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Creators on stage at VidCon 2023. Photo by Unique Nicole/Getty Images.
Creator Economy

What to Expect at VidCon

By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 25, 2024 2:00pm PDT
I’m in Los Angeles this week ahead of VidCon, the annual conference focused on creators. The organizers of the event, which last year drew 55,000 people, expect the biggest theme this year to be the creator economy’s “coming of age.” After the boom in venture funding for startups and hype around the sector dissipated, investments have ... I’m in Los Angeles this week ahead of VidCon, the annual conference focused on creators. The...
Creator Mylene Mae. Photo: Gracie Koh
Creator Economy

How a Mini Video Series Supercharged This Creator’s Instagram Account

By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 20, 2024 2:00pm PDT
Mylene Mae has found success with turning short Reels on Instagram into a series of related videos. She’s part of an emerging trend of creators doing so. Mae, 24, first started posting last April, initially focusing on sharing long-form YouTube videos about her efforts to learn how to code and life as a recent college graduate. On YouTube,... Mylene Mae has found success with turning short Reels on Instagram into a series of related...
The Millennial Farmer, one of the creators that has worked with John Deere. Screenshot via YouTube
Creator Economy

Why 187-Year-Old John Deere Is Hiring a Creator

By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 18, 2024 1:23pm PDT
Big brands are really coming around to influencer marketing after years of only dabbling in it, I reported in this story on Friday. The shift is causing even 187-year-old John Deere to rethink its marketing plans. In April, the company announced it would hire a creator to run its short-form video strategy for a one-year contract that pays... Big brands are really coming around to influencer marketing after years of only dabbling in it, I...
Emma Chamberlain at a Spotify event at Cannes Lions 2023. Photo by Antony Jones/Getty Images.
Creators Set to Take Over Cannes
By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 13, 2024 2:32pm PDT
Emma Chamberlain at a Spotify event at Cannes Lions 2023. Photo by Antony Jones/Getty Images.
Creator Economy

Creators Set to Take Over Cannes

By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 13, 2024 2:32pm PDT
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, the swanky advertiser conference in the south of France, is kicking off next week—for the first time with an official creator presence.Last year a few well-known creators including Emma Chamberlain and Alex Cooper appeared on stage. This year’s event will feature a lot more top creators, as... The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, the swanky advertiser conference in the...
Sherry Wong, founder and CEO of Roster. Photo via Branded
Creator Economy

A YouTuber Launches a Job Site for Creator Work

By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 12, 2024 2:00pm PDT
Hiring is a perennial headache for creators. Most rely on recommendations from other creators or use their own social media accounts to spread the word. Complicating matters is that often they’re looking for short-term help or people with a specific skill set, such as experts in YouTube thumbnail design.Roster, a hiring website that officially... Hiring is a perennial headache for creators. Most rely on recommendations from other creators or...
Amber Venz Box. Photo by Jim Bennett/Getty Images.
Creator Economy

Google AI Overviews Are ‘Nail in the Coffin’ for Blogs: LTK Founder

By Julia Hornstein · Jun 11, 2024 2:23pm PDT
For the last 24 hours, Apple’s newly unveiled artificial intelligence features have sucked up much of the oxygen in the room when it comes to tech headlines (more on that here). As many journalists remarked, Apple is playing catch up to some of its rivals, notably Google, whose AI-infused products have been in the wild for months. That’s enough... For the last 24 hours, Apple’s newly unveiled artificial intelligence features have sucked up...
Sean Downey, president of Americas and global partners at Google, speaks at YouTube Brandcast 2024 on May 15. Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images.
Creator Economy

YouTube’s Pitch to Advertisers Stresses Creator ‘Stars’

By Sahil Patel · Jun 6, 2024 2:02pm PDT
Google’s YouTube is now in the thick of upfront negotiations with advertisers, a period when networks and streaming services like Netflix compete for billions of dollars in ad-spending pledges. YouTube can trumpet the fact that more people in the U.S. are watching the app when they turn on a TV than any other streaming service.In fact, YouTube... Google’s YouTube is now in the thick of upfront negotiations with advertisers, a period when...
Ryan Serhant on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen." Photo by Bravo via Getty Images.
How a NY Broker Built a Business on Reality TV Fame
By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 5, 2024 2:16pm PDT
Ryan Serhant on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen." Photo by Bravo via Getty Images.
Creator Economy

