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David Dobrik. Photo by Cibelle Levi.
Creator Economy

Why David Dobrik Is Going All in on Snapchat and Pizza

By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 21, 2023 2:00pm PDT · 1 comment
David Dobrik first gained fame as an online influencer when he was a teen on the six-second video app Vine, then as a vlogger through his self-named YouTube channels. But in the past 18 months, he’s quietly become one of the top creators on Snapchat, where he posts 80 to 100 times a day and has 7.4 million subscribers. It’s a sign of how Snap... David Dobrik first gained fame as an online influencer when he was a teen on the six-second video...
Chart by Shane Burke
Creator Economy

The Creator Economy Database Goes Global; Trevor Noah’s Take on Podcasts

By Isabelle Sarraf · Jun 20, 2023 3:18pm PDT
Our latest update to the Creator Economy Database comes with a major overhaul of the data we report for startups based outside the U.S. For the first time, we’ve included detailed information about the funding rounds and lead investors for private creator companies headquartered outside of the U.S. Here’s what we found:• Singapore-based BandLab,... Our latest update to the Creator Economy Database comes with a major overhaul of the data we...
Kate Jhaveri, global head of marketing for TikTok, speaks in Cannes Monday. Photo by Getty.
Creator Economy

TikTok and Cost Cuts at Cannes

By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 19, 2023 8:24am PDT
I’m at the bustling Cannes Lions advertising festival in the south of France, where the sun is strong and the rosé is flowing. The mood feels buoyant, even as the advertising world has pulled back on spending and tech companies reel from bruising mass layoffs. Some attendees are sharing Airbnbs with colleagues or staying far from the venue... I’m at the bustling Cannes Lions advertising festival in the south of France, where the sun is...
A pool party at a past Cannes festival. Photo by Getty.
Creators Take on Cannes
By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 15, 2023 2:07pm PDT · 1 comment
A pool party at a past Cannes festival. Photo by Getty.
Creator Economy

Creators Take on Cannes

By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 15, 2023 2:07pm PDT · 1 comment
This weekend, I’m heading to the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, the glitzy and celebrity-studded advertiser conference in the south of France where creators have become a growing presence. Major platforms favored by creators will be at the conference, including Meta Platforms, TikTok, YouTube, Snap and Spotify. Many of... This weekend, I’m heading to the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, the glitzy...
A panel at VidCon 2022. Photo by Getty.
Creator Economy

Who’s Headed to VidCon Next Week

By Isabelle Sarraf · Jun 14, 2023 2:44pm PDT · 1 comment
Next week will be a busy one for the creator economy: Kaya is headed to the South of France for the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, the splashy annual beachside event for advertisers, while my colleague Erin will be reporting at VidCon in Anaheim, Calif.Kaya will give you the download on Cannes in tomorrow’s newsletter. Today,... Next week will be a busy one for the creator economy: Kaya is headed to the South of France for...
Dmitry Shapiro (left) and Sean Thielen of GoMeta, parent company of Koji. Photo via GoMeta
Creator Economy

Why Two Creator Founders Are Switching to AI

By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 13, 2023 3:46pm PDT · 1 comment
Earlier today, I published a story about how creator economy startups are facing a reckoning after the 2020-2021 VC funding boom that spawned hundreds of startups trying to sell tools and services to creators. As funding has dried up, several creator-related startups—including Popshop Live, Zurp and Moetic—have been looking for buyers, pivoting... Earlier today, I published a story about how creator economy startups are facing a reckoning...
Flavrs founders Alejandro Oropeza and François Chu.
Creator Economy

Flavrs Cooks Up Creator Equity Fund

By Isabelle Sarraf · Jun 12, 2023 2:18pm PDT · 1 comment
Flavrs, a three-year-old creator-focused cooking app, is taking an unusual approach to attracting creators: It’s promising to give online food influencers a small stake in the startup if they post short-form videos on the app. Creators approved for what Flavrs is calling a creator equity fund will receive shares that vest over time. In... Flavrs, a three-year-old creator-focused cooking app, is taking an unusual approach to attracting...
Photo via Shutterstock
Twitch Capitulates, Reddit May Not
By Isabelle Sarraf · Jun 8, 2023 4:01pm PDT
Photo via Shutterstock
Creator Economy

