BY JIM LOUDERBACK
TL;DR
- Jimmy “Mr. Beast” Donaldson tweeted about his vision to produce a game show for traditional TV. Neat idea, and another step towards global media domination for one of the world’s great creators.
- A nascent effort to bring creators together to collectively advocate is brewing – which I strongly support – but that’s not all. Top League of Legends players have also walked off the job.
- TikTok joins Snap in developing an in-app AI chatbot. Part of Double-T’s push to replace search, this one’s called ‘Tako’. It could be a powerful addition. Or it might just make the focused short video app just a bit bulkier and more unfocused.
- Although nearly 6 in 10 US adults have heard of ChatGPT, only 14% have actually used it, according to new research from Pew. That’s dramatically different from the creator universe, according to a new study from Epidemic Sound.
This Week: Mr. Beast wants to produce TV, collective action for the creator economy, weird new chatbots, algorithm insights from Adam Mosseri and why I think we’ve achieved peak research. Hi, I’m Jim and I helped build VidCon, OG-MCN Revision3, PC Magazine and TechTV. It’s the first week of June and here’s what you need to know.
Mr. Beast Wants to Produce a TV Game Show: Jimmy Donaldson tweeted about his vision to produce a game show for traditional TV. Neat idea, and another step towards global media domination for one of the world’s great creators. After announcing this, Alex Piper of Night Studios (who would likely help produce it) posted a teaser response highlighting which media buyers reached out – but also which ones didn’t. Hmm. I’d like to see THAT list. Now I’m even more excited to see Marc Hustvedt‘s upcoming presentation at VidCon! Maybe he’ll get a chance to chat with Paramount’s head of streaming Tom Ryan – who’s doing a mainstage session too.
Collective Action Comes to the Creator Economy: Directors’ strike. Writers’ strike. Actors’ strike. They always seemed so far away from the creator economy. But not anymore. A nascent effort to bring creators together to collectively advocate is brewing – which I strongly support – but that’s not all. Top League of Legends players have also walked off the job, protesting Riot’s move to slash developmental leagues for amateurs. And some of the top journalists covering the industry are also now on strike – including Amanda Perelli and Sydney Bradley. I hope these collective actions get resolved quickly, but until then I encourage you to support the players, journalists, and creators any way possible.
Tic-Tac-Toe Uh-Oh: TikTok joins Snap in developing an in-app AI chatbot. Part of Double-T’s push to replace search, this one’s called ‘Tako’. It could be a powerful addition. Or it might just make the focused short video app just a bit bulkier and more unfocused. That name too! Quick, say it fast out loud three times – “TikTok Tako”. Yeah that’s what I thought as well. Maybe they’ll rebrand “Taco Tuesday” while they’re at it. Also, now you can send Snap’s chatbot a pic and get a snappy GenAI response. A qdp-fueled descent into debauchery will surely follow.
Trading on Creator Success? Imagine a stock fund focusing on creator-heavy businesses. Could it outperform the market? That’s the hypothesis of Conor Begley‘s latest stock index concept. First up – Lululemon – and more companies will be added soon. Alas, early returns are not great. But this is an idea worth testing.
🌟 UPDATE: Looks like Lululemon was up biggly Friday after releasing earnings. So, I guess this might be working after all!
AI Use Not Widespread: Although nearly 6 in 10 US adults have heard of ChatGPT, only 14% have actually used it, according to new research from Pew. That’s dramatically different from the creator universe, according to a new study from Epidemic Sound. After talking to 1,500 creators, they found that 93% of “monetizing creators” are using AI tools. And based on my discussions last week with a variety of exciting startups, even more super-useful tools incorporating AI are on the way. Paradoxically, though, AI as a promoted feature will fade away. Our tools will be laced with the stuff, thus becoming outrageously more capable. But like electricity, wireless internet, and video compression it will silently fade into the background. Where it belongs.
Peak Research Has Arrived: Another relatively self-serving creator economy study – this one from creator marketing platform Aspire, finds YouTube is the most profitable monetization platform and helps marketers price their partnerships. Along with Epidemic Sound’s study highlighted above, we may have reached peak research. Remember, aside from Pew, these studies are directional, not projectible.
QUIBIS:
- Transparency is good: Adam Mosseri explains how the Instagram ranking algorithms really work. Mosseri also addresses “shadowbanning” head-on.
- YouTube updates US election misinformation policies, will stop taking down 2020 election denial videos.
- TikTok has stored lots of sensitive information about top creators on servers based in China. Another brick in the wall?
- Elgato starts building custom versions of its Stream Deck – first up, a Discord-specific version with tailored buttons, code and more.
- MIT Tech Review calls the Montana TikTok ban “junk” and “ridiculous”.
- After signing top streamer Kai Cenat, Rumble’s lax content moderation policies come under fire.
- Related – Cenat’s new “Kai ‘N Speed” show debuts strongly on Rumble.
- Trouble in creator-fintech? Willa shuts down Willa Pay, pivots to matching gig economy workers with clients.
- Could BeReal be pivoting to a Snap-like messaging platform?
- More consolidation in the podcast world as PodX Group buys Listen.
- California weighs a “preserve journalism” law. Meta says it won’t play along.
- The Sidemen are expanding their fried-chicken empire across the UK.
- Great idea – Smooth Media launches fractional COO service for creators.
- Insider releases list of 23 top Creator Economy experts. Thanks to everyone who nominated me, I’m proud to be on the list!
CRYPTIS & GENIES:
- NVidia and ad-giant WPP will build an AI engine to better persuade you to buy things you don’t need.
- New AI-based Discord moderation bot promises to do better than humans. Could be a game-changer for creators. Pro Tip: mute audio before clicking.
- AR/XR/VR back in the spotlights as Meta unveils Quest 3 and Apple to launch AR/VR headset today at WWDC. Apple apologists are already tamping down the hype. Could this be Lisa 2.0?
- Cryptis and Genies, living together.
- Want to harness the power of AI to quickly make TikTok’s, Shorts and Reels? Check out “Supercreator” (SPONSORED LINK).
Tips of the Week:
- OG talent manager and exec Dan Weinstein teases out 6 tips for sustainable creator growth from his experience managing hundreds of creators (and now running Underscore Talent).
- Want to be a creator economy expert? I break down Insider’s list of the Top 23 experts to find patterns to help you get there next year! Oh, and thanks to everyone who nominated me, I made the list!
Thanks for reading and see you around the internet. Send me a note with your feedback, or post in the comments! Feel free to share this with anyone you think might be interested, and if someone forwarded this to you, you can sign up and subscribe on LinkedIn for free here!
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And don’t forget to listen to The Creator Feed – the weekly podcast Renee Teeley and I produce – get it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher!
