Katy Krassner sits down with Sabrina Cartan to discuss the power of activism in online fan communities and more in this edition of Beyond 10,000 Hours.
Beyond 10,000 Hours with Sabrina Cartan
Sabrina Cartan is a fan activist, writer, and award-winning digital strategist. She specializes in mobilizing online fan communities for social justice and civic causes, inspiring them to engage with issues they’re passionate about. Her advice to musicians and artists in this interview on how activism can build a community is invaluable.
“Hey little sister, who’s the only one?”
I grew up in Rochester, New York, about as far away as you can get from New York City without leaving the state or hitting Canada. I call it “the outermost borough.”
Many of my peers did a lot of after school activities, but I’m convinced my parents did me a great big favor by not overloading me with extracurriculars. I didn’t really get into sports and activities until junior high, and, by that point, I wanted to try everything, and I did. As a result, I became a lifelong joiner, which helped me develop a civic life.
The Harry Potter craze hit elementary schools hard, and that was my first real obsession in fandom. When Chamber of Secrets came out in theaters, I ran around with a newspaper clipping of the poster at recess. During my sophomore year at Tufts, I applied for a volunteer press role at The Harry Potter Alliance, a nonprofit that popularized the trend of pop culture-themed activist campaigns and charity work.
“I dream at night I can only see your face”
The experience with Harry Potter fans piqued by interest in Fan Activism. Fan activism happens when fans of pop culture engage in civic or political acts rooted in their shared identity as a fan community. It’s a growing movement and trend that often involves partnerships with issue-focused organizations. For example, the Harry Potter Alliance teamed up with ‘She’s the First’ to create the “A World Without Hermione” campaign, which raised money and awareness to support girls’ education. By asking Harry Potter fans to imagine where Harry and Ron would be without brainiac Hermione, fan activists created an opportunity for fans to help the millions of girls missing from school communities around the world. That’s just one example of how creative these campaigns are.
A great example of fan activism that musicians and industry professionals should know about is the Fan Alliance. It’s an incredible initiative for music fans to support artists’ rights, namely fair compensation and IP ownership. Rosanne Cash and Rhiannon Giddens have done a lot to promote the Fan Alliance Pledge to their fans. I think it’s incredible that music lovers are able to use their powers to push back against Ticketmaster and the greedy managers of the world.
“I don’t get likes like they get likes”
Social media is, above all, a conversation. Most of us waste time doomscrolling, but we’ve also never been more connected. Technology has changed, but people remain the same. We yearn to belong, be part of the conversation, and do things that make us feel good about ourselves. Despite all the noise, you still see people online coming together to help others or participating in fan culture together. We don’t appreciate or invest in those moments enough.
Coincidentally, I learned very early on that social media could connect you directly to your favorite artists, which was totally unprecedented. In fact, the person interviewing me for this piece (Katy Krassner) work with bands inspired me when I eventually became a content strategist. I became a fan of Duran Duran as a teen in the mid-2000s and would occasionally write into the “Ask Katy” column. I’ll never forget the time she responded, and Simon Le Bon answered my question about where he got his ocarina from “The Chauffeur!”
“Hey, let’s go all over the world Rock and Roll”
I think civic life is a huge part of music, because music is about community at every level. As a new artist, you’re relying on small clubs, neighborhood joints, and whoever is willing to host you. Artists should, at most levels, understand themselves as part of an ecosystem where everyone is contributing something. Maybe it’s playing benefit shows or offering your services to local politicians you support. If you’re lucky enough to be a successful touring artist who can fill thousands of seats, I like to suggest thinking beyond donating money.
If I had my way, every major artist with an active fandom would have an activation at each show. Think of it this way: Taylor Swift’s fans have the ritual of trading bracelets at her concerts. What if there was an opportunity for them to donate bracelets with kind messages to a children’s hospital? Artists should consider not only what they can give, but how to call their fans in to do the work in a way that honors fandom traditions.
My clients tend to be very different from one another, but they usually send me projects that are rooted in social impact. I’ve worked on content strategy everywhere from the WE❤️NYC campaign to the Roddenberry Foundation. Through every project, I’ve been able to serve as a network weaver, connecting people from very different industries and backgrounds because I’m able to recognize some unexpected opportunity for them to collaborate.
As a stand-up comedian and content creator, I consider myself to be an artist. I’ve observed many kinds of artists, and the most successful ones tend to be good at business and adept at network weaving. Artists can do this by being open-minded and curious about the world around them. If you see yourself as part of a community of many kinds of artists, you’re more likely to succeed through collaboration.
“We all wanna change the world.”
The biggest change I’ve seen in the last 15 years is how much of our lives are curated for the sake of capturing an Instagram or TikTok moment, which feels sad and backwards. I think more people could stand to be conscientious about how social media is shaping their behavior. My friend and Webby Awards founder Tiffany Shlain wrote an amazing book called 24/6: The Power of Unplugging One Day a Week which helped me rethink my screen time. These days I prioritize posting content that connects me to others, rather than trying to look cool.
I think social media is a must-have tool for most artists. But it’s just that: a tool. You don’t have to follow every trend or force yourself to create the content everybody else is making. That’s boring! Be chaotic and experimental if you want. I’m personally tired of hearing the same five trending songs on Instagram day in and day out, so I avoid them. I set my boundaries and so can you.
“We are all in this together”
I’m currently working with the Roddenberry Foundation, founded in honor of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, as their 2025 Roddenberry Ambassador. His son, Eugene, wanted to fund projects that would bring us into the future that Roddenberry envisioned in Star Trek: where hunger, poverty, and prejudice are a thing of the past.
The Trekkies are my favorite fandom because they’re vanguards (fanguards?!) of television. They invented queer fanfiction and got a space shuttle named after the USS Enterprise. Trekkies can do anything, and I like writing about that! In addition to being a content creator for the foundation, I’m hosting and producing a new livestream series called “Creating the Star Trek Future” with Star Trek cast members, producers, and Roddenberry grantees. It’s about how Trekkies can solve real-world problems like climate change and hunger. You can follow along at @theroddenberryfoundation on Instagram and Facebook or at @roddenberryfdn.bsky.social on Bluesky, an account I just started.