How Troy and Shantel Brooks Became a Creator Power Couple

Troy and Shantel Brooks aren’t just partners — they’re spartners. That’s the word they use to describe their relationship as both spouses and business partners. 

Together they run a thriving lifestyle-based creator brand out of their home in the Atlanta area, incorporating family, faith, and fitness. They’ve gone from piecing together one-time deals to building long-term relationships with brands, which in turn not only means secure income for their family, but a vision for a career as creators.

Building their business to where it is now was a long road with a lot of trial and error, some major decisions for their family, and help from Creator Wizard to turn their brand into a full-time venture.

Troy and Shantel aren’t gatekeeping this success — they have plenty of advice for how you can leverage Creator Wizard to build your own brand.

From sweethearts to ‘Spartners’

Troy and Shantel have actually known each other since seventh grade and had kept in touch over the years through social media, although there were no sparks yet.

Then, ten years ago, they were both living in New York City and Troy was working as a personal trainer while also creating content on the side. Shantel signed up for sessions and their second one happened to fall on Valentine’s Day. Clearly feeling a connection, they went out for drinks after their workout, and, in their own words, the rest is history. They were engaged nine months later and married nine months after that.

By then, Troy had already built a brand on social media as a fitness and lifestyle creator, scoring deals with high-profile brands like Lululemon.

Eventually they made the move to Georgia, and although Troy’s brand was thriving, Shantel wasn’t ready to go all in. She had left a high-powered job in New York and was looking to continue down that road in Georgia.

“She's like, 'I'm not going to stop doing what I'm doing to help you with your little social media influencer career. I'm an Ivy League grad, I'm a boss,’” says Troy.

Shantel said she could see what Troy was doing was lucrative, but she readily admits that, at that point, she didn’t take content creation seriously yet.

So she hustled — trying out different business ventures on her own, but nothing stuck. They looked at their schedules and could see their time together growing sparse.

“We had very divided, isolated schedules. He was home with the kids, I was working all day, I missed out on moments,” says Shantel.

All this time, she had been helping out Troy here and there with things like photography, and Troy could see that collaboration was only making his brand and his work stronger.

“I was like, you know what, I've been so focused on trying to do me and my thing, which has led to isolation, when I could just change my perspective, listen to him, and do our thing,” says Shantel.

“I finally got past my ego, and was like, let me try this partnership thing with my husband. Our lives changed, and we officially became business partners.”

Leveling up their sponsorship game

Now a family man with two kids and a dog, Troy had moved his brand away from a focus on fitness to a focus on lifestyle — from family life as a husband and father, to style and fashion, to food and dining. The changes came from changes in Troy’s own life and perspectives, but it was also a savvy business move. Broadening his content also meant broadening the range of brands he could work with.

Troy’s brand deals had been pretty simple up to that point. He had at least moved past simply accepting products for posts, and was earning actual money for collaborations. But, it was all very one-sided.

The first big eye-opener was when a personal training client, an entertainment lawyer, offered to look over his brand deal contracts. That’s when he learned some important concepts like indemnification clauses and perpetuity. 

That gave him a leg up, but the deals were still inconsistent. Some months they’d have a bunch of deals, some months they’d have none. They were operating from a place where they waited for brands to come to them. They also hadn’t learned to negotiate — if a brand offered too little, they’d simply say no and move along.

They were leaving money on the table but that all changed when Troy and Shantel found Justin Moore, the founder of Creator Wizard.

It started with Creator Wizard’s newsletter and the free content creator glossary subscribers gain access to. Troy says that the glossary became his social media Bible.

“That made me confident when you talk about adding value and gave me the language to speak to the brands in a different way,” says Troy. He went from barely negotiating to being able to use terms like key performance indicators. Already, brands were impressed.

“Justin equipped us very early on with stuff to change the dynamic in regards to knowing that it's not just a one-sided relationship,” says Troy.

Then, it all came together when they signed up for Creator Wizard’s Brand Deal Wizard course.

The Creator Wizard transformation

When Troy and Shantel felt their business was growing stagnant, the Brand Deal Wizard course breathed a whole new life into their venture as spartners.

“Justin’s course was literally one of the best investments we've ever made into our content creation business,” says Shantel.

