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

22 published
  1. 01GuidesClipping platform fees compared (2026)Compare Mainstage, Whop Content Rewards, Vyro, ClipAffiliates, Promote.fun, Clipify Media, and clipping.net by fees, funding, verification, and payouts.August 12, 2026 · 7 min
  2. 02GuidesHow 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
  3. 03GuidesStreet 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
  4. 04OperationsCreator 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
  5. 05GuidesUGC 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
  6. 06GuidesWhat 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.August 17, 2026 · 11 min
  7. 07GuidesIs 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.August 17, 2026 · 13 min
  8. 08GuidesClipping 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 28, 2026 · 12 min
  9. 09GuidesClipping 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
  10. 10GuidesPerformance 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.August 17, 2026 · 13 min
  11. 11GuidesThe 10 Best Clipping Platforms for Brands (2026)Ten clipping platforms compared on current public fees, approval rules, verification, and campaign scope.August 17, 2026 · 12 min
  12. 12GuidesBest 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.August 17, 2026 · 12 min
  13. 13GuidesBest 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.August 17, 2026 · 11 min
  14. 14Case 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.August 17, 2026 · 11 min
  15. 15Case 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.August 17, 2026 · 10 min
  16. 16GuidesWhat 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
  17. 17GuidesWhat is clipping in social media?Social media clipping turns long-form footage into short videos for TikTok, Reels, Shorts, and X. Learn the models, costs, rights, and campaign workflow.July 26, 2026 · 10 min
  18. 18GuidesHow 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 28, 2026 · 11 min
  19. 19Case 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
  20. 20GuidesClipping 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
  21. 21GuidesHow much to pay clippers: a CPM calculator and rate-setting guideWork backwards from budget and verified-view targets, choose the right payout model, and set caps without relying on a made-up market rate.August 12, 2026 · 8 min
  22. 22GuidesHow 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