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Coachella 2025. Photo via Getty.
Creator Economy

Nylon Launches Creator Membership Program, Paid by Advertisers

By Sahil Patel · May 28, 2025 2:51pm PDT
Fashion and culture magazine Nylon has launched a new membership program for creators—paid for by advertisers. It’s an effort by Nylon’s parent company, Bustle Digital Group, to take advantage of advertisers’ growing interest in experiential, in-person events, as well as working with influential creators on Instagram, TikTok and other... Fashion and culture magazine Nylon has launched a new membership program for creators—...
Snap Inc. CEO Evan Spiegel. Photo via Getty.
Creator Economy

A Guide to Our Future of Influence Event

By Kaya Yurieff · May 27, 2025 2:00pm PDT
We are just one week away from our fifth annual creator economy event in Los Angeles!This year’s event, called The Future of Influence: What’s Next for Creators, Entertainment & AI, will bring together about 250 people, including creators, entrepreneurs, brands, tech executives and investors shaping the sector. (It’s not too late to buy a... We are just one week away from our fifth annual creator economy event in Los Angeles!This year’s...
Alice Ma, co-founder and CEO of Mad Realities. Photo via Mad Realities.
Creator Economy

A Startup Aims to Create Online Shows for TV Studios

By Kaya Yurieff · May 22, 2025 2:45pm PDT
Hollywood has found a new source of inspiration on YouTube. In the latest deal to bring the internet onto living room screens, “Transformers” director Michael Bay is making the viral “Skibidi Toilet” meme into a movie. Hollywood studios are also trying to figure out how to gain fans on the internet, which can ultimately drive viewership of shows... Hollywood has found a new source of inspiration on YouTube. In the latest deal to bring the...
The Italian Embassy in Washington. Photo via Flickr
Why the Italian Embassy Wants to Work With Creators
By Kaya Yurieff · May 21, 2025 2:00pm PDT
The Italian Embassy in Washington. Photo via Flickr
Creator Economy

Why the Italian Embassy Wants to Work With Creators

By Kaya Yurieff · May 21, 2025 2:00pm PDT
I spent Tuesday evening at the Italian Embassy in Washington, where I moderated a discussion about the growth of the creator economy and how governments should be thinking about working with influencers. The convergence of politics and creators has been building slowly over time. Case in point: 10 years ago, Michelle Obama invited Vine... I spent Tuesday evening at the Italian Embassy in Washington, where I moderated a discussion...
Photo via Shutterstock
Creator Economy

The Startup Helping TV Shows Act Like Creators

By Catherine Perloff · May 20, 2025 3:15pm PDT
Creators have been cashing in on the ecommerce boom for at least a decade, by recommending links to products and taking a cut of any resulting purchase. It’s been harder for TV firms to take advantage. Shopsense AI, a startup founded early last year by former Amazon and Klarna executives, is trying to change that. The company has been... Creators have been cashing in on the ecommerce boom for at least a decade, by recommending links...
YouTube CEO Neal Mohan at the company's Brandcast event for advertisers in New York. Image via Getty for YouTube
Creator Economy

YouTube Flexes Its Size to Gain Podcast Listeners

By Kaya Yurieff and Sahil Patel · May 15, 2025 2:33pm PDT
It’s been a busy week for YouTube! The company on Wednesday hosted its annual Brandcast event for advertisers in New York where it announced updates ranging from new deals with the NFL to features for creators. On Thursday, CEO Neal Mohan told a MoffettNathanson investor conference that revenue generated per hour watched on YouTube Shorts ... It’s been a busy week for YouTube! The company on Wednesday hosted its annual Brandcast...
LTK cofounder Amber Venz Box. Photo via Getty.
Creator Economy

LTK’s Bid for Big League Ad Dollars

By Ann Gehan · May 14, 2025 2:00pm PDT
I checked out LTK’s splashy event for advertisers in New York this week. The gathering, planned to coincide with upfronts held by big media companies, highlighted the creator marketing startup’s ambitions to command serious ad dollars.LTK, founded in 2011 and last valued at $2 billion, is one of the more established creator marketing companies.... I checked out LTK’s splashy event for advertisers in New York this week. The gathering, planned...
The Walking Dead Zombies attend an event for the final season of the show in Milan, Italy. Photo via Getty.
Studio Behind 'The Walking Dead' Buys Creator Management Firm
By Kaya Yurieff · May 13, 2025 2:02pm PDT
The Walking Dead Zombies attend an event for the final season of the show in Milan, Italy. Photo via Getty.
Creator Economy

