Ai Creator Economy

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Recent Articles about Ai Creator Economy
A mini drama on Douyin, TikTok's sister app in China. Photo via Getty.
Creator Economy

Serial Shows Make a Comeback on TikTok and Instagram

By Kaya Yurieff · Nov 19, 2024 2:03pm PST
Companies like YouTube, Snap and Quibi have all tried to make short original shows on social media work. Now, a second wave of attempts is coming. As Juro and I reported, TikTok is now considering adding TV-like dramas with minutes-long episodes, which have proven popular on its Chinese sister app Douyin. Companies like YouTube, Snap and Quibi have all tried to make short original shows on social...
Food creator Nick DiGiovanni. Photo: Aaron Idelson
Creator Economy

The Food Creator Who Has Sold 1 Million Jars of Salt

By Kaya Yurieff · Oct 31, 2024 4:00pm PDT
After competing on “MasterChef” in 2019, Nick DiGiovanni started posting videos on YouTube, including an elaborate dessert he planned if he’d made it to the finale, and on TikTok where he started going viral for making mini gourmet meals for his pet hamster, Pesto.  Now 28, he turned that TV appearance and initial momentum on social... After competing on “MasterChef” in 2019, Nick DiGiovanni started posting videos on YouTube,...
Photo via YouTube
Creator Economy

YouTube’s Creator Awards Hit by ‘Shrinkflation’

By Kaya Yurieff · Oct 1, 2024 2:00pm PDT
About 12 years ago, YouTube started sending out physical awards when creators hit certain subscriber milestones. Those silver and gold plaques, known as Play Buttons, have become coveted status symbols for YouTubers and a welcome recognition of their hard work. But as YouTube leaders bring a new focus on financial discipline, the... About 12 years ago, YouTube started sending out physical awards when creators hit certain...
Hulu's “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” centers on a group of eight Mormon moms who have found viral TikTok fame. Photo via YouTube/Hulu
The Talent Managers Who Brought TikTok’s ‘Mormon Moms’ to Hulu
By Kaya Yurieff · Sep 24, 2024 3:01pm PDT
Hulu's “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” centers on a group of eight Mormon moms who have found viral TikTok fame. Photo via YouTube/Hulu
Creator Economy

The Talent Managers Who Brought TikTok’s ‘Mormon Moms’ to Hulu

By Kaya Yurieff · Sep 24, 2024 3:01pm PDT
I’ve been binging Hulu’s new reality TV series, “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” which follows the lives of eight young TikTok-famous Mormon moms who get caught up in a scandal where some of them hooked up with each other’s husbands.Even though that drama played out in real time on TikTok two years ago, the show has become a huge hit. Hulu... I’ve been binging Hulu’s new reality TV series, “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” which follows...
Snap CEO Evan Spiegel. Photo by Snap.
Creator Economy

Snap Tries for a Streamlined App—With a Lot of Features

By Erin Woo · Sep 17, 2024 3:26pm PDT
Snapchat, launched more than a decade ago, has been showing its wear. The app is a jumble of features, from TikTok-like videos (Spotlight) to Maps to its flagship disappearing Stories. With a major redesign unveiled Tuesday, it’s attempting to streamline the way its 850 million monthly users interact with the photo messaging app. Many may... Snapchat, launched more than a decade ago, has been showing its wear. The app is a jumble of...
Photo by Bloomberg via Getty
Creator Economy

Stripe Likes Creators—as Long as They’re SFW

By Laura Mandaro · Sep 12, 2024 2:21pm PDT
For creators, getting paid comes a close second in importance to reaching fans. But we don’t often get an inside look at how the payments—from tips to subscriptions—happen. That’s why our colleague Michael Roddan’s reporting on Stripe earlier this week is a must read. Fintech companies like Stripe have leaned into a surge in online payments... For creators, getting paid comes a close second in importance to reaching fans. But we don’t...
Sienna Mori and Dan McCormick. Photo courtesy of subjects
Creator Economy

Create Raises $5 Million Thanks to Creatine Craze

By Ann Gehan · Sep 3, 2024 2:19pm PDT
For years, creatine was best known as a supplement for hardcore gym enthusiasts looking to get a workout boost. More recently, popular podcasters and health and fitness influencers like Joe Rogan and Andrew Huberman have been touting other purported health benefits of creatine, like better cognitive function and sleep.One supplement startup, ... For years, creatine was best known as a supplement for hardcore gym enthusiasts looking to get a...
Photo via Getty
Influencer Marketing’s Brewing Hangover
By Julia Hornstein · Aug 28, 2024 3:32pm PDT · 1 comment
Photo via Getty
Creator Economy

Influencer Marketing’s Brewing Hangover

By Julia Hornstein · Aug 28, 2024 3:32pm PDT · 1 comment
A federal court in Illinois has breathed new life into a two-year-old class action suit against a handful of creators and the makers of Blue Ice Vodka. The suit claims the Instagram influencers and the vodka maker engaged in false advertising about the “handcrafted” drink’s “health benefits” and failed to disclose their paid relationships.The... A federal court in Illinois has breathed new life into a two-year-old class action suit against a...
Photo by NurPhoto via Getty
Creator Economy

