If anyone knows what works when it comes to making money as a content creator, it’s Filmbro co-founder Arnaud Melis.
Together with long-time creative partner Ignace Aleya, Arnaud has turned a shared passion for video into a thriving business – one that includes a YouTube channel with over 500,000 subscribers, a growing creative community, and multiple income streams. Today, Filmbro is a full-scale ecosystem that sells thousands of templates each year while helping creators make content brands are willing to pay for. But how did it grow to this level?
“The surefire way of making a living out of content is consistently adding value,” explains Arnaud.
That's how you turn your creativity into something sustainable, without losing what you love about it. In this interview with Uppbeat, Arnaud shares how he built a scalable creative business, developed products that truly help people, and learned to earn money doing something he believes in.
Arnaud Melis is the co-founder of Filmbro.com, a platform built to help creators with templates, resources and practical training for making better videos. Working closely with Ignace Aleya, he’s helped shape the content and strategy that took Ignace’s YouTube channel past 500,000 subscribers.
- Turn your creativity into different ways to make money
- Consistently add value so people keep coming back
- Focus on improving what you sell
- Be confident about selling your product
- Don’t rely on platforms you can’t control
1. Turn your creativity into multiple income streams
Every creator who starts to monetise their craft soon learns that growth isn’t automatic. For Arnaud, that truth hit when he realised the production company he’d built with Ignace had limits.
AM: “We started to notice that the video production game is hard. You start cheap when you’re new, but as soon as you try to raise your rates, you’re competing with others willing to do the same job for less. We decided to focus more on YouTube content instead.”
Arnaud and Ignace looked for new ways to earn from their creativity. This led them to build multiple income streams around their content that could grow without relying on client work.
AM: “We earn money from AdSense, but that’s not the biggest chunk of what we make. We started with selling templates and now sell more than 100,000 a year. Eventually we started to get sponsorships and evolved to what we have today.”
Selling assets and templates to creators became a big part of Filmbro’s success and helped to boost the amount they could make from content alone. But Arnaud and Ignace went further by launching their own education platform.
AM: “Our online university is a premium product. We guide creators from start to finish in their journey to create content they can be proud of and that companies want to pay them for.”
Ultimately earning as a creator is rarely a straightforward path and Arnaud reminds other creators that real business growth takes patience.
Arnaud’s key takeaway
Don’t rely on one income stream. The more ways you can earn from your creativity, the more stable your business becomes.
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2. Bring people back by consistently offering value
Arnaud’s approach to building an audience is simple – focus on helping people first, and opportunities to earn will follow. Because when you build trust, viewers will be more likely to buy from you.
AM: “For us, it always comes down to how we can give as much value as possible. If our free content feels more useful than what others charge for, people naturally want to stick around and move towards our paid stuff.”
This philosophy is the backbone of the Filmbro business model: build trust first, and let monetization flow naturally from there.
AM: "Then you can offer something extra, like a freebie, and ask for their email so you have them on your mailing list. Some of those people will turn into customers, which gives you the freedom to keep creating and adding more value – that’s how the cycle works for us.
It’s not a complicated process, but keeping it up over time is what really matters. Which has led Arnaud to live by his mantra, to always “provide value consistently.”
Arnaud’s Key Takeaway
Focus on giving value first. When people trust what you offer, they’ll keep coming back and that’s what turns content into income.
3. Focus on your product and keep improving it
Making money as a creator doesn’t just come from ad revenue or brand deals, it comes from building something people truly want. Arnaud believes real financial independence happens when you create genuine value for your audience instead of relying on algorithms or sponsors to pay the bills.
AM: “I look at what our audience finds valuable and figure out how we can create something that really helps them – then build a product around that.”
That mindset has shaped much of Filmbro’s success. Arnaud has learned that trying to do too much at once can hold creators back. Instead of spreading yourself thin, he believes it’s far better to put your full attention into making what you sell exceptional.
AM: “Focus on a single product, rather than relying on AdSense or sponsorships. You can make lots of okay things, but a single great one will take you much further.”
It’s this way of thinking that has helped make Filmbro a successful business for Arnaud. The key is to prioritize a product that will genuinely help people. Once you do that, and even evolve that offering over time, you’ll find yourself a regular income stream.
Arnaud’s key takeaway:Put your energy into one product that genuinely helps people, and you’ll build something that keeps earning long after it’s made.
4. Learn to sell without selling out
You want to earn from the content you make, but you also want your audience to trust that your work comes from a genuine place. It’s the same tricky balancing act lots of creators come up against.
Arnaud says that balance starts with believing in what you’re offering and making sure it truly helps the people you’re speaking to.
AM: “A lot of people think selling is bad, but if you’re offering something you believe in that also helps people, what’s wrong with that? If your free stuff helps people, and your paid stuff helps them even more, that’s fine – you’re just giving them options to get better, faster.”
Arnaud’s seen how easy it is for creators to fall into the trap of overpromising or chasing quick money, something he’s always tried to avoid with Filmbro’s university.
AM: “There are so many scams out there and that’s exactly what we don’t want to be with our university. We never say, ‘Join and you’ll get rich.’ What we say is, ‘We’ll teach you the skills to make great videos.’”
Arnaud’s mindset is simple: selling should never be about taking from your audience. When what you sell genuinely helps them, it becomes the thing that allows you to keep giving back. And when done right, selling isn’t the end of creativity – it’s what makes creativity sustainable.
Arnaud’s Key Takeaway
Sell with purpose, not pressure. When what you offer genuinely helps people, everyone wins – you, your audience, and your business.
5. Don’t rely on platforms you don’t control
A loyal audience is one of the most valuable things you can have as a creator. But as Arnaud points out, you can just as easily lose your audience and it’s up to you to protect it.
AM: “It’s always best if you can keep control of everything yourself. And if you do work with partners, make sure they’re people you really believe in – that’s the only way partnerships work. Because if you get that wrong, you can lose your audience’s trust really fast.”
Your audience are your customers, so losing them will hurt your earning potential. Platforms can change overnight, algorithms can disappear, and entire accounts can be wiped out with no warning. That’s why Arnaud believes you need to find ways to stay connected with your audience outside of social media.
AM: “Try to own your audience as much as you can. Collect emails, build your own list – because you never know when a platform might shut you out or get banned somewhere. Having an email list makes your business a lot more stable.”
Being able to contact your audience without relying on a single platform gives you freedom. When you control how you can connect with your community, no algorithm or platform can dictate your success.
Arnaud’s Key Takeaway
Don’t build your audience on borrowed ground. Keep control of your connections, protect their trust, and your business will be safe no matter what platform you’re on.
Build your own sustainable content business
Arnaud’s journey shows that making money as a creator involves building something real over chasing shortcuts. When you focus on value, improving what you offer, and building genuine connections, you create a business that can grow with you.
Whether you’re just starting out or already creating full-time, his approach is proof that creativity and consistency can build something sustainable. For more tips on how to monetize your content, check out our guides on how to make money from YouTube or how to earn from TikTok.
