Zoom taps Nayeema Raza for a creator-led pitch beyond video calls

Zoom is trying to look less like a pandemic-era video-call utility and more like a company that can command a stage, with independent journalist and podcaster Nayeema Raza helping carry the message.

The company is launching a partnership with Raza, the creator and host of “Smart Girl Dumb Questions,” Variety reported. The deal includes a new interview series made for social media, a six-part run on her own show and an appearance at Zoomtopia, Zoom’s annual user conference.

Raza’s social series, debuting Tuesday, will focus on “solopreneurs,” described by Variety as people who build independent businesses or operations on their own. Her six-part podcast series is scheduled to begin in August and will examine how technology is changing work and leadership, according to the report.

In October, Raza is set to appear at Zoomtopia and bring her content to the main stage of the event.

Zoom wants creator credibility

Zoom’s move comes as marketers look harder at independent journalists and online creators who already have direct relationships with audiences. Variety cited Pew Research data showing that 38% of adults ages 18 to 29 regularly get news from influencers, compared with 8% of adults 65 and older.

Kimberly Storin, Zoom’s chief marketing and communications officer, told Variety that creators are increasingly important to the company’s marketing plans. “It is important for us to be a brand that people like Nayeema and other creators want to work with,” Storin said. “We want to be a preferred partner.”

Storin said Zoom is not abandoning conventional advertising. She told Variety the company is adapting because consumers are finding products and services through different channels, including artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT and Claude.

According to Storin, that shift means Zoom has to think about being discoverable, credible and chosen in ways that go beyond standard ads.

Raza says editorial control stays with her

Raza began in documentary filmmaking, with work that appeared at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival, according to Variety. She later worked as a senior staff editor in The New York Times’ opinion section and as on-air executive producer of “On With Kara Swisher.”

She launched “Smart Girl Dumb Questions” in February 2025. The program features conversations with figures in business, science and culture, built around questions that can sound simple while opening up larger discussions.

Raza told Variety that the Zoom partnership fits topics she already covers, including work, leadership, technology, family and relationships during a period of cultural and technological change.

She also said her audience has to believe that she is making editorial choices independently. “I need my audience to trust me,” Raza told Variety. “I need to do what I do with a lot of editorial integrity.”

Raza said the partnership would not change how she approaches interviews. “The editorial is shaped by me,” she said, adding that Zoom’s support lets her broaden what she can make.

Storin told Variety that Zoom had to loosen the usual brand-control habits that can come with marketing campaigns. She said the company has moved from detailed briefs to short instructions for influencers, giving creators more room to tell stories in their own way.

This story draws on original reporting from Variety.