“It really equipped us with the right tools and strategy to pitch people.”

That was the first big lesson — knowing their own strengths and learning how to proactively communicate those strengths to brands. They weren’t just some creators accepting deals; they became a powerhouse that offered value to brands. They don’t just offer exposure to their audience — they offer professionalism, dependability, and an understanding of how sponsorship deals benefit both parties.

They went from offering simple rate cards to treating each deal as a bespoke arrangement. What are the usage rights? How many reshoots are included? What are the exclusivity terms? All of these questions determined the exact parameters of every deal, and especially how much they could charge for a deal.

They also don’t just walk away anymore. If a brand comes in too low, Troy and Shantel know how to communicate their value and expertise to command a better offer.

All that has added up to more than half a million dollars in brand deals, but also a renewed sense of confidence in knowing their worth.

The course isn’t just a course — it offers mentorship and a community where Troy and Shantel can cheer on other creators and share their latest wins. At this point, they say Justin feels like a brother.

Troy and Shantel’s top tips for fellow creators

These sparnters have learned a lot on their journey, and they have some choice advice for fellow creators who want to get to where they are.

1. Find what makes you unique

We all know that some creators are all about chasing trends and trying to copy what the biggest players are doing, but that won’t necessarily get you very far. 

In order to stand out to both your audience and brands, you need to figure out what sets you apart. For brands, this is your unique selling proposition. What can you offer that other creators can’t? What specific demographics follow you that brands may be interested in reaching?

“Everyone's trying to go viral because one person did something. But just because they did it doesn't mean it's going to work for you,” says Troy. 

“Be yourself and be okay with being yourself. Step into your own identity — individuality is cool.”

2. Get over your perfectionism

Shantel describes herself as a “recovering perfectionist.” When she started working with Troy full-time, she had an all-or-nothing attitude. If she couldn’t commit to making a new piece of content every week at the same time then she was somehow failing. Or she’d get bogged down in details, like trying to perfect those crucial first seven seconds of a new video.

It’s not that details don’t matter; it’s that you can’t get so anxious about them that you don’t even start.

“I would just start and not get worried about the details, such as the likes, the comments, all those things, and just get going,” she says.

Troy says this also carries over to equipment and editing. It’s tempting to get all the latest and greatest gadgets or aim for movie-level cinematography, but the truth is that Troy and Shantel shoot some of their most successful content, and even branded content, with just a phone and some creativity. 

“You don't have to wait until you have all the amazing bells and whistles as you continue to grow and scale,” he says. 

“We truly believe that if you don't invest in yourself, why would anyone else? Take your time and don't allow that to be the hurdle that actually blocks you from just starting whatever it is you do.”

3. Lead with integrity and creativity

Troy and Shantel are driven by a mission not just to create content that attracts brands, but to build a community based on serving others, sharing their love, and creating impact.

Reminding themselves of that mission is an important gut check on days when finding that creative spark doesn’t come as easy, or when lost in the business numbers.

That translates to their business. Part of how they communicate with brands is by showing them that their business is more than just numbers — they’re committed to providing creative solutions backed by their mission.

“Just focus on creating good content that you enjoy putting up that could be impactful on the world,” says Troy.

Invest in your future as a creator

While you don’t need the latest DSLR to make it as a successful creator, it is important to know when to invest in yourself. Taking the Brand Deal Wizard course was a big decision for Troy and Shantel, but it’s the best decision they could have made for their business.

The biggest transformation is that they now see themselves as partners to the brands they work with. They’re building long-term relationships, not just churning through one-off deals.

“Doing one deal together doesn't make you a partner to me,” says Troy.

“A partnership to me is more than a one-off — it’s establishing real long-term partnerships with brands, and being able to show them a multitude of things that you can offer them.”

That has led not only to lucrative deals but also to opportunities like consulting for brands. They’ve even written a book, Spartners, to share with others how their journey as business partners has only made their relationship stronger.

As for Shantel, she’s been transformed from a creator industry skeptic to not only a believer, but one half of a powerhouse partnership.

“A partnership to me is more than a one-off — it’s establishing real long-term partnerships with brands, and being able to show them a multitude of things that you can offer them.”

Learn more about how Creator Wizard can help you here.