TikTok Head of Content Strategy to Leave: Memo

By Kaya Yurieff and Erin Woo · Aug 27, 2024 2:16pm PDT
It’s been a tumultuous year for TikTok employees, between a looming potential ban of the app in the U.S. to its first widespread layoffs earlier this year. Those changes have included the departures of long-time staff and senior leaders.The latest: Nicole Iacopetti, head of content strategy and policy, is leaving the company effective September... It’s been a tumultuous year for TikTok employees, between a looming potential ban of the app in...
Loren Gray has a part in the upcoming Netflix film “Incoming,” which comes out on Friday. Photo: Spyglass Media Group, LLC and Artists Road, LLC/Courtesy of Netflix
Creator Economy

TikTok Queen Loren Gray on Landing Her First Netflix Role

By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 21, 2024 2:05pm PDT
Loren Gray is one of the original queens of TikTok, finding early success on its predecessor app Musical.ly in 2015 when she was just 13 years old. Now Gray is the latest social media star to break into traditional acting. She was cast in Netflix’s new film “Incoming,” slated for release Friday, which centers on a group of high school... Loren Gray is one of the original queens of TikTok, finding early success on its predecessor app...
Influencer Deja Foxx spoke at the DNC on Monday. Photo by Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty.
Creator Economy

The DNC’s Creator Play

By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 20, 2024 2:18pm PDT
Democrats are trying to one up Republicans when it comes to creators this election cycle. The Democratic National Convention invited more than 200 influencers to the nearly weeklong event, which kicked off on Monday in Chicago. That’s double the number invited to the Republican National Convention last month. It’s the first time either... Democrats are trying to one up Republicans when it comes to creators this election cycle. The ...
Photo by Sportsfile via Getty
How TikTok Can Stay on the Right Side of Regulators
By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 13, 2024 2:00pm PDT · 1 comment
Photo by Sportsfile via Getty
Creator Economy

How TikTok Can Stay on the Right Side of Regulators

By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 13, 2024 2:00pm PDT · 1 comment
On Friday, I published a story about TikTok’s latest efforts to get more users on the app as third-party data shows a sharp slowdown in user growth from pandemic highs. In the U.S., TikTok users for a limited time can get steeply discounted goods, such as makeup and electronics, for just one cent when they invite new friends to the app.... On Friday, I published a story about TikTok’s latest efforts to get more users on the app as...
Vice President Kamala Harris picked up the endorsement of British singer Charli XCX, sparking memes across social media. Photo via Getty.
Creator Economy

Kamala Harris's Brat Summer; More AI Chatbots for Creators

By Julia Hornstein · Jul 23, 2024 2:25pm PDT
Are you having a brat summer? (I certainly am: I’m, literally, “so Julia,” as brat summer creator Charli XCX sings in her song “360,” referencing actress and model Julia Fox.) An outpouring of memes mentioning Kamala Harris on TikTok and X, formerly Twitter, might suggest that the vice president-turned-presidential candidate is having a brat... Are you having a brat summer? (I certainly am: I’m, literally, “so Julia,” as brat summer creator...
Photo by Rita Franca/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Creator Economy

The Startup Helping Creators Track and License Work Used by AI

By Julia Hornstein · Jul 11, 2024 3:05pm PDT · 1 comment
Writers and other creators are increasingly worried that artificial intelligence training models will suck up their work without compensating them. A new Los Angeles–based startup called SmarterLicense is selling a fix: a tool that tracks when a creator’s work is used on the internet, for AI or other purposes.The two-year-old startup, which... Writers and other creators are increasingly worried that artificial intelligence training models...
Demi Guo, co-founder and CEO of Pika Labs. Photo by David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images.
Creator Economy

The Creator Economy’s AI Tailwind

By Kaya Yurieff · Jul 10, 2024 2:00pm PDT
The investor excitement around artificial intelligence is boosting funding for creator economy startups, reversing two years of straight declines. The second quarter extended the first quarter rebound, reflecting investors’ confidence that startups can leverage generative AI to develop useful tools for creators. (You can read our full story,... The investor excitement around artificial intelligence is boosting funding for creator economy...
Photo by Kaya Yurieff.
Did Cannes Lions Steal VidCon's Thunder?
By Kaya Yurieff · Jul 2, 2024 2:37pm PDT
Photo by Kaya Yurieff.
Creator Economy

Did Cannes Lions Steal VidCon's Thunder?

By Kaya Yurieff · Jul 2, 2024 2:37pm PDT
VidCon was certainly missing some of its pizzazz this year. The annual creator economy conference in Anaheim, Calif. felt light on brands, which previously have shelled out big bucks for interactive pop-up experiences. The big tech companies also had a scaled-back presence. Instagram and YouTube skipped hosting big parties altogether, and... VidCon was certainly missing some of its pizzazz this year. The annual creator economy conference...
VidCon 2024 in Anaheim, Calif. Photo by Kaya Yurieff.
Creator Economy

TikTok Pushes Long Video at VidCon; Webtoon’s IPO

By Kaya Yurieff and Julia Hornstein · Jun 27, 2024 3:08pm PDT
I’m at VidCon, where the Anaheim Convention Center is bustling and the mood is upbeat, even though it feels like brands and social apps shelled out less money for splashy pop up experiences and lounges than in the past. The displays did underscore how the creator economy is maturing, as more big brands get behind influencers.  Fanta... I’m at VidCon, where the Anaheim Convention Center is bustling and the mood is upbeat, even...
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...
Sean Downey, president of Americas and global partners at Google, speaks at YouTube Brandcast 2024 on May 15. Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images.
YouTube’s Pitch to Advertisers Stresses Creator ‘Stars’
By Sahil Patel · Jun 6, 2024 2:02pm PDT
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...