Studio Behind 'The Walking Dead' Buys Creator Management Firm

By Kaya Yurieff · May 13, 2025 2:02pm PDT
A big theme I’ve been tracking this year is the growing convergence between Hollywood and the creator economy. In the latest example of that trend, Skybound Entertainment, the Los Angeles studio behind franchises including “The Walking Dead” and comic book and TV series “Invincible,” has acquired Nine Four Entertainment. The talent... A big theme I’ve been tracking this year is the growing convergence between Hollywood and the...
Instagram head Adam Mosseri. Photo via Getty
Creator Economy

Instagram Keeps Highlighting the TikTok Threat

By Sylvia Varnham O'Regan and Kaya Yurieff · May 8, 2025 2:39pm PDT
A central tenet of the government's antitrust case against Meta Platforms is that its 2012 Instagram acquisition crushed competition and left consumers with too few social networking options—just Snapchat, Facebook and a few others. Meta has argued that it actually competes with many more, notably TikTok. To buttress its argument, Instagram... A central tenet of the government's antitrust case against Meta Platforms is that its 2012...
World record holder Tobi Amusan (#4 in center) competes in the women's 100 meter hurdles at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest. Photo via Getty
Creator Economy

Sports Influencers Edge Into Journalists’ Turf

By Sara Germano and Kaya Yurieff · May 7, 2025 2:18pm PDT
I write The Arena column, where last week I took a deep dive into the increasingly central role that creators play in driving young audiences to live sporting events. For anyone who’s watched the Golf Channel, the NBA All-Star Game, or the Olympics, this trend has been brewing for some time.The rise of influencers in sports coincides with the... I write The Arena column, where last week I took a deep dive into the increasingly central role...
From left to right Matt Dahlia, Ammar Kandil and Thomas Brag, who are behind the Yes Theory YouTube channel. Photo courtesy of Fan of a Fan.
Creator Economy

Why a YouTuber-Founded Company Is Selling Its Warehouse Business

By Kaya Yurieff · May 6, 2025 2:00pm PDT
Creators eager to expand their online fame into offline fortune have discovered they need to learn the intricacies of logistics overnight. Now one group of YouTubers that built a shipping business is going back to its roots.Selery Fulfillment, a Dallas-based logistics company backed by Mark Cuban, is acquiring the fulfillment operations of Fan... Creators eager to expand their online fame into offline fortune have discovered they need to...
Whatnot's Armand Wilson. Photo via Whatnot.
Whatnot Users Spend 80 Minutes a Day Shopping
By Ann Gehan · May 1, 2025 2:00pm PDT
Whatnot's Armand Wilson. Photo via Whatnot.
Creator Economy

Whatnot Users Spend 80 Minutes a Day Shopping

By Ann Gehan · May 1, 2025 2:00pm PDT
Livestream shopping, while popular in Asia on apps like ByteDance-owned Douyin and Alibaba’s Taobao Live, has been hard for most U.S.-focused startups and creators to crack. Shoppers have been slow to grow comfortable buying stuff on livestreams, while retailers haven’t devoted much time and money to changing existing consumer habits. ... Livestream shopping, while popular in Asia on apps like ByteDance-owned Douyin and Alibaba’s ...
Photo via Getty
Creator Economy

Where Meta Still Has an Edge on TikTok

By Kaya Yurieff · Apr 30, 2025 3:30pm PDT
Earnings season is in full swing, but one of the most telling comments about the state of social media today came from courtroom testimony highlighting a persistent challenge facing TikTok—and a perennial strength for Meta Platforms’ apps. Adam Presser, TikTok’s head of U.S. operations and trust and safety, told a judge that only a “very... Earnings season is in full swing, but one of the most telling comments about the state of social...
Snap CEO Evan Spiegel. Photo via Getty
Creator Economy

