Looks like YouTube is sweating over Netflix’s sudden interest in creators after all. Last Wednesday, Bloomberg reported that YouTube has been offering some of its top creators millions of dollars to stay off of other streamers, particularly Netflix. 

This comes as Netflix has made deals with some of YouTube’s biggest stars including Nick DiGiovanni, the Stokes Twins and Salish and Jordan Matter, sometimes releasing new shows on Netflix the same day those creators post content on YouTube. YouTube has offered this package to at least 15 creators, according to The Ankler, with the deals ranging from the low seven figures to $10 million. The penalty for not taking one of these big deals? YouTube may not feature those creators during big advertising events like Brandcast. 

This panic is new for YouTube, which has previously brushed off concerns about Netflix and other streamers by emphasizing that its creators see YouTube as home. 

But for some creators, that home isn’t looking as stable as it once was. That’s because YouTube changed its view count policy starting on Monday and announced new parameters for its YouTube Partner Program earlier this month.

Let’s start with the view counts. Previously, YouTube only counted what it dubbed “engaged views” — when a viewer actively clicks on a video or when they watch past the first few frames. As part of Monday’s changes, YouTube will be primarily reporting total views on videos rather than engaged views (engaged views will still be accessible to creators and relevant for the YouTube Partner Program). This switch up could result in as much as a 30% increase in public view counts, according to the creator advertising company Agentio, which analyzed over 35,000 YouTube videos from creators. Not only are YouTube creators about to see a boost in viewership, but YouTube itself is embracing a viewership model that shortform leaders like Instagram Reels, TikTok and YouTube Shorts have already adopted.

“It’s a positive move for the creator ecosystem because it leads to a level of standardization that both creators and brands generally want,” Arthur Leopold, CEO and co-founder of Agentio, told me.

Sounds good, but it’s made some YouTubers worry that this new system will devalue what a YouTube view means. Adding to creator uncertainty, the platform previously announced stricter standards for new creators eligible for the YouTube Partner Program starting in February. New creators will need to have 8,000 qualified watch hours in the past year rather than 4,000 hours. This is the first major overhaul since 2018, and the over 3 million creators already in the program will not be impacted.

Agentio found that the top 20,000 creators make up about 90% of all views on YouTube in the U.S. Based on this, Leopold thinks these stricter standards make sense. “[It] aligns with YouTube wanting to ensure that creators who are investing the time to be creators — creators who are focused on making great content that audiences want to watch — are the creators that can monetize through the brands that spend on YouTube.”

YouTube’s view count and Partner Program changes definitely feel like growing pains for a company that’s evolved from a niche player to the big dog in town. But between this and the Bloomberg report, there is an uncharacteristic amount of shakiness around what has been the most stable creator platform. 

Now onto the rest.

Kayla Cobb

Senior Reporter
kayla.cobb@thewrap.com

What’s New

Meta settles landmark child safety case for $17 billion

Well, that didn’t last long. After starting its trial last Tuesday, Meta has already settled its social media child safety casewith state attorneys general in California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey to the tune of $17 billion paid over 10 years. As part of the settlement, Meta will introduce new rules for underage users, like setting daily limits and stopping notifications during school hours, but will deny any wrongdoing. Smart move considering that some were predicting this trial could cost Meta as much as $1.4 trillion. 

As part of its settlement, Meta nobly called for TikTok and YouTube to adopt the same measures it was legally pressured to implement. Blame-passing open letters aside, other social media platforms are also feeling the heat from these child safety cases. On Monday, TikTok agreed to pay $400 million in a settlement to the U.S. Department of Justice. I’ll have more on what this case means for the future of social media and child safety tomorrow.

Chinese video platform Bilibili goes global

Bilibili, essentially China’s alternative to YouTube, relaunched its international app last week and disclosed plans to launch an English-language website. The company is also staffing up in several international markets including Japan, the U.S. and Europe. The platform boasts 376 million monthly active users (for comparison, YouTube reported more than 2.7 billion monthly active users in 2024), and U.S. creators like MrBeast have already started posting on the platform.

Kevin Langue partners with Netflix, and Dhar Mann partners with Disney

Speaking of YouTubers moving to other streamers, Kevin Langue (5.4 million YouTube subscribers) is coming to Netflix. As part of the deal, a collection of older episodes from two of the creator’s shows — “The Kevin Langue Show” and “Kevin Langue 2” — will be coming to the streamer starting Sept. 5. After that, new episodes will premiere on Netflix the same day Langue posts them on YouTube. The creator-driven Almost Friday Media is also bringing “On Campus” — a new weekly video series about college students preparing for the football game of the week — to Netflix.

As for Dhar Mann Studios (27.5 million YouTube subscribers), the production company signed a content deal with Disney this week that involves the studio making new original content for kids, tweens, teens and families. The first project is a 20-episode TV series. For those keeping track at home, this is the second major media deal Mann has under his belt after his Fox Entertainment microseries deal earlier this year.

By the Numbers

Felicia Day’s “The Guild” breaks a Kickstarter record 

Ready for a blast from the past? “The Guild,” Felicia Day’s comedy webseries about players in a MMORPG video game, raised over $6.8 million on Kickstarter for a reunion movie. The channel’s 20th anniversary movie has been backed by over 45,000 people, and “The Guild: Ren Faire’d” is now the highest crowdfunded movie in Kickstarter history. The 2014 campaign for a “Veronica Mars” held the prior record of $5.7 million.

More than 11,000 Twitch creators have participated in Creator Sponsorship campaigns this year

Twitch is expanding its Creator Sponsorships program to eligible affiliates globally, giving a broader group of streamers access to brand partnerships and simplifying the sponsorship process. So far this year, more than 11,000 creators have participated in a Twitch Creator Sponsorship campaign.

That’s the good news. The bad is that Twitch and its parent company Amazon are part of a class action lawsuitafter Twitch let Amazon’s AI models train off of streamers’ content. The program was opt out instead of opt in, which meant streamers were participating by default, and now the lawsuit claims that Twitch and Amazon were in breach of contract.

Patreon launches 30 new features for creators

Creator subscription hub Patreon is making it easier for its creators to clip and share their content. Patreon’s Clips, which turns a creator’s videos into bite-sized posts that can be shared on platforms like TikTok, is just one of the 30 new features the platform unveiled last Thursday. Other tools include suggested video previews, which pulls out the most engaging parts of creators’ paid videos, and a feature that lets creators quote passages from their longer written posts.

Movers and Shakers

Mattel will stream the UNO Championship Series on Twitch

You read that right; there’s going to be an UNO Championship Series, and you’ll be able to watch it live. The tournament will take place in Los Angeles and end on Nov. 11 with the winner taking home $50,000.

CAA launches gaming development initiative FRAME1GAMES

Creative Artists Agency is investing more in the gaming space with FRAME1GAMES, a program designed to fund, accelerate and market independent games. The offering will connect independent developers and game creators with industry veterans and CAA executives and help give creators access to the partners and vendors they need to bring a game to market. Considering how many game developers found their start by being a creator on Fortnite or Roblox, it’s an initiative that makes sense.

Creator Camp backs the Spirit Awards’ first-ever Digital Creator Award 

A new creator-focused award is coming to the Film Independent Spirit Awards. The Digital Creator Award is for artists on digital-first platforms and comes with a $25,000 unrestricted grant. The new category was developed in partnership with Max Reisinger, the CEO and co-founder of Creator Camp, a creator-focused media company. Creator Camp will collaborate with the Spirit Awards on rolling out the prize.

Who to Watch

NEWSGIRLS

Helmed by former “60 Minutes” producers and Emmy-nominated journalists Mabel Kabani and Wren Woodson, NEWSGIRLS (286,000 Instagram followers) is one of the coolest examples of how traditional journalists are adapting to the digital era. Kabani and Woodson’s work is clearly well-researched and professional, yet their channel does a great job of being voicey enough to be attention grabbing in this modern era. It’s always difficult to find a balance between the AP and a buzzy TikTok, but Kabani and Woodson are doing a great job navigating those tricky waters.

