On the Mainstage team

Elliot Padfield

Proof beats promises.

Elliot co-founded Mainstage in 2026 and leads technology and growth. He has spent his career in the creator economy, building the systems that turn reach into results a brand can measure.

Before Mainstage he led operations for a creator with more than 8 million followers (work responsible for hundreds of millions of views) and spent years as a GTM and growth marketer across early-stage companies. That experience is the brand-side product: the brief that doubles as a contract, the review queue, payouts, and the reporting that proves a campaign worked.

Writes about
Clipping campaignsWriting briefsPerformance reportingGrowth & GTM

Guides

21 published
  1. 01GuidesHow to pay creators: flat fee, views or bothLearn how to pay creators with flat fees, verified-view payouts or a hybrid. Compare each model, set clear rules and prevent payment disputes.July 20, 2026 · 9 min
  2. 02GuidesStreet interview marketing: how to run a creator campaignA practical guide to street interview marketing, from the question and location plan to participant consent, creator payouts, review, and measurement.July 20, 2026 · 12 min
  3. 03OperationsCreator content review checklist: approve submissions consistentlyA practical creator content review checklist with approval gates, revision rules, rejection reasons, reviewer workflow, and a downloadable rubric.July 20, 2026 · 11 min
  4. 04GuidesUGC marketing: plan, price and measure campaignsA practical UGC marketing strategy for brands: choose a campaign model, build the brief, budget every cost, set usage rights, and measure performance.July 20, 2026 · 16 min
  5. 05GuidesWhat Is Performance Creative? Pay-Per-View Creator AdsPerformance creative is short-form video from real creators, measured on results and paid per 1,000 verified views instead of a flat retainer or ad buy.July 12, 2026 · 11 min
  6. 06GuidesIs Clipping Worth It? When It Beats Paid Ads (and When Not)Is clipping worth it? Yes for cheap top-of-funnel reach at $1–6 per 1,000 verified views, 3–8x under paid social — if you verify views before you pay.July 12, 2026 · 13 min
  7. 07GuidesClipping vs Influencer Marketing — Pay Per View or Per PostClipping vs influencer marketing, compared on cost, reach, and risk — one pays per verified view, the other a flat fee, and when to use each.July 12, 2026 · 13 min
  8. 08GuidesClipping vs Affiliate Marketing — Views or Sales?Clipping vs affiliate marketing compared: pay-per-view reach at the top of the funnel vs pay-per-sale conversions at the bottom, and how to run both together.July 12, 2026 · 10 min
  9. 09GuidesPerformance UGC vs UGC — Priced in Different CurrenciesPerformance UGC vs UGC: traditional UGC buys owned video at a flat fee; performance UGC buys native distribution paid per 1,000 verified views.July 12, 2026 · 13 min
  10. 10GuidesThe 10 Best Clipping Platforms for Brands (2026)The best clipping platforms all run pay-per-view campaigns, but fees, view verification, and brand safety vary wildly. Here's how 10 actually compare.July 12, 2026 · 14 min
  11. 11GuidesBest Content Rewards Platforms, Ranked by Who Blocks FraudBest content rewards platforms for 2026, compared on how they verify views, price per 1,000, and whether they block fraud before your money moves.July 12, 2026 · 14 min
  12. 12GuidesBest AI Clipping Tools, Ranked by Cost Per ClipThe best AI clipping tools — OpusClip, Vizard, Ssemble, Reap — compared on clip quality and real cost per clip, so you pick the right one and skip the rest.July 12, 2026 · 11 min
  13. 13Case studiesHow N3on's $1.4M Clipping Campaign Actually WorkedN3on's clipping campaign paid 303 clippers $1.4M in five weeks at a $0.40 CPM — the cheapest rate on the market. Here's the math and what you can copy.July 12, 2026 · 11 min
  14. 14Case studiesThe Biggest Clipping Campaigns of 2026 — and the CatchThe biggest clipping campaigns of 2026 reportedly hit $650K a month and 2.2B views — see who's spending, what the Stake scandal exposed, and the catch.July 12, 2026 · 10 min
  15. 15GuidesWhat is content rewards? The campaign model explainedWhat is content rewards? A model that pays anyone who posts about a brand per view. How it works, where it came from, and what to check before you run one.July 11, 2026 · 8 min
  16. 16GuidesWhat is clipping? The complete guide to clipping campaignsWhat is clipping? One long video becomes hundreds of short posts, paid per verified view. How clipping campaigns work, who runs them, and 2026 costs.July 11, 2026 · 11 min
  17. 17GuidesHow to run a clipping campaign that actually pays outLearn how to run a clipping campaign end to end: set the offer, source footage, write the brief, price the CPM, review submissions, and pay on verified views.July 11, 2026 · 11 min
  18. 18Case studiesClipper economy case study: inside the Clavicular machineA clipper economy case study: a streamer reportedly paying more than 1,500 clippers $30 per 1,000 views, roughly $650,000 a month, and what operators should copy.July 11, 2026 · 8 min
  19. 19GuidesClipping vs UGC: what's the difference and which do you need?Clipping vs UGC comes down to what you buy: UGC is a commissioned asset at a flat fee, clipping is verified views at a CPM. Here is how to choose.July 11, 2026 · 7 min
  20. 20GuidesHow much to pay clippers: rates, payout models, and capsHow much to pay clippers in 2026: typical CPM rates by format, per-post and hybrid payout models, and the caps that keep a viral clip on budget.July 11, 2026 · 11 min
  21. 21GuidesHow to write a clipping campaign brief creators can runA clipping campaign brief is the contract for your campaign. Here is what goes in one, why most briefs fail, and a copyable outline creators can run cold.July 11, 2026 · 9 min