Twitch Capitulates, Reddit May Not

By Isabelle Sarraf · Jun 8, 2023 4:01pm PDT
Well, that was fast! Twitch on Wednesday walked back its new branded content guidelines that restricted how streamers on the livestreaming platform are allowed to display paid promotion.The new rules, released just one day earlier, would have prevented or limited popular ad formats that streamers embed in their livestreams, including video,... Well, that was fast! Twitch on Wednesday walked back its new branded content guidelines that...
Creator Brian Brushwood. Photo: Bizarre Magic, Inc.
Creator Economy

After Vine and Google+ Shut Down, a Creator Embraces Email

By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 7, 2023 3:00pm PDT
Brian Brushwood’s online career illustrates how regularly social apps go up in smoke. The magician, who spent 15 years touring college campuses, started to post video clips of his life on the road online in 2006. He amassed more than one million followers on six-second video app Vine and one million followers on Google+. Then, both shut... Brian Brushwood’s online career illustrates how regularly social apps go up in smoke. The...
Photo via Getty
Creator Economy

What’s Behind the Redditor API Strike

By Isabelle Sarraf · Jun 6, 2023 4:22pm PDT
People strike over wages, working conditions...and now, apparently, the decision by Reddit to charge developers for access to their users’ jokes, memes and gaming tips. On Monday, the managers of hundreds of forums on Reddit, including some of its most popular ones such as r/gaming and r/music, will take these forums private to protest the... People strike over wages, working conditions...and now, apparently, the decision by Reddit to...
Victoria Thompson and Joe Eardley, executive producers of the docuseries ‘The Age of Influence.’ Photo of Thompson: ABC News
Creator Economy

The Rise of Influencer Scams and Scandals

By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 5, 2023 2:30pm PDT
A new Hulu docuseries out on Monday called “The Age of Influence” examines the underbelly of the influencer world, from people who’ve used social media to perpetuate scams and fraud to child abuse happening behind the scenes of a popular kids YouTube channel.The show, produced by Part2 Pictures for ABC News Studios, looks at lesser known... A new Hulu docuseries out on Monday called “The Age of Influence” examines the underbelly of the...
Table by Mike Sullivan
How Social Media AI Chatbots Compare
By Isabelle Sarraf · Jun 1, 2023 3:05pm PDT
Table by Mike Sullivan
Creator Economy

How Social Media AI Chatbots Compare

By Isabelle Sarraf · Jun 1, 2023 3:05pm PDT
After OpenAI’s ChatGPT took the world by storm six months ago, social media companies have been scrambling to join the cluster of tech giants integrating and adapting OpenAI's large language models or rival technology to their platforms to create conversational chatbots.Snapchat was the first to enter the fray, launching its My AI chatbot, which... After OpenAI’s ChatGPT took the world by storm six months ago, social media companies have been...
DiveThru founder Sophie Gray. Photo courtesy of subject
Creator Economy

The Founders and Coaches Addressing Burnout

By Kaya Yurieff · May 31, 2023 2:00pm PDT · 1 comment
Over the past two years, I’ve interviewed dozens of creators. It’s very rare that I speak to one that hasn’t experienced burnout or a toll on their mental health, sometimes spurred by hateful comments, declining views, or simply the loneliness of working solo. Two recent creator suicides, of long-time influencer Heather Armstrong and TikTok dad... Over the past two years, I’ve interviewed dozens of creators. It’s very rare that I speak to one...
Art by Mike Sullivan
Creator Economy