Snap ‘Headwinds’ Warning Overshadows Video Progress

By Kaya Yurieff · Apr 29, 2025 3:48pm PDT
Snap is one of the first social media companies to report results, giving investors an early feel for how these advertising-supported businesses are faring. If it’s any guide, the future view was glum, overshadowing gains the company has made with video and subscriptions. The Snapchat parent company said Tuesday it couldn’t provide... Snap is one of the first social media companies to report results, giving investors an early feel...
The Unreasnbl’s Martin Desmond Roe, Travon Free and Mickey Meyer. Photo by Robyn Von Swank.
Creator Economy

A New Hollywood Fund Finances Creators' AI Projects

By Sahil Patel and Kaya Yurieff · Apr 24, 2025 2:52pm PDT
Hollywood filmmakers say it’s increasingly difficult to get funding to develop projects as studios and streaming companies rein in spending. Now two young companies are trying to finance those projects and help their makers use artificial intelligence in development. DreamFlare, an AI video startup, and The Unreasnble, an entertainment... Hollywood filmmakers say it’s increasingly difficult to get funding to develop projects as...
Tastemade co-founder Steven Kydd. Photo via Getty
Creator Economy M&A Picks Up in Q1
By Kaya Yurieff · Apr 23, 2025 2:21pm PDT
Tastemade co-founder Steven Kydd. Photo via Getty
Creator Economy

Creator Economy M&A Picks Up in Q1

By Kaya Yurieff · Apr 23, 2025 2:21pm PDT
This year is off to a solid start for creator economy acquisitions.We tallied at least a dozen acquisitions during the first three months of the year, up from four during the same period a year ago. In all of 2024, 31 companies in The Information’s Creator Economy Database were acquired. This year is off to a solid start for creator economy acquisitions.We tallied at least a dozen...
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg via Getty
Creator Economy

Why Facebook Mulled Wiping Friends Lists

By Kalley Huang and Kaya Yurieff · Apr 22, 2025 2:02pm PDT
Trials are great for airing technology executives’ private ruminations, including some of their most out-there strategies. Among the most extraordinary that have so far come to light in the Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust lawsuit against Meta Platforms is CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s “potentially crazy idea” in 2022 for refreshing Facebook: ... Trials are great for airing technology executives’ private ruminations, including some of their...
Funding Hits Four-Year High; Another TikTok Exec to Exit
Creator Economy

Funding Hits Four-Year High; Another TikTok Exec to Exit

By Kaya Yurieff · Apr 17, 2025 2:53pm PDT
Funding for U.S. creator economy startups is roaring back—with a caveat. Investors are making bigger bets on fewer companies, mirroring the broader funding environment for startups.As we outlined in a story earlier today, U.S. creator economy startups raised more money in the first three months of the year than in any quarter since 2021, when... Funding for U.S. creator economy startups is roaring back—with a caveat. Investors are making...
Lukas Ziegler, courtesy of the subject.
Creator Economy

The Robotics Coder Who Became Full-Time Influencer

By Rocket Drew and Kaya Yurieff · Apr 16, 2025 3:03pm PDT
Four years ago, Lukas Ziegler was programming robots at a Polish distributor for Universal Robots, which makes industrial robots that work alongside humans. At night, he started to post about the robotics industry on LinkedIn, eventually traveling around the world to visit robotics companies and give speeches at robotics trade shows.Ziegler’s... Four years ago, Lukas Ziegler was programming robots at a Polish distributor for Universal Robots...
Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri exiting federal court on April 4 after a tutorial ahead of the FTC case. Photo via Getty.
Instagram’s Influencer Dilemma Reaches Back Years
By Kalley Huang · Apr 15, 2025 2:40pm PDT
Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri exiting federal court on April 4 after a tutorial ahead of the FTC case. Photo via Getty.
Creator Economy

Instagram’s Influencer Dilemma Reaches Back Years

By Kalley Huang · Apr 15, 2025 2:40pm PDT
Instagram users have long complained that the app, which in the early 2010s became a must-have social network for millennials, has lost its way as it prioritizes creators. Emails from this week’s trial to determine whether Instagram-parent Meta Platforms violated antitrust law show how the company’s top executives debated the topic as far... Instagram users have long complained that the app, which in the early 2010s became a must-have...