Bonus Content

• Inside the Creator AI Reckoning: Backlash, Heated Debates and So Much Slop (via TheWrap)
• Reel-ing it in: Meta is Paying Influencers to Promote Teen Accounts (via The Guardian)
• Comedians Are Trolling AI, and the Jokes Are Landing (via Vanity Fair)

Want more? Explore WrapPRO now.

This report provides a weekly deep dive into the creator economy. It highlights key trends, political and technological developments, data points and industry leaders all with the goal of making you smarter about this constantly evolving space.

The post Creatorverse: The YouTube vs. Netflix Battle Catches Fire appeared first on TheWrap.

Daddy is cleaning house. On Sunday, word got out that “Call Her Daddy” host and Unwell co-founder Alex Cooper left UTA back in July, the creator’s home for the past six years. 

Any time a major client leaves an agency, it’s big news, but this latest chapter in the “Call Her Daddy” and Unwell saga is especially complicated. News of Cooper’s departure emerged after Unwell hit a $500 million valuation thanks to an investment from WTSL, the firm from WME co-founder Patrick Whitesell. Cooper’s departure also comes while Unwell is in the midst of a series of toxic workplace allegations and Cooper is publicly feuding with fellow creator and former Unwell talent Alix Earle. It’s a lot, especially since Cooper and Earle seem hellbent on making snarky comments rather than explaining their beef. 

So today I’m running the uninitiated through what we know, what we suspect and what could happen next.

It all goes back to 2018 when Cooper started “Call Her Daddy” alongside co-host Sofia Franklyn. The original iteration of the podcast was owned and distributed by Barstool Sports, which is how owner Dave Portnoy is connected to this story. Following a disagreement about compensation and IP rights (Cooper reportedly wanted to take Barstool’s deal of $500,000 for one year before walking away with the “Call Her Daddy” IP; Franklyn thought that was too low), Franklyn left the podcast. Cooper then started hosting the podcast alone in 2020. 

Portnoy brought the Barstool era of “Call Her Daddy” back into public light earlier this month after his memoir claimed Cooper and Franklyn planned to get out of their contract by claiming they experienced sexual harassment. Cooper pushed back on that allegation during a CNBC interview, saying, “Dave’s got his version, I’ve got my version, and we’re all good.”

As “Call Her Daddy” grew, Cooper set her sights on building a media empire for young women, which led to the creation of Unwell Network in 2023. Enter rising star Alix Earle. That year, Earle signed with Unwell for her first podcast, “Hot Mess.” That one-two punch of buzzy podcasts helped Unwell sign a $125 million deal with Sirius XM in 2024.

But roughly a year after that deal was signed, Earle walked away from Unwell with the IP rights to “Hot Mess.” This is where things get murky, as neither Cooper nor Earle have explicitly explained their fallout even though Earle isn’t under an NDA. It’s widely believed — and Portnoy has speculated — that their divide came down to contract disputes. Earle has since said that the feud is “exaggerated,” and Cooper called out Earle for creating “fake drama.” Both Portnoy and Earle are UTA clients.

That brings us to this summer, which started with a Vanity Fair report accusing Unwell of cultivating a hostile work environment. Cooper’s husband as well as Unwell co-founder and co-CEO Matt Kaplan was called out in particular for calling employees “stupid” and threatening to ruin their careers. About two months after the Vanity Fair article, WTSL’s investment launched Unwell to its half a billion dollar valuation. 

Cooper is now meeting with several agencies as she determines her next move. 

It seems as though Unwell’s next chapter is going to involve a lot more production and more investments into the company’s growing creative agency. In addition to Netflix’s “Let’s Marry Harry,” Cooper is producing adaptations for “Deep End” and “Icebreaker” for the streamer and will be releasing “Unwell Winter Games” later this year. As for the creative agency side, that division of Unwell is on track to rival the company’s podcasting business by the end of 2027 and counts Google among its clients. But Cooper isn’t safe from headlines just yet. Franklyn’s memoir “Daddy Issues” is slated for a November release, and she’s made it known that she will be addressing her fallout with Cooper. 

Now onto the rest.

Kayla Cobb

Senior Reporter
kayla.cobb@thewrap.com

What’s New

Alix Earle hints at Cooper feud again in “Earle Meets World” trailer

Whoops — we’re not out of the Cooper/Earle woods just yet. Netflix released a new trailer for Earle’s reality show “Earle Meets World” today, which features the creator throwing some serious shade at Cooper. Naturally, there are no specifics.

“She’s trying to paint it as I’m just like this crazy lunatic who is like hating her for no reason. There’s a reason,” Earle says. Maybe we’ll finally learn that reason when the show premieres on Sept. 4.

Digital Brand Architects acquires V1sion Ventures, and Acast acquires podcast network Backyard Ventures

Two big deals in the creator universe this week. DBA acquired the creator management firm V1sion Ventures, which represents several notable creator clients like Keith Lee (17.4 million TikTok followers), Leigh Soriano (1 million Instagram followers) and Joy Burnett (731,000 TikTok followers). V1sion Ventures founder and CEO Alina Benun will join DBA’s network and work alongside senior talent managers Veronica Avalos and Alina’s brother Jake Benun as well as talent manager Caroline Tollar and team members Arianna Robles and Tatum Crampton.

Podcasting hosting company Acast acquired the podcasting network Backyard Ventures in a deal reportedly worth $20 million. Backyard Ventures is home to about 200 creators and includes Ryan Holiday (1.2 million Instagram followers) and SB Mowing (3.4 million YouTube subscribers) as part of its lineup.

The Motion Picture Association Agrees to TikTok AI guardrails

The Motion Picture Association and ByteDance — the company originally behind TikTok — reached an agreement on Monday about how intellectual property from studios will be used in AI-generated content. Specific guardrails outlined in this agreement have not been shared, but the agreement applies to generative AI use on TikTok, the TikTok joint venture in the U.S., CapCut and Dreamina.

Platform Updates

YouTube will start counting views as soon as a video starts

Previously, YouTube only counted a view on a longform video if someone actively clicked on the video and continued to watch after 30 seconds. That’s changing starting Aug. 24, which is whenYouTube will start counting autoplay videos as views and removing the 30 second threshold. Counting autoplays as views is how Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and even YouTube Shorts count views.

It’s a bit uncertain how this will play out. On one hand, every YouTuber is about to get a massive viewership spike. That’s probably going to help cushion the panic around YouTube’s new monetization standards, which will soon require creators to have at least 8,000 qualified watch hours over the past year. But the move will also likely devalue views, which means engagement and retention are probably going to become the hot YouTube metric.

Twitch auto-enrolls streamers to have their content scraped by Amazon AI

Last week, every Twitch streamer was automatically enrolled into a new feature that’s being used to train Amazon’s generative AI program. Surprise: Creators aren’t happyabout it. Even Twitch’s chief product officer admitted the program is opt out because “nobody would opt in.”

Speaking of Twitch, Spotify brought the podcast “Ringer Wise Guys” to the livestreaming platform. The music streaming service also introduced a badge for AI-generated artists earlier this month after user backlash. Spotify will exclude AI artists from algorithmic or editorial recommendations on the app.

Meta’s $1.4 trillion child safety case started yesterday

At long last, the biggest child safety trial when it comes to social media is underway. The trial, which is taking place in Oakland, pits Meta Platforms against several states that accuse the company behind Instagram, Facebook and Whatsapp of designing its apps to be addictive to young users. Legal experts have estimated that the penalties for this case could be as high as $1.4 trillion, and the case is being compared to the landmark trials in the 1990s against cigarette companies. No matter how this one shakes out, it’s going to have a massive impact on social media and the creator economy as we know it.

Movers and Shakers

Jacksepticeye and Alanah Pearce partner on independent horror movie “Godmother”

Two more creators are trying their hand at horror movies. Sean McLoughlin, aka Jacksepticeye (31.2 million YouTube subscribers) and Alanah Pearce (684,000 YouTube subscribers) explained to me why they went the independent financing route for the upcoming movie “Godmother,” which is directed by John Veron and written by Veron and Pearce. 

