Why brands like Gap Inc. and Staples are inviting their employees to be creators

By Alyssa Mercante • August 6, 2026 •

Ivy Liu

Employee creator networks are the new creator networks.

“The attitude has completely flipped,” said Keith Bendes, chief strategy officer at influencer marketing agency Linqia.

Five years ago, creators could get fired for making content on the job. Remember Tony Piloseno? He was the college student in 2020 whose TikTok channel, filled with videos of mixing paint at the Sherwin-Williams store where he worked, went viral. The company reportedly fired him for “gross misconduct”, including “wasting properties [and] facilities.” Piloseno pitched Sherwin-Wiliams on using TikTok to reach younger audiences before he was fired.