Syracuse University has named Ryan Schram, a 13-year veteran of the Influencer Marketing company IZEA, as the inaugural Executive Director of its Center for the Creator Economy. Schram starts August 3.
Schram spent 13 years at IZEA, 12 of them as President and Chief Operating Officer, before joining the boutique advisory firm Particle Wave as managing partner. Earlier in his career, he held roles at Merkle, Westwood One and iHeartMedia. He was named a “Top 10 Global Chief Operating Officer” at the 2023 OnCon Icon Awards and a “Top 101 COO” by Boardroom Media in 2022.
The Center for the Creator Economy launched in November 2025 as what the university has described as the first academic center dedicated to the sector on a U.S. college campus. It is led jointly by the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and the Martin J. Whitman School of Management. Schram will oversee the center’s academic programs, research and industry partnerships as it enters its second year.
“Syracuse has done what no other university has: build the first academic center for the Creator Economy with the ambition of becoming the global authority on curriculum, research and rankings in this space,” Schram said in an announcement. “As someone who has spent the last decade and a half building businesses in this industry, I see real value in leading it from a practitioner’s vantage point.”
Mark J. Lodato, dean of the Newhouse School, said Schram “brings the vision, industry experience and entrepreneurial mindset needed to lead the Center for the Creator Economy at this pivotal moment.”
Alex McKelvie, interim dean of the Whitman School, said Schram’s “practitioner perspective, combined with his commitment to innovation and collaboration, will help ensure the Center for the Creator Economy continues to shape how we prepare future business and creative leaders.”
Expanding Academic Footprint
The appointment follows the university’s launch of a Creator Economy minor for fall 2026, the center’s first formal academic credential. The minor requires three core courses: “Introduction to the Creator Economy,” “Business Toolkit for Creators,” and an entrepreneurship course in which students choose either LaunchPad or New Media Venture Launch, plus electives that include a “Name, Image and Likeness” course from the David B. Falk College of Sport and a Music Industry Marketing and Media class from the College of Visual and Performing Arts. It is open to students across the university.
The center opened a physical space at Newhouse this past spring, equipped with collaboration and programming areas, and new podcast production booths are set to open this fall. Since its November launch, the center has hosted events in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles.
Dragomir is a Serbian freelance blog writer and translator. He is passionate about covering insightful stories and exploring topics such as influencer marketing, the creator economy, technology, business, and cyber fraud.
Syracuse University has named Ryan Schram, a 13-year veteran of the Influencer Marketing company IZEA, as the inaugural Executive Director of its Center for the Creator Economy. Schram starts August 3.
Schram spent 13 years at IZEA, 12 of them as President and Chief Operating Officer, before joining the boutique advisory firm Particle Wave as managing partner. Earlier in his career, he held roles at Merkle, Westwood One and iHeartMedia. He was named a “Top 10 Global Chief Operating Officer” at the 2023 OnCon Icon Awards and a “Top 101 COO” by Boardroom Media in 2022.
The Center for the Creator Economy launched in November 2025 as what the university has described as the first academic center dedicated to the sector on a U.S. college campus. It is led jointly by the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and the Martin J. Whitman School of Management. Schram will oversee the center’s academic programs, research and industry partnerships as it enters its second year.
“Syracuse has done what no other university has: build the first academic center for the Creator Economy with the ambition of becoming the global authority on curriculum, research and rankings in this space,” Schram said in an announcement. “As someone who has spent the last decade and a half building businesses in this industry, I see real value in leading it from a practitioner’s vantage point.”
Mark J. Lodato, dean of the Newhouse School, said Schram “brings the vision, industry experience and entrepreneurial mindset needed to lead the Center for the Creator Economy at this pivotal moment.”
Alex McKelvie, interim dean of the Whitman School, said Schram’s “practitioner perspective, combined with his commitment to innovation and collaboration, will help ensure the Center for the Creator Economy continues to shape how we prepare future business and creative leaders.”
Expanding Academic Footprint
The appointment follows the university’s launch of a Creator Economy minor for fall 2026, the center’s first formal academic credential. The minor requires three core courses: “Introduction to the Creator Economy,” “Business Toolkit for Creators,” and an entrepreneurship course in which students choose either LaunchPad or New Media Venture Launch, plus electives that include a “Name, Image and Likeness” course from the David B. Falk College of Sport and a Music Industry Marketing and Media class from the College of Visual and Performing Arts. It is open to students across the university.
The center opened a physical space at Newhouse this past spring, equipped with collaboration and programming areas, and new podcast production booths are set to open this fall. Since its November launch, the center has hosted events in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles.
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