“When we initially tried to get funding for Godmother, we had numerous conversations with more traditional studios and financiers. Most of them required us to attach A-list actors in order to mitigate financial risk — one company even specified that we cast J.K. Simmons,” Pearce told me. “We could have pursued those options further, but in doing so, we would not have made ‘Godmother.’ We would have made some studio-mandated cash grab Frankenstein version of ‘Godmother.’ What’s the point?” 

McLoughlin, who serves as an executive producer on this project, also told me he’s open to directing his own horror movie. After 10 years in the making, here’s how the upcoming movie came about.

The Design Network renews its multi-year agreement with Hulu

The Design Network, the hub for DIY, home and lifestyle creators, renewed its content agreement with Hulu on Friday. The brand is behind shows like Rachel Taylor and Tyler Banken’s “Backyarding,” Drew Lachey’s “Date My House” and Jillian Rose Reed’s “Alt House.”

“Backrooms” director Kane Parsons is back on YouTube

You can bring the YouTuber to theaters, but you can’t break his posting streak. After setting a box office record for A24 with “Backrooms,” director Kane Parsons posted a new Backrooms video yesterday. Take that, every Hollywood bozo who thought that the YouTube thing was just a stepping stone.

Who to Watch

Reckless Ben

As mainstream media becomes less stable, creators have taken over a lot of the boots-on-the-ground work that used to be reserved for journalists. And no one is doing that work quite like Ben Schneider, aka Reckless Ben (1.8 million YouTube subscribers). As part of his latest stunt, Schneider enrolled at Provo Canyon School, the Utah youth treatment facility where Paris Hilton alleged she was abused. Even though he’s a 30-year-old man, the facility accepted Schneider as a 17-year-old, and when he fled the facility after two days, Provo Canyon didn’t help Schneider’s “father” look for his missing son. 

Of course, since Reckless Ben is an entertainment channel rather than a true journalistic institution, all of this should be taken with a grain of salt. But so far Schneider’s investigation has led to the closing of Provo Canyon School, and the institution is evaluating legal action against him.

Bonus Content

• So You Want to Build an A.I. Star? (via New York Times)
• Influencers fear the AI ‘Scarlet Letter’ (via Business Insider)
• TikTok Is for the Creator Middle Class, But Top Earners Favor Instagram (via Business Insider)

Want more? Explore WrapPRO now.

This report provides a weekly deep dive into the creator economy. It highlights key trends, political and technological developments, data points and industry leaders all with the goal of making you smarter about this constantly evolving space.

The post Creatorverse: Breaking Down the Alex Cooper and Unwell Mess appeared first on TheWrap.

Have you been watching InfoWars lately? If not, you need to change that. What started as The Onion’s ruthless mockery of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones is on its way to becoming one of the most interesting hubs of alternative comedy in the creator era.

But first, a refresher: The original InfoWars was founded by Jones as a way for him to publish his hateful claims about 9/11 and push the false notion that the Sandy Hook shootings were a hoax, among other baseless conspiracy theories. Jones’ repeated claims about the Sandy Hook victims led to a defamation lawsuit that cost him $1.4 billion and the liquidation of InfoWars. Since then, the courts have been battling Jones to try and give the victims their rightful money, and the satirical website The Onion has been trying to acquire InfoWars as a sort of middle finger to Jones. As of April, the ownership of the original InfoWars is still in limbo.

But last month The Onion went ahead with its plan anyway, launching what it has dubbed the real InfoWars with comedian Tim Heidecker of “Tim and Eric” fame as its creative director. 

Already the rebrand has more followers than the original InfoWars. The Onion’s version of the website has over 219,000 followers on Instagram, 140,000 subscribers on YouTube and 73,000 followers on TikTok with posts that routinely score hundreds of thousands of views. The Onion has also seen a boost in advertising sales, merchandising sales and newspaper subscriptions from people looking to support the new InfoWars.

Oh, and the venture has sent $100,000 to the families of the Sandy Hook victims — $100,000 more than Jones has sent.

The Onion’s InfoWars is staying true to its promise of relentlessly ridiculing Jones, as seen each week by Heidecker and Brad Holbrook’s gravelly impressions of Jones and rightwing podcasters. But as it turns to its next era, the growing platform is looking more to the creator community. The brand has already brought on Mia DiPasquale, known for her casting work in Nathan Fielder’s “Nathan for You,” and plans to feature content from musician Dev Lemons (543,000 Instagram followers) and AI’s biggest rival, Husk (992,000 Instagram followers). As the brand grows, The Onion also wants to give more money to the families and develop a specific payment model for creators. 

“The beauty of being truly independent is we can do whatever we want, basically, and we want to build a mass audience. A good way of doing that is building our channels as much as possible right now,” Ben Collins, the CEO of The Onion, told me. “We’ve been allowed by this audience to take massive risks. We have plans for some of those risks, but the currency of the internet right now is novelty, surprise and having fun. That’s what we plan on doing until the end of the year, at least.”

This is great news for all the weirdo artists and comedians out there as well as me, personally. Some of the greatest talents of our generation have emerged from being allowed to test out their oddest impulses on a big stage. For example, before he was revolutionizing horror with “Get Out” and “Nope,” Jordan Peele worked out sketches on “Mad TV” and “Key & Peele.” “SNL” has served as a launchpad for countless comedy superstars. 

But this modern era of TV is so concerned with pleasing a mass audience, there’s little room for niche gambles. That sort of lost platform is exactly what InfoWars 2.0 sounds like it’s building. It’s also one I’m going to be keeping a close eye on. 

Now onto the rest.

Kayla Cobb

Senior Reporter
kayla.cobb@thewrap.com

What’s New

Alex Cooper’s Unwell is valued at $500 million after an investment from WTSL

The increased valuation comes after Patrick Whitesell’s new firm, WTSL, invested in Cooper and Matt Kaplan’s company. The exact amount of the investment wasn’t disclosed, but it does show how big Cooper’s empire has become. 

And a Netflix movie is now part of that empire. Cooper will be producing a new Netflix movie based on the adult romance novel “Deep End,” which was written by Ali Hazelwood. Cooper has been investing beyond podcasting lately and has produced several TV shows, including the Netflix reality dating show “Let’s Marry Harry” and “The Unwell Winter Games.”

Meta, TikTok, Google and Snap will have to face more than 3,000 child safety lawsuits

Previously, the companies attempted to appeal a ruling that would allow these cases to proceed. That appeal was rejected on Monday by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

This news is extra bad for Meta. The platform behind Instagram, Facebook and Whatsapp was ordered to pay $567 million to address harms to young people in the second phase of a New Mexico trial. This is in addition to the $375 million in civil penalties the company was ordered to pay from this same case in March.

Over 60% of creators earn less than $10,000 a year

A new study from CreatorIQ and Influencers.club found that 67% of creators earn $10,000 or less annually. This survey, which included responses from more than 5,000 creators, also revealed that 62% of creators say that content creation is not their primary source of income and that high paying brand deals are most closely correlated with large follower counts. That last detail is especially important considering that industry experts have spent the last year saying that engagement — not follower counts — is the most important metric for brands.

Platform Updates

YouTube is going to make it harder for creators to earn money, and X revamps its creator program

It’s about to get a lot harder for creators to start making money on YouTube. Starting in February 2027, creators who want to start earning on the platform will need to have at least 8,000 qualified watch hours over the past year, double the 4,000 hours that are currently required. Shorts creators will need 20 million qualified Shorts views in a 90 day period compared to the 10 million Shorts views the platform now requires. This update won’t impact creators who are already in the YouTube Partner Program. 

As for X, Elon Musk’s platform will prioritize original content from creators starting Sept. 8. That means clipping is out. But the YouTube changes are the big news here. The platform upping its standards means another platform may become the place to be for a new class of mid-tier longer-form creators.

TikTok cuts Nashville jobs and embraces Spider-Man fan edits

Just two years after opening the location, TikTok is closing its Nashville office, which predominantly housed part of the company’s moderation team. The move will result in 250 layoffs.

In other TikTok news, the platform launched a first-of-its-kind fan-edit campaign to celebrate “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.” The in-app contest led to 3,205 qualified posts created by fans, and videos for the contest generated more than 12 million views.