How a NY Broker Built a Business on Reality TV Fame

By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 5, 2024 2:16pm PDT
When real estate broker Ryan Serhant appeared on Bravo’s reality TV series “Million Dollar Listing New York” in 2012, he got an instant taste of fame. “The next day, I was walking around New York City and I was stopped 10 times on the street,” Serhant recalled in a recent interview. “Just being on TV at the height of cable TV was enough. When real estate broker Ryan Serhant appeared on Bravo’s reality TV series “Million Dollar...
MrBeast winning a Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award in 2023. Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images.
Creator Economy

MrBeast Hires Exec Who Managed SoftBank’s Deal Spree

By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 4, 2024 2:08pm PDT
MrBeast has a new chief operating officer for his holding company: Jeffrey Housenbold, a former SoftBank Vision Fund managing partner who backed companies including DoorDash and took Shutterfly public as CEO in 2006. Housenbold’s background and new title indicates that MrBeast has high ambitions for his growing business empire, which... MrBeast has a new chief operating officer for his holding company: Jeffrey Housenbold, a former...
Photo via Midjourney
Creator Economy

The AI Video Startups Competing With OpenAI’s Sora

By Abubakar Idris · May 30, 2024 3:22pm PDT
When OpenAI teased its new text-to-video generator Sora earlier this year, it upped the ante in the race to develop artificial intelligence applications to create art. Since then, Google has unveiled AI video generator Veo, and Erin has reported TikTok is working on an AI feature to create virtual influencers for advertisers, as well. As... When OpenAI teased its new text-to-video generator Sora earlier this year, it upped the ante in...
Photo by Sebastian Gollnow/picture alliance via Getty Images.
Creator Economy

The Influencers Campaigning For Elon’s $45 Billion Payday

By Becky Peterson and Abubakar Idris · May 29, 2024 2:05pm PDT · 3 comments
Elon Musk’s superfans are taking a page out of the influential CEO’s social media playbook. Today I reported on a grassroots effort by Tesla influencers to swing an upcoming shareholder vote in favor of board proposals that could reinstate a $45 billion pay package for Elon Musk and move Tesla’s legal home to Texas. Popular X posters and Tesla... Elon Musk’s superfans are taking a page out of the influential CEO’s social media playbook. Today...
TikTok's Culver City, Calif. office. Photo by Bloomberg via Getty Images.
TikTok’s Reorg Signals a Fresh Focus on Publishers
By Erin Woo and Abubakar Idris · May 28, 2024 3:30pm PDT
TikTok's Culver City, Calif. office. Photo by Bloomberg via Getty Images.
Creator Economy

TikTok’s Reorg Signals a Fresh Focus on Publishers

By Erin Woo and Abubakar Idris · May 28, 2024 3:30pm PDT
Last week Kaya and I reported on a broad restructuring at TikTok, which included layoffs in the U.S. and other countries. Among the many changes were those directly linked to creators and publishers. The latter could signal an increased effort to court media companies and bring more professional content to the app, best known for its... Last week Kaya and I reported on a broad restructuring at TikTok, which included layoffs in the...
Photo by Murat Kocabas via Getty Images.
Creator Economy

Threads’ Awkward Teenage Years

By Sylvia Varnham O'Regan · May 23, 2024 2:30pm PDT
On July 5, it will be one year since the launch of Threads, Instagram’s rival to Twitter.Though the app was big news when it launched—the timeline for its release was accelerated to make the most of the chaos engulfing Twitter—chatter about the app has been relatively quiet since then.That’s in part because generative artificial intelligence... On July 5, it will be one year since the launch of Threads, Instagram’s rival to Twitter.Though...
Photo by Damian Dovarganes via AP Images.
Creator Economy

