(Los Angeles, California, February 25, 2025)  The Creators Guild of America (CGA) today announced the release of its CGA Rider, a document asserting and protecting the foundational legal and creative rights of digital content creators. Historically, riders have been used as supplementary agreements attached to contracts, allowing parties to modify or clarify the contract’s terms. Similarly, the CGA Rider is designed to be appended to agreements between Creators and brands or agencies, covering such issues as timely payment, ownership of content, revisions, and approvals over the re-use or repurposing of content. 

“Most Creators are independent operators, working with tight budgets and demanding timelines,” explains CGA Founder and President Daniel Abas. “Many are without legal or talent representation, especially early in their careers, and commonly feel pressure to sign any agreement put in front of them, lest they lose a rare opportunity. As a result, Creators are often at a crippling disadvantage when it comes to negotiating the terms of their work, as outlets like Forbes have noted. (“Why Labor Protection For Creators Is An Uphill Battle”, Dec. 5, 2024).  We created the CGA Rider to start to level the playing field.  In a perfect world, every Creator would have access to skilled representation.  Until that day arrives, CGA members are encouraged to make full use of the Rider.”

The Rider represents the CGA's most substantial effort to date towards standardizing the terms that govern Creators' work.  In the absence of any earlier compensation schedule in the underlying agreement, the Rider specifies a maximum window for payment.  The Rider also asserts the creator's sole ownership rights to material created via the underlying agreement, and stipulates that the Creator be credited in all public-facing aspects of the project that utilize the content in question.  Further provisions require the Creator's consent for the use of their name/image/likeness, require the signatory company to provide relevant performance data, such as analytics, upon request, and restrict the company’s right to utilize the content to train or be modified by external AI systems.

“The provisions of the CGA Rider are simply an extension of commonplace best practices,” said Paige Kaplan, a CGA Board Member and Associate at GreenbergTraurig. “This kind of standardization doesn’t just help Creators, but creates efficiencies for everyone who facilitates their hiring." 

Numerous players in the creator economy—including such organizations as Linktree, Whalar Group, Beacons, Collab, and Lumanu—have already signaled their support for the CGA Rider, and confirmed that they will include the Rider in their agreements with Creators going forward.  

Neal Jean of Beacons endorsed the Rider unequivocally. “Beacons is proud to support the Creators Guild of America and their industry-standard creator contract,” declared the company CEO. “Together, we’re setting the stage to ensure transparency and fairness in brand sponsorships, which make up the majority of Creators’ income. The CGA Rider marks an important step toward establishing equitable practices in the creator economy, and we are proud to be working with CGA to bring more economic opportunities to Creators.”

Alex Zaccaria, CEO and Co-Founder of Linktree, expressed his company’s support with conviction.  “Creators are at the heart of everything we do,” he announced, “and central to this is a commitment to ensuring fairness and transparency. We're proud to support the CGA with this Rider, which is a great step forward in empowering Creators to own and monetize their audience.”

“Our industry has evolved from the tactic of influencer marketing to the thriving creator economy,” observed Whalar Group founder Neil Waller. “It's gone from a marketing footnote to a boardroom priority. Core to this transformation has been the continual professionalisation of our industry and we're proud to support the CGA Rider, which represents another incredibly valuable raising of the bar to protect the interests of Creators.” 

Tyler McFadden, Co-Founder of Collab stated: "The CGA Rider represents an important standard for the fair treatment of creators in brand partnerships that will help shape mutually beneficial partnerships for both creators and brands. We are proud to support the Creator's Guild of America and share their commitment to always doing what is best for creators to protect their rights and grow their businesses."

The sentiment was echoed by Tony Tran, CEO of Lumanu: “The CGA Rider represents an important step in creating equitable, standardized practices that benefit Creators, agencies, and brands alike. At Lumanu, we believe that trust and transparency are the foundation of a thriving creator economy. We’re proud to support this initiative and to stand alongside the CGA in championing fairness and respect for the work of creators everywhere.” 

Use of the Rider is categorized as a benefit of CGA membership, and only CGA members are authorized by the guild to include the Rider language in their contracts, which can be found on the Members Only section of the Creators Guild of America website. Partners who accept the CGA Rider are granted the CGA Shield, a trusted designation, and are conveniently listed on creatorsguildofamerica.org/shield for easy recognition by Creators.

“In Creators’ decentralization and independence, we are starting to grasp the faint outlines of the future of work itself,” asserts Abas. “Right now, the creator economy is the incubator for the next generation of entrepreneurs who are going to evolve the ways we consume media, engage in commerce and live our day-to-day lives. And that generation needs protection. It's not going to happen overnight, but the CGA Rider is the first step in a process that's going to ensure that 'Creator' becomes a recognized and sustainable career open to anyone with good content and a strong work ethic.” 

An FAQ section about the Rider is available on the CGA website, and businesses that wish to support Creators by utilizing the Rider can do so by applying online at [creatorsguildofamerica.org/shield]. The CGA Rider is one of the numerous initiatives undertaken by the CGA, following on the heels of its partnership with Stride Health announced in November 2024. In 2025, the CGA will be releasing additional infrastructure to facilitate content accreditation and certification, and launching its Created By event series, a screening and discussion forum held at marquee venues throughout Los Angeles.

About the Creators Guild of America

The Creators Guild of America (CGA) is the non-profit 501(c)6 professional service organization established to protect and promote the rights and interests of digital content creators.  Launched in 2023, the CGA offers a variety of benefits to Creators, including its accreditation service, its digital and in-person panels covering essential topics in the creator economy, networking and information-sharing opportunities, and advocacy within the media industry and in time, at the state and federal level. The CGA is led by its admin team, Board of Directors, Chairs and Advisory Council, populated by established professionals drawn from content creators, platforms, service providers and thought leaders from within the creator economy.