Kickstarter will invest $1 million in rising artists, and Spotify crosses the 300 million paying subscriber mark

Kickstarter’s Culture Fund is a new program designed to support independent creators in the arts, fashion, film and music. The fund is open to all creators worldwide who have a live Kickstarter campaign or a draft of a project that falls into one of the four eligible categories. 

Finally, one big piece of platform news I missed last week: Spotify surpassed 300 million paying subscribers, making it the first audio streaming service to hit that figure. The company announced the news during its second quarter earnings report. Spotify and Netflix are now the only streamers to surpass the 300 million subscriber mark (Netflix sits at 325 million).

Movers and Shakers

Savanah Moss is producing a Jeff the Killer movie

The trend of creators making horror movies keeps on going. Savanah Moss (11.4 million TikTok followers) will be producing a movie adaptation of the Jeff the Killer creepypasta, I reported earlier this week. The movie is being produced with the network of creator-led studios, Tongal, and creators worldwide will have the opportunity to pitch their own Jeff the Killer concepts. Cool move for a piece of internet lore that was built from community collaboration.

In other news, Lala Sadii (25.7 million followers on TikTok) is working on her own scripted series for Disney Channel and Disney+. And podcaster Joe Budden launched “Crime in America,” Budden’s first true crime podcast that was created in partnership with Wolf Entertainment (“Law & Order,” “One Chicago” universe) as well as news publisher Advance Local and its Headline Studio.

Dhar Mann Studios purchases 143,000 square foot campus in Los Angeles

Dhar Mann Studios just got an upgrade. The company purchased a new and bigger campus in Chatsworth, which it plans to transition into in 2027. Additional details will be shared at a later date.

“Los Angeles has always been home for Dhar Mann Studios. As we continue to grow, we wanted a permanent location where our team can keep creating stories that help people feel seen and connected, and continue evolving what’s next in entertainment,” Mann said in a statement. “This campus gives us the foundation to do that for years to come.”

Fox’s Red Seat Ventures is bringing video podcasts to Apple starting with Jubilee’s “Surrounded”

Red Seat Ventures, the creator-led media company owned by Fox Corp., will be bringing video to Apple Podcasts thanks to its hosting, distribution and monetization platform Speakeasy. Jubilee’s “Surrounded” will be one of the first shows to get the video treatment on Apple Podcasts. It’s one of several creator-led shows that are expected to launch through Speakeasy in the coming months.

Curry Barker directed a Weezer music video

This isn’t really industry-changing; it’s just cool. Curry Barker, the director of “Obsession” and half of the sketch comedy group that’s a bad idea, directed the video for Weezer’s “C.E.O.” It’s (another) homage to “Undone,” and it stars Tony Hawk and Jay Renshaw’s Chit as part of Weezer 2.0. Fun stuff!

@mburkez

Homemade meat beef version

♬ 639hz – Heart Chakra – Solfeggio Guru & Instrumental Zone & Zen Meditation Garden

Who to Watch

Doorknob Girl

You know how I spent the first half of this email raving about how much I love alternative comedy? Introducing my latest obsession: Doorknob Girl (1.1 million TikTok followers). Every faceless post features her cooking a different recipe, but between her echoing voice, insistence that there are “hordes” of people after her work and commitment to making what she’s dubbed “homemade meat” and “dried yogurt for HIM,” Doorknob Girl’s videos feel like they’re being posted from a different dimension. 

Doorknob Girl, whose first name is Morgan, started posting in 2020 after several of her friends encouraged her to post stories on TikTok. Quickly, her profile took off with her high school stories gaining over 50,000 views. But as time went on, Morgan became less comfortable showing her face or telling stories from her actual life. That’s how the bizarre lore surrounding her channel started to emerge

“It is a character, and I’m typically lying. However, there’s some realness in that,” Morgan told me, pointing to early videos when she was making resin doorknobs. “I’m always like, ‘I need to hit my quota and make a certain amount of doorknobs,’ and people thought it was so funny. But I was very stressed in my sales job at the time.”

Doorknob Girl is still dedicated to making homemade meat (which is just seitan) and is developing both a cookbook and a zine. But she’s emerged as one of the most delightfully weird creators roaming the internet. 

Bonus Content

• TikTok Withheld a Safety Feature From Millions. One Died by Suicide (via Bloomberg)
• LinkedIn’s Big Creator Boom Has Just One Rule: Please Keep Your Day Job (via LinkedIn)
• The AI Slop Backlash Is Actually Having an Impact (via Wired)

Want more? Explore WrapPRO now.

This report provides a weekly deep dive into the creator economy. It highlights key trends, political and technological developments, data points and industry leaders all with the goal of making you smarter about this constantly evolving space.

The post Creatorverse: The Onion’s InfoWars Is Becoming the Alt Comedy Hub We Need appeared first on TheWrap.

There’s an AI reckoning that’s emerging within the creator ecosystem. Look no further than Hank Green (3.2 million YouTube subscribers), who landed in hot water with his fans after admitting to using the technology to make his educational content. 

After viewers accused Green of reading off an AI-generated script during a video, Green admitted he’s been using AI to help research his videos. Green isn’t any old science and education influencer; he’s the granddaddy of the genre who has been posting for nearly two decades — an eternity in internet time. Green has since apologized to his fans and announced he will be pulling back from creating for a while as he sorts through his AI usage. But the entire debacle has led to mass outrage from viewers. 

“It’s hard to think of anyone who’s been consistently putting work onto the internet for that long a time — with an emphasis on pedagogy, education, morality — where saying ‘OK, I’m going to be using AI now’ wouldn’t feel like a betrayal,” Adam Bumas, head of research at Garbage Media, told me. 

No matter your feelings on Green’s AI snafu, it’s an interesting case study into how creators are having to justify their AI usage to fans. By now,over 80% of creators use AIsomewhere in their workflow, whether that means using the technology to analyze audience demographics or incorporating AI elements on screen, yet many viewers are adamantly opposed to the technology. For example, creators who participated in a luxury retreat sponsored by OpenAI have been facing intense backlash all this week. 

Making this equation even more difficult, different creator communities have different tolerances for AI, meaning there’s no hard and fast universal rule when it comes to AI disclosures from creators. 

Despite this murkiness, different platforms have started to stake out their own guidelines when it comes to AI-generated content. Though AI certainly exists on YouTube and TikTok, expectations from those audiences means that AI content is valued less. Deep dives and well-produced longform videos perform well on YouTube, and TikTok has developed an entire aesthetic that relies on quickly made content that has clearly been made by humans. Though YouTube Shorts made it easier to create AI content, the company announced it will be cracking down on AI slop and “off-putting content” (That latter reason is why YouTube banned several provocative ASMR creators last week). 

Snapchat announced it will stop highlighting fully AI-generated content on its Spotlight feed last Friday. As for LinkedIn, the platform whose users have embraced AI the most according to Bumas, the platform has added a button that will let users report AI slop.

That leaves the Meta-owned platforms, Facebook and Instagram. Earlier this month, Facebook introduced a verification badgedesigned to show who’s a real person. But Instagram has become a major hub for AI content, and not all of it is being labelled as such. Just last week, an AI-generated video of a wave crashing over a movie set hit over 500 million views in one day after it was aggressively pushed to Instagram users. 

“I would say Reels specifically and Instagram in general have had less of a sense of quality control [when it comes to AI],” Bumas said. “They don’t want the same kind of repetitive content, but unlike YouTube, they emphasize the infinite scroll more. It’s a lot easier for an AI-generated Reel to proliferate when there’s less of an expectation that a user is going to be deciding what they see.”

Now onto the rest.

Kayla Cobb

Senior Reporter
kayla.cobb@thewrap.com

What’s New

Meta, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube have been sued over the deaths of four teenagers

The lawsuits against social media companies keep stacking up. Last Friday, the families of four teenagers who died by suicide sued Meta, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube, citing “years of escalating harms” from social media platforms as the reason for these tragic deaths. The lawsuit was filed in Delaware and is part of an avalanche of suits in both America and around the world that have to do with social media addiction in children. 