TikTok Preps a Fresh Assault on Europe

By Kaya Yurieff · May 22, 2024 2:00pm PDT
These are turbulent times for TikTok employees. On Tuesday, we reported that TikTok is planning significant layoffs—including a large percentage of the roughly 1,000 people working in TikTok’s global user operations, content and marketing teams. The planned cuts are likely to further sap employee morale, already frayed by the possibility of a... These are turbulent times for TikTok employees. On Tuesday, we reported that TikTok is planning...
Scarlett Johansson at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. Photo by Dominique Charriau via Getty Images.
Creator Economy

Scarlett Johannson’s Complaints Could Fuel U.S. ‘Right of Publicity’ Law

By Kaya Yurieff · May 21, 2024 2:58pm PDT · 5 comments
What a mess OpenAI seems to have created with Scarlett Johansson! One bright note for creators is that her allegations that the startup ripped off her voice after she refused an offer to voice its chatbot could help speed up national legislation that protects artists. I spoke to two legal experts today to get a better understanding of the... What a mess OpenAI seems to have created with Scarlett Johansson! One bright note for creators is...
Carbone Fine Foods has worked with Ampla for funding on its retail tomato sauce. Photo via Adobe Stock.
The Lending Cracks That Could Halt Creators’ E-Commerce Brands
By Ann Gehan · May 16, 2024 2:15pm PDT
Carbone Fine Foods has worked with Ampla for funding on its retail tomato sauce. Photo via Adobe Stock.
Creator Economy

The Lending Cracks That Could Halt Creators’ E-Commerce Brands

By Ann Gehan · May 16, 2024 2:15pm PDT
Over the last year, we’ve seen more creators try to expand their offline businesses, inspired by high-profile launches such as MrBeast’s snack company Feastables and Emma Chamberlain’s Chamberlain Coffee, which disclosed in a filing Wednesday it had raised an additional $4.6 million in funding. While that trend is likely to continue, it could... Over the last year, we’ve seen more creators try to expand their offline businesses, inspired by...
Photo via Duolingo.
Creator Economy

Duolingo’s TikTok Famous Owl Is Spending More Time on YouTube

By Kaya Yurieff · May 15, 2024 2:00pm PDT
Duolingo has made its TikTok account a hit with users, emerging as an example of how companies can find a voice on short-form video. It’s got a plan for a potential TikTok ban. The language learning app, best known by its pushy owl mascot, has been expanding its presence on YouTube Shorts since early last year. For example, it ran a... Duolingo has made its TikTok account a hit with users, emerging as an example of how...
Photo via Google.
Creator Economy

Google’s Sora Competitor Is Coming to YouTube

By Kaya Yurieff · May 14, 2024 2:00pm PDT
Google is coming for OpenAI’s Sora—and the plethora of other young startups offering ways to create AI-generated video, ranging from Runway to Pika. On Tuesday at its annual developer conference Google I/O, the company announced Veo, which creates AI-generated videos from text, image and video prompts. Demis Hassabis, co-founder & CEO... Google is coming for OpenAI’s Sora—and the plethora of other young startups offering ways to...
A screening at the 2023 AI Film Festival. Photo via Runway/AI Film Festival.
Creator Economy

Runway Charms Filmmakers; Meta Exec Responds to TikTok Ban

By Abubakar Idris · May 9, 2024 2:47pm PDT · 1 comment
When Marvel used artificial intelligence in the opening title sequence of the television series “Secret Invasion,” last year, it signaled AI had found its way into Hollywood. That didn’t sit well with a lot of people in entertainment. On-strike actors last year attributed some of their grievances to the impact of AI on their jobs. One... When Marvel used artificial intelligence in the opening title sequence of the television series “...
TikTok offices in Culver City. Photo by Getty
A Chart Shows TikTok's Growing List of Rivals
By Kaya Yurieff · May 8, 2024 2:00pm PDT
TikTok offices in Culver City. Photo by Getty
Creator Economy

A Chart Shows TikTok's Growing List of Rivals

By Kaya Yurieff · May 8, 2024 2:00pm PDT
As TikTok kicks off its legal fight against a ban or forced sale of the app in the U.S., our chart below shows just how much competition it faces from other big tech companies, which stand to gain from a potential retreat. While Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts are the two most popular alternatives among creators to TikTok, other... As TikTok kicks off its legal fight against a ban or forced sale of the app in the U.S., our...