asian representation within my guests, about 70% of the guests I have on the show are Asian. Why don't I go have a full line up of Asian founded brands for the entire season?”

He calls them “love partnerships.” These are 11 Asian founded brands where Franz met with the founders, but asked for zero payment or commission.

The brands are the following:
Covry
House of M
Nguyen Coffee Supply
V Coterie
Skin by Anthos
Halmi
By Dr. Mom
Loupn
Baisun Candle Co
Rejins
twrl 

Franz is sincere about what he does. He currently rotates among three nursing jobs. The flexible schedule allows him freedom to run the podcast and stay authentic to his authority.

“I think it's very important for me that you stay in the field, not just because I want to stay genuine to the topics of the podcast, but because I think it's fulfilling for me,” he said. The reason why I feel like I don't need or I'm not hungry for any income from the podcast is because I do have my own identity on social media where I do have my own partnerships and skincare wellness outside of the podcast brands.”

“In my heart and my brain, I do keep the podcasts and me as Christian Franz as separate entities.”

Community Stories

• Gold House and CAPE released their annual Gold List of best Asian films from 2023.

• Gold House is also hiring for a Chief of Staff.

• Netflix’s “Beef” won big at the Golden Globes.

• Vivian Tu’s debut book “Rich AF” is a New York Times best seller.

• Food content creator Zach Choi hit 10 million followers on Instagram. 

Have a community story or update you want to share? Hit Reply and send us a tip!

Creator Economy News

• Average rate of podcast CPMs are down.

• There are benefits to reposting old content.

• Twitch laid off about 500 employees.

Always Be Creating News

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Asian Creator Awards

Wednesday June 26, 2024 in Los Angeles

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Newsletter written by
Daniel Anderson