On a related note, TikTok settled three lawsuits related to teen social media use on Monday. There is still a trial that will include Meta and YouTube that’s scheduled for October as well as thousands of similar cases in California’s state court.

Substack creators are hitting a wall

There’s been a recent wave of Substack creators who are reporting declining growth and fewer subscription conversions. The reason is pretty obvious when you think about it: There are only so many people who are willing to spend $5 a month to read a newsletter (But TheWrap’s subscription is different — we give you multiple newsletters). Taylor Lorenz, who has over 200,000 followers on Substack, wrote in a recent post that her paid subscriptions “have fallen off a cliff.” Scott Carney is seeing a similar decline. Scalable has a great deep dive into the drop off creators are seeing.

Boy Throb’s Darshan is finally getting a U.S. visa

Months ago, I gushed about Boy Throb, the intentionally awkward and pink sweatsuit-clad boy band who kept covering popular songs in the hopes of getting their fourth member a visa. After collaborations with Jimmy Kimmel and Kesha it finally happened — Darshan is coming to America. I’m still pretty convinced this is Nathan Fielder’s latest stunt, but it’s a pretty wholesome one. Congratulations to Darshan and all of Boy Throb.

Platform Updates

Dropout acquires animator Don Hertzfeldt’s films 

Comedy streaming service Dropout has acquired a collection of animator and director Don Hertzfeldt’s films, which premiered on the platform yesterday. A staple of the 2000s and 2010s internet era, Hertzfeldt is known for his hauntingly beautiful yet simplistic shorts like “World of Tomorrow,” “It’s Such a Beautiful Day” and “Rejected.” The filmmaker’s latest movie “Paper Trail,” which premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival and won a Special Jury Award, will premiere on Dropout Sept. 1.

TikTok content is coming to Disney+ 

TikTok videos are coming to Disney+ as part of a first-of-its-kind deal between the companies. Select user-generated content will be available to watch on the  Disney+ Verts tab. The deal will also allow TikTok creators to make content using moments from Disney films and TV shows. The content will include IP from Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, FX and more brands.

This isn’t the first time Disney+ has toyed around with creator content. Last year, the streamer added user-generated content from YouTube. Streamer Extra Emily (877,000 TikTok followers) is the latest creator whose content has been added to Disney+ and Hulu. 

Instagram viewers outnumber creators two-to-one

There are more than twice as many Instagram users who watch Reels than post on the platform, according to a new study from eMarketer. Around 81% of U.S. Instagram users watched shortform video content on Instagram compared to the 39% who post on the platform.

Movers and Shakers

Ludwig’s Streamer Games brought in 500,000 viewers at its peak

Ludwig’s (7 million YouTube subscribers) third-annual Olympics-style Streamer Games broke several records for the creator. Concurrent viewership on Ludwig’s channel peaked around 500,000 views, and the broadcast as a whole resulted in an estimated 6 million hours watched. This year, the competition welcomed 40 creators across nine countries and hosted four international streams, which is a big reason for this impressive turnout.

IShowSpeed buys a content creation studio in Miami for nearly $11 million

IShowSpeed (60.2 million YouTube subscribers) clearly has some big plans for the future. The creator reportedly spent nearly $11 million on a warehouse in the Miami area. Speed plans to turn the space into a content creation studio. It’s a big purchase from a major creator who generated an estimated 1 billion views tied to the World Cup.

Crooked Media launches YouTube docuseries about the American South

Crooked Media, the media company behind the podcast Pod Save America, launched a new docuseries about politics and the American South, titled Long Play. The series is available on all major podcasting platforms as well as YouTube. 

Speaking of new YouTube shows, Mortal Media and Supperclub have teamed up on a football docuseries titled “We Are Osos,” which premieres Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT. The series follows the journey of the Osos Monterrey, a football team part of the Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional (LFA) in Mexico.

Who to Watch

Jeremy Carrasco

If you’re looking for a smart guide to help you navigate the AI ins and outs of social media, look no further than Jeremy Carrasco (497,000 Instagram followers). Carrasco breaks down AI trends across all the major platforms and offers viewers helpful tips like how to spot AI creators. During a time when traditional journalists are stretched too thin and there’s limited knowledge about this rapidly evolving technology, Carrasco is a must-watch resource who’s putting in real work when it comes to AI’s evolution.

Bonus Content

• The MAGA Media Machine Is Fracturing (via New York Times)
• ‘You Can’t Just Be Showing Matcha-Pilates-Alo’ Lifestyle Influencers Used to Post Cute Photos and Make Millions. Now They Have to Pivot (via Vulture)
• Josh Richards’ Sketch Show ‘Read the Room’ Will Return for Season 2 This Month | Exclusive (via TheWrap)

Want more? Explore WrapPRO now.

This report provides a weekly deep dive into the creator economy. It highlights key trends, political and technological developments, data points and industry leaders all with the goal of making you smarter about this constantly evolving space.

The post Creatorverse: Creators and Platforms Are Grappling With AI Usage in Real Time appeared first on TheWrap.

Amid all the chatter about brand deals and follower counts, the charitable side of creators is often overlooked. This past week, two major creators — MrBeast (510 million YouTube subscribers) and Jacksepticeye (31 million subscribers) — doubled down on giving back. 

Though MrBeast and Jacksepticeye are the two creators making headlines right now, philanthropic efforts are baked into the work of many creators, partially because giveaways and community alignment are so core to the creator ecosystem. That focus has translated into an increase in donations from Millennial and Gen Z audiences as donations overall have declined. 

MrBeast partnered with Disney and Stand Up to Cancer (SU2C) on “I Granted 100 Kids Their Biggest Wish!” a video that chronicled celebrities like MrBeast, Dwayne Johnson and LeBron James granting some of the biggest dreams to children who have been diagnosed with cancer. The goal of the video is to increase awareness for pediatric cancer and raise funds for research, which naturally includes an elaborate MrBeast giveaway for anyone who donates to the charity Give Kids The World. Since being posted on Sunday, the video has accumulated over 30 million views. Those views will only increase as the video remains on MrBeast’s channel for the next six months.

“We’ve never had an opportunity like this to engage people all over the world, and certainly not through a creator platform at this scale. So, it’s truly a ‘first’ for SU2C,” Pam Williams, a member of the SU2C founders and advisors committee, told me. So far it’s a strategy that’s working. The video has been seen by people in 68 countries so far, and almost 90% of donators are supporting the organization for the first time. 

As for Seán William McLoughlin, aka Jacksepticeye, last week he announced the return of his creator-led fundraising initiative, Thankmas. But this time around, the fundraising drive will run for six months, culminating in a livestream in December. Thankmas 2026 has already raised $90,000 for Make-A-Wish and has granted nine wishes. By the end of the campaign, McLoughlin hopes to grant 300 wishes. 

“What we’ve seen is that content creators have an incredible ability to build communities.They create spaces where people feel connected through shared interests, and when they get behind a cause, those communities often want to get involved too,” Leslie Motter, president and CEO of Make-A-Wish America, told me. “For Make-A-Wish, that’s especially meaningful because every wish relies on people coming together to make it possible. Whether it’s raising funds, sharing our mission or helping us reach new supporters, creators are introducing more people to the life-changing impact of a wish for children with critical illnesses.”

Requests to meet creators make up more than 32% of all Make-A-Wish asks, a stat that reflects how important creators are to children. Creator wishes have also doubled over the past decade as creators themselves have also become more involved in the organization. In the last year, more than 50 creators became first-time wish granters. 

“Those relationships can bring joy, inspiration and a sense of belonging during a difficult time. When creators use their platforms to support Make-A-Wish, they’re not only helping create unforgettable wish experiences, they’re helping us move closer to our vision of granting the wish of every eligible child,” Motter said.

Now onto the rest.