The Gaming Startups Bucking the Funding Drought

By Isabelle Sarraf · May 30, 2023 2:46pm PDT · 2 comments
Like most startups, gaming companies have seen interest from venture capitalists fall off sharply in the last year. But appetite is not completely dead. Investors have been backing those that prioritize creator-generated content and those that incorporate generative artificial intelligence—and sometimes both.Gaming startups raised $1.1 billion... Like most startups, gaming companies have seen interest from venture capitalists fall off sharply...
Chart by Mike Sullivan
Creator Economy

The Sudden Rise of Twitch Rival Kick

By Kaya Yurieff · May 25, 2023 2:12pm PDT
A new livestreaming service called Kick has been attracting streamers with a revenue-split that lets creators keep 95% of their subscription revenue, a more generous deal than the 50% split they get from streaming site Twitch.  A new report Thursday shows just how successful that perk has been. Hours watched on Kick climbed to 51.8... A new livestreaming service called Kick has been attracting streamers with a revenue-split that...
Mike Minton, Twitch's chief monetization officer. Photo: Twitch
Twitch Weighs Live Shopping and Even a Chatbot for Creators
By Kaya Yurieff · May 24, 2023 2:57pm PDT
Mike Minton, Twitch's chief monetization officer. Photo: Twitch
Creator Economy

Twitch Weighs Live Shopping and Even a Chatbot for Creators

By Kaya Yurieff · May 24, 2023 2:57pm PDT
Given that Amazon owns Twitch, you’d think that the live streaming service would have made commerce a key part of its product. That hasn’t been the case, though it’s tested features like affiliate links and even live shopping games. But Mike Minton, Twitch’s chief monetization officer, said it still has hopes for commerce—and live shopping may... Given that Amazon owns Twitch, you’d think that the live streaming service would have made...
Photo via Dylan Huey. Art by Mike Sullivan.
Creator Economy

The Exclusive College Club Training Student Influencers

By Isabelle Sarraf · May 23, 2023 2:58pm PDT
At the University of Southern California, college kids aren’t just making TikTok videos for fun in their dorms: they’re teaching each other how to go viral. Reach, a social media and content creator club that started at USC, has cultivated a community of over 500 college students nationally who want to be influencers, digital marketers or work... At the University of Southern California, college kids aren’t just making TikTok videos for fun...
Loann Kaji, Ryan Kaji and Shion Kaji. Photo by Getty.
Creator Economy

Pocket.watch’s Streaming Expansion

By Isabelle Sarraf · May 22, 2023 2:09pm PDT
Pocket.watch, a TI 50 startup and entertainment company that helps young YouTube stars such as 11-year-old Ryan Kaji develop original shows, games and toys, is bringing its ad-free streaming service to Comcast’s Xfinity X1 and Stream platforms this summer. The move will bring kid creator content to Comcast’s 16 million customers.Ryan and... Pocket.watch, a TI 50 startup and entertainment company that helps young YouTube stars such...
YouTube CEO Neal Mohan. Photo: Getty Images for YouTube
Creator Economy

YouTube’s Ad Pitch Helped by Hollywood Upheaval

By Kaya Yurieff · May 18, 2023 3:34pm PDT
YouTube played up its longstanding relationships with creators at its Brandcast event for advertisers on Wednesday night, showing the increasing importance of creator-generated content during a tumultuous time for Hollywood. Such annual presentations, known as upfronts because advertisers book ad spending commitments in advance for the... YouTube played up its longstanding relationships with creators at its Brandcast event for...
Photo via Bloomberg
Facebook Doubles Down on Reels; Montana Bans TikTok
By Isabelle Sarraf · May 17, 2023 3:20pm PDT
Photo via Bloomberg
Creator Economy

Facebook Doubles Down on Reels; Montana Bans TikTok

By Isabelle Sarraf · May 17, 2023 3:20pm PDT
Facebook has been doubling down on its creator efforts this week, emphasizing Reels above all else.The flagship Meta Platforms app held the first in a series of livestreams it’s calling Reels School on Wednesday. Facebook invited creators who have found success posting short-form videos to the site to educate other Reel makers on strategy and... Facebook has been doubling down on its creator efforts this week, emphasizing Reels above all...