Kayla Cobb

Senior Reporter
kayla.cobb@thewrap.com

What’s New

“The Odyssey” press tour has creators to thank, and the Critics Choice Association is giving creators their own awards show

With $666 million globally, Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” is a certified box office hit, and some of that success likely came from the movie’s creator-heavy press tour. Reece Feldman’s, aka Guy With a Movie Camera (2.8 million TikTok followers), behind-the-scenes footage for the movie generated more than 12 million views on one video. As for Brittany Broski’s “Royal Court” (1.3 million YouTube subscribers), a video featuring Matt Damon and Anne Hathaway hit more than 2 million views, The Publish Press observed while scoring her an interview with Seth Meyers. If you’re still wondering why creators channels have overtaken legacy media in the press cycle, that’s why.

The important role creators play in the entertainment ecosystem is why the Critics Choice Association’s Creator Awardsfeel so tone deaf to me. Creators don’t need another awards show for Hollywood to ignore; there are already plenty of those. They want — and deserve — validation from the entertainment giants that they’re the future of the industry. But what do I know?

Steven Bartlett’s “The Diary of a CEO” may usurp Joe Rogan as the biggest podcast 

There is a very real chance that Steven Bartlett’s “The Diary of a CEO” may become the biggest podcast by the end of the year, unseating “The Joe Rogan Experience.” That’s a big deal because Rogan has held onto that title for years. However, Bartlett’s show has grown by 2 million subscribers over the past four months and has seen strong growth. 

IShowSpeed breaks a Reels record and becomes YouTube’s biggest streamer

IShowSpeed’s behind-the-scenes clip with BTS at the World Cup broke a Reels record, accumulating over 300 million views in 24 hours. There’s also a very high chance that Speed is YouTube’s biggest streamer as he has over 59.7 million subscribers (Because YouTube doesn’t rank its creators, it’s difficult to measure these things, but Speed is certainly the biggest in America). Speed’s Reels record was then broken on Monday by an AI-generated video of a wave destroying a set, but that seems like it’s a whole other, algorithm-manipulated thing.

Platform Updates

Peacock and YouTube are bundling together

Peacock Premium will be offered to millions of YouTube Premium subscribers starting in early 2027. The streaming offering will also be available as a separate add-on subscription through YouTube Primetime Channels starting this summer. This bundle further cements the creator hub as an entertainment staple. It’s also coming as NBCUniversal prepares to be spun off from Comcast over the next 12 months.

Substack will let subscribers know whether newsletters are being written by AI

Substack partnered with the AI detection tool Pangram to let readers know whether or not newsletters were written by AI. However, some users have noted that the tool isn’t exactly accurate. As AI-generated content has continued to infiltrate all corners of social media, there’s been significant pushback to the tech, specifically from audiences.

Patreon cuts 20% of its staff, citing AI

Patreon cut 20% of its staff, or 93 employees, last Thursday. AI was listed as the reason as Patreon intends to use the technology to “flatten” the organization and refocus on its top priorities. This continues the trend of massive tech companies, like Meta, cutting middle management in the AI era. 

“AI has fundamentally transformed the tech industry,” CEO Jack Conte wrote in a memo to staff, noting that the pace of change in the industry has “never been more intense.”

@davejorgenson

Elon Musk explains why he’s not racist. Last week, Elon Musk gave an interview at his Texas Gigafactory to Zanny Minton Beddoes, The Economist’s editor-in-chief. This is a condensed version of the 84 minute interview. The answers have not been changed. Video from The Economist.

♬ original sound – Dave Jorgenson

Movers and Shakers

Dave Jorgenson’s Local News International hits over 424,000 YouTube subscribers after a year

Remember Dave Jorgenson, the former Washington Post TikToker who left to launch his own company? It’s now been a year since Jorgenson left and Local News International (LNI) has grown to 424,000 YouTube subscribers; over 820 million views across YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook; 15,000 newsletter subscribers and a Webby Award. Big congrats to the LNI team.

“SubwayTakes” is hosting a live show in Brooklyn

After scoring an Emmy nomination, Kareem Rahma is taking “SubwayTakes” to the people. The creator will host four live shows at the Brooklyn Improv in August, continuing the trend of creators hosting live events. 

“I like the idea of people coming to a ticketed event, watching ‘SubwayTakes live’ and engaging with the brand in a new way,” Rahma previously told me. “And I do like the idea of being able to have another piece of content — aka the edited live show that can then exist somewhere else where people can tune into it.” Netflix’s next acquisition, anyone?

Arizona State University will offer a content creation major 

Arizona State University is the latest college that will offer a creator program to its students. Starting this fall, the academic institution will offer a content creation major through its journalism school, following in the footsteps of Syracuse University. Speaking of Syracuse, will launch its Center for the Creator Economy this fall and offering a minor in the creator economy.

The Democratic National Committee is also investing in creators. The political organization is working with over 500 creators as part of its Influencer and Creative program.

Who to Watch

Zandland

Often when creators and journalists cover the odder corners of the internet, they do so with an unkind, almost jeering eye. That’s not the case when it comes to Ben Zand and his YouTube channel Zandland (95,700 YouTube subscribers). Zand’s documentaries are always filled with respect and compassion for their subjects, even when they come with grabbing titles like “I Met A Married Woman With An AI Boyfriend.”

“There isn’t a load of room in legacy media for stories that are simply about the human experience: too small for a commissioner, too quiet for a slate, impossible to pitch as a returnable format,” Zand wrote this week in his newsletter. “That’s the gap Zandland exists to fill. And the response suggests people want exactly that.”

Bonus Content

• What Happened When Meta Used A.I. to Ban Accounts on Facebook and Instagram (via New York Times)
• Some Kids Will Never Think AI Is Cool (via Wired)
• Is Manychat Ruining Comment Sections? (via Link in Bio)

Want more? Explore WrapPRO now.

This report provides a weekly deep dive into the creator economy. It highlights key trends, political and technological developments, data points and industry leaders all with the goal of making you smarter about this constantly evolving space.

The post Creatorverse: Creators Like MrBeast and Jacksepticeye Are Changing Charities appeared first on TheWrap.

After a year spent endlessly signing deals with creators, we finally have an idea about how creator content is doing on Netflix. Basically, if you’re an established children’s or family creator, you’re doing well on the streamer.

Ms. Rachel once again emerged as the top creator on the streamer. Eight episodes of her show accumulated a staggering 69 million views during the first half of the year. She was followed by Mark Rober’s “CrunchLabs” (36 million views across four seasons), Salish and Jordan Matter (29 million views two seasons) and Danny Go! (26 million views for one season). 

All four of these shows are collections of YouTube channels that have been repackaged for Netflix, so it’s still unclear what the audience is for original, exclusive content from digital creators on Netflix. The only original creator program to appear in Netflix’s viewership report was “Elmo and Mark Rober’s Merry Giftmas,” which scored 1.5 million views. But since it’s a seasonal special, it’s not really fair to make any major judgements from its performance. 

You know what else is unclear? How podcasts are performing on Netflix. Though Netflix has bragged about podcasting over-performing on mobile and daytime viewing, the streamer didn’t include any of its 50+ video podcasts on the six-month report. Instead, all podcasts were lumped into the “Other Shows” category whether or not they received 50,000 views or not — Netflix’s typical cut off for determining what makes it into the data dump.

Podcasting is yesterday’s news as Netflix has a new creator focus: food and cooking creators. In the last month, the streamer has licensed content from Mythical Kitchen (4.4 million YouTube subscribers), Nick DiGiovanni (43.6 million YouTube subscribers) and Wishbone Kitchen (2.3 million TikTok followers). And starting in 2027, Netflix will be creating originals with America’s Test Kitchen and Dave Chang.

“The way I look at it, this doesn’t take anything away from YouTube; in fact, it makes the pie bigger for everyone,” DiGiovanni told my colleague Tess Patton.

By now, Netflix’s creator content strategy is abundantly clear. The streamer isn’t interested in lean-in content from creators but rather lean-back content. Children’s shows, talk series and cooking programs are all cable mainstays, the type of television you play mindlessly in the background to fill the silence. Looking ahead, I would say that home improvement and DIY creators would be the next target on Netflix’s list, a category it already experimented with Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin’s “Get Organized with The Home Edit.” 

That’s great news is you’re a creator in one of these cozy, somewhat evergreen categories. But if you’re a creator more focused on scripted content, Netflix’s interest seems less clear. 

Now onto the rest.

Kayla Cobb

Senior Reporter
kayla.cobb@thewrap.com

What’s New

YouTube creators contributed over $60 billion to the U.S. GDP last year

The YouTube creator ecosystem contributed over $60 billion to the U.S. economy last year, according to a new report released by the platform and Oxford Economics. The study also revealed that every state has at least 10 YouTube channels with over 1 million monthly views. We’ll probably hear more about this during YouTube’s second quarter earnings call later today.

That’s not the only flex YouTube had this week. More than 1.7 billion unique viewers globally watched World Cup-related videos on YouTube, making FIFA World Cup 2026 the most-viewed World Cup in history. Total lifetime views for World Cup content on YouTube now surpasses 200 billion views, and FIFA’s official YouTube channel crossed 34 million global subscribers. Additionally, YouTube’s first-ever FIFA Creator Cup scored over 10 million live views globally and featured creators like IShowSpeed (59.4 million YouTube subscribers) and Celine Dept (65.4 million subscribers).

TikTok announces a global partnership with the NBA and WNBA, and boxer Amanda Serrano is coming to the platform in August

The NBA and WNBA struck a global partnership with TikTok last Thursday. As part of this new multi-year agreement, TikTok will give creators access to events, provide users with highlights and give advertisers more opportunities to collaborate with the platform and these leagues. Considering that nearly half of TikTok’s 1 billion users follow basketball, it’s a partnership that makes sense.  

Speaking of sports on TikTok, boxer Amanda Serrano will enter the ring as part of the platform’s first-ever championship boxing event on TikTok Live. The match will take place in August. That’s good timing for basketball and boxing fans in the White House since the U.S. Department of Justice announced last week that employees can, in fact, download TikTok on their government devices.

France bans social media for kids under 15

France is the latest country to jump in on the wave of social media bans for children, voting to approve the measure on Tuesday. Children 15 years and younger will no longer be allowed to use social media, and mobile phones will be banned in schools. With this measure, France is now the first country in the European Union to pass a blanket ban on social media as concerns around child safety continue.

It’s more strict than the U.K’s current proposal. The country proposed a measure for 16 and 17-year-olds that would encourage but not require teens in this age group to stay off social media from midnight to 6 a.m. I promised my mom I’d do the same thing, and look where I am now — a glorified blogger. 

Platform Updates

TikTok is testing an AI likeness detection tool for U.S. creators

TikTok has started testing a tool that will let creators know when someone is using their AI likeness without permission. Creators will be able to opt into this offering. YouTube already offers an AI likeness detection tool, but TikTok is where you really feel the need for it. It’s not uncommon for spammy accounts to steal the likenesses of popular creators or viral moments to sell junk on TikTok Shop.

Roblox drops a mobile-first creation option

Roblox, the gaming platform that encourages users to build their own games, announced the mobile option Build on Thursday. The offering will be available within the Roblox app and will give creators a suite of  AI-powered tools, meaning that Roblox creators will soon be able to build games and make money from them straight from their phones. It’s a pretty nifty tool considering how much computers cost these days. Roblox paid out more than $1.5 billion to creators last year, so it makes sense the company would want to encourage even more creation.

beehiiv rolls out new audience management and ad tools for creators

A new suite of tools for creators is coming to beehiiv, the newsletter platform that’s becoming increasingly popular with journalists. Those will include a new AI operator that will help users manage and grow their audience, an offering that will giveusers more control over what ads appear on their newsletters and a new visual editor that better reflects what readers see. The goal of all these tools is to address user pain points so that they’re less likely to leave the app or enlist third-party platforms.

Movers and Shakers

Kai Cent’s Streamer U generated more than 53 million hours watched

Streamer U, Kai Cenat’s (21.3 million Twitch subscribers) annual boot camp for creators interested in becoming livestreamers, generated more than 53 million hours watched in its second year, a 96% increase compared to last year’s numbers. The number of concurrent views peaks at 1.2 million views — up from last year’s high of 700,000 views. Looking ahead, Cenat plans to bring his bootcamp to Europe.

More than 30 creators came to Washington D.C. as part of the first Creator Advocacy Day

Creators met with leaders from YouTube, TikTok, Adobe and the National Association of Broadcasters as part of the first-ever Creator Advocacy Day in Washington D.C. The goal of the event, which was organized by Shira Lazar’s Creators 4 Mental Health, was to give creators a space to address hot-button topics like labor policies for creators, AI, healthcare, taxes and IP ownership with some of the biggest players in entertainment.

Amelia Dimoldenberg’s “Passenger Princess” returns for Season 2, and YouTube partners with parenting expert Dr. Becky 

Amelia Dimoldenberg’s (3.4 million YouTube subscribers) “Passenger Princess” returned for Season 2 on Tuesday. The YouTube series follows the “Chicken Shop Date” host as she interviews (and screams) alongside Formula 1 drivers. 

Speaking of new YouTube shows, the platform has partnered with parenting expert Dr. Becky. “Good Inside” will offer advice for parenting during the digital age, and its first two episodes are currently available.

Who to Watch

Kyle Gordon

After “The Book of Mormon,” Kyle Gordon’s (1.4 million YouTube subscribers) “Mr. Jambo” is perhaps the most scathing piece of satire about white saviors in Africa. Gordon has long been one of the funniest voices on the internet, but he’s really exceeded expectations with his latest song. If you haven’t heard it already, give it a listen. Also, Daniel Radcliffe will be narrating Gordon’s third album, which is pretty neat.

Bonus Content

• Influencers Are Being Paid to Spread the Mormon Church’s Gospel (via Bloomberg)
• A Teen Reporter Searched for His Community in the Epstein Files. Adults Freaked Out (via Wired)
• The Fake Influencers Selling Wellness on Your Feed (via New York Times)

Want more? Explore WrapPRO now.

This report provides a weekly deep dive into the creator economy. It highlights key trends, political and technological developments, data points and industry leaders all with the goal of making you smarter about this constantly evolving space.

The post Creatorverse: Netflix’s Creator Strategy Looks Like It’s Working appeared first on TheWrap.

Cannes Lions is happening next week, and you better believe I’ll be there for TheWrap. Last year, over 400 creators flooded the beaches of France during the global advertising festival. And this year is supposed to be even bigger. Around 500 YouTube creators are expected to attend.

The Cannes creator takeover is one of the biggest examples of how the creator economy is changing entertainment. Previously, celebrities would appear at Cannes Lions as brand ambassadors. Now it’s more of a mutually beneficial relationship for entrepreneurial creators. Brands get to showcase these celebrities with massive followings to prove their cultural impact, while creators get to directly appeal to the CEOs and marketing heads of massive corporations. As one creator with millions of followers told me, it’s a must-attend event for creators, who get to be a small, coveted fish in a massive marketing pond.

Several big name creators are already confirmed to attend this year, including Unwell founder and “Call Her Daddy” host Alex Cooper (which averages 10 million listeners per episode), Dhar Mann (27 million YouTube subscribers), “The Broski Report” and “Royal Court” host Brittany Broski (1.2 million YouTube subscribers), celebrity chef Nick DiGiovanni (41 million subscribers), Adam W (21 million subscribers), Haley Kalil (17 million TikTok followers) and “Diary of a CEO” Steven Bartlett (17.5 million YouTube subscribers). Tubefilter, Comscore, Whalar Group and Gospel Stats also compiled what they’ve dubbed The Creator List to help Cannes attendees sort through the talent this year.

I’ll also be moderating two panels at Cannes this year.

On Monday, I’ll be moderating “The Edit Never Changes: Building a Brand That Outlasts the Algorithm,” a discussion between home organizational company The Home Edit founders Joanna Teplin and Clea Shearer as well as DoorDash’s Executive Creative Director Kirsten Rutherford about how to build sustainable brands in a constantly changing environment. That will take place at 3:25 p.m. on UTA Beach. 

Then on Tuesday, I’ll be talking to Kudzi Chikumbu, vice president of creator partnerships at Tubi, Dawn Yang, global head of entertainment partnerships at TikTok, and Alex Maystrik and Pablo Hernandez, the creators behind the channel Durafest2 (785,000 TikTok followers) about how creators are turning fandoms into franchises. “Tubi x TikTok: From For You Feed to Big Screen” will take place at 3:30 p.m. at the Tubi Cabana. 

When I’m not on stage, I’ll be covering the festival on the ground. Feel free to come say hi!

And I’m not the only Wrap reporter who will be out and about. My colleague Tess Patton will also be covering VidCon in Anaheim next week. 

Now onto the rest.

Kayla Cobb

Senior Reporter
kayla.cobb@thewrap.com

What’s New

Unwell isn’t doing super well

A lot of news on the Alex Cooper front this week. Let’s start with the positives: Cooper’s media company Unwell launched a bi-weekly newsletter on Substack called Unsaid, which will feature contributors like influencer Isabel Timerman. Cooper is also executive producing a series based on Hannah Grace’s best-selling novel “Icebreaker” for Netflix.

But the real reason Cooper is getting attention is because of a Vanity Fair expose that accuses Unwell of fostering a toxic workplace culture and allowing inappropriate behavior. Vanity Fair spoke to 40 sources for the article, 30 of whom are either current or former Unwell employees, and Cooper’s husband Matt Kaplan comes up a lot. Specifically, employees call his leadership style “volatile” and “caustic,” which is pretty sharply at odds with Unwell’s whole uplifting women vibe. 

The U.S. is requiring international World Cup creators to get a work visa

International creators coming to the U.S. to cover the World Cup have to obtain a work visa. Without a visa, creators will not be legally able to monetize their content on social media, according to a statement released by Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Homeland Security. Visa requirements for creators is nothing new, but this may impact FIFA’s broadcasting strategy, which has agreements with TikTok and YouTube creators. Unlike other sporting events, the World Cup is really depending on creators for its distribution strategy. For example, the only way for viewers in Brazil to watch every game is through creator livestreams, as Scalable found. Consider this a global test ahead of the LA Summer Olympics in 2028.

Britain is banning users under the age of 16 from TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat

Britain is following in Australia’s footsteps as the latest country to ban underage users from social media platforms. By next spring, UK users under the age of 16 will no longer be able to access social media apps like Snapchat, TikTok or YouTube, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday.

It all comes down to child safety concerns. People pushing for age bans on social media argue these platforms are designed to be addictive to children and that they allow for online grooming. On the other side, people arguing that social media can give children access to vital resources and safe communities, especially LGBT+ kids. It’s all very confusing, and no one can agree on how to solve this problem.

Platform Updates

Half a billion people are using Threads every month

After three years, the Meta-owned Threads has over 500 million monthly active users. Threads has been quietly become a social media force. Last September, Threads beat X in terms of daily active users, and it’s held onto that lead. In April, Threads saw 136 million daily average users compared to X’s 127 million average, according to Similarweb data. To celebrate the milestone, Threads unveiled Your Algo, an algorithm customization option that lets users privately control what conversations they see in their feeds. 

Substack expands its creator tools, and Reddit adds video commenting

Substack launched Creator Kits on Tuesday, a way to build shareable media kits to attract brand partners through Substack’s native sponsorships program. Eligible publishers will be able to turn on their Creator Kit to show that they’re interested in working with brands. If there’s a possible match, the Substack team will reach out. It’s a move that continues the trend of platforms making it easier for creators to partner with brands. 

Speaking of trends, Reddit is upping its video game. Commentators will be able to respond to posts via video. Response videos are big business on YouTube and TikTok, and now the people’s platform is getting in on the action.

Three-fourths of creators say creative AI is part of how they work

Roughly 75% of creators say that creative AI is either integral or essential to how they work. That stat is from Adobe’s Creators’ Toolkit Report, which surveyed more than 16,000 creators about how they use and think about AI. Though creators are largely using AI in their workflow, most creators (57%) say that AI content requires moderate to extensive editing and nearly all (85%) believe the final decision about how to incorporate AI should remain with the creator.

Notable Cannes Lions Events

Adobe at Lions Creator Beach

This year, Adobe is the first headline partner of Lions Creators. To celebrate their place on Creator Beach, the company is rolling out a content studio, a podcast studio and programming that will include Steven Bartlett and David Wadhwani, president of creativity and productivity at Adobe. Adobe’s events will take place Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

UTA Creators Dinner

UTA is also investing heavily in Cannes Lions this year. In addition to setting up the inaugural UTA Beach, it will host a dedicated lounge for creators and UTA and DBA will bring over 70 creators to the event. Then on Wednesday, UTA Creators and Claude will host an exclusive dinner, which will include Keith Lee, Katie Fang (6.6 million TikTok followers) and The Home Edit’s Joanna Teplin and Clea Shearer.

YouTube Creator Club

YouTube has always been one of the creator kings of Cannes. But this year, the platform is mixing up its approach. Rather than brands inviting creators to come to events, YouTube is launching the Creator Club, a dedicated hub for creators to connect and become brand-deal ready. Now, brands will be coming to creators rather than the other way around, further cementing the fact that creators are essential and equal creative partners for the industry’s biggest brands.

YouTube expects over 200 creators will attend throughout the week, which will include panels about building long-term brand partnerships and how to make the most of AI creation tools. It’s hard to pick out a “top” event for YouTube. But if you’re interested in creators, their beach is a must stop.

Movers and Shakers

MrBeast surpassed 500 million YouTube subscribers

Jimmy Donaldson, aka MrBeast, broke another YouTube record on Monday, surpassing 500 million subscriberson the platform (he’s now at 502 million subscribers). Donaldson livestreamed the moment on his channel and took a second to thank his fans, encourage them to create and pledge to make his content even better. 

“I feel like the best YouTube videos are still coming, like my greatest works, my top stuff, it hasn’t come out yet. I feel like I’ve got at least another 20 to 30 years in the tank of making YouTube videos,” Donaldson said on the stream. True to MrBeast form, the team then surprise dropped a new special to celebrate the achievement.

Kevin Cate’s “Open Door” will be adapted into a movie, and Disney+ acquires the streaming rights to “Gracie’s Corner”

In the wake of “Obsession” and “Backrooms” still dominating the box office, Kevin Cate’s short “Open Door” is getting a feature length adaptation in a six-figure development deal. Cate, who is a former Obama spokesperson, is more of a filmmaker who posted on YouTube than a creator. But since this movie is happening because “Open Door” saw nearly 15 million views across social media, it kind of counts.

But you know who are creators? The Hollingsworth family. Disney+ acquired the streaming rights to their children’s YouTube channel, “Gracie’s Corner” (6.3 million subscribers). As part of this deal, Disney plans to debut 120 shorts and 18 video compilations from the show on its platform.

Kai Cenat’s Streamer University and Amelia Dimoldenberg’s Dimz Inc. Academy are coming back

Two major creator-led incubatory programs are coming back this summer. Kai Cenat’s Streamer University is accepting both online and in-person submissions for the summer. Last year, Streamer University brought 120 creator students and 18 professors to the University of Akron as part of a four-day crash course. 

Also, Amelia Dimoldenberg’s Dimz Inc. Academy is coming back. The program is open to London-based young adults between 18 and 24 years old and consists of a four-week free program. It will also offer paid work placements.

@chat_n_chops In this episode, we learn how to thicken sauces naturally deglaze pans, use emulsification and other culinary techniques to make a perfect dish for under five dollars. It’s filling it stretches a long way and your family will love it. Use it as a blueprint. Add what you want. Take away what you don’t. #chefmoe #cooking101 #budget #foodie #homecooking ♬ original sound – Chef Moe

Who to Watch

Chef Moe

There are a lot of food creators out there, but few truly deliver on the promise of their recipes like Chef Moe (1.7 million TikTok followers) does. Repeatedly, he’s promised to teach people how to make a family meal for under $5, and he does exactly that. What’s great about Chef Moe is that he never assumes his followers have kitchen staples that can quickly add up like butter, olive oil or specialty spices. The only things he assumes people have are the food they purchased, salt, pepper and basic cooking equipment. Especially with grocery prices on the rise, it’s a wholesome channel that offers practical ways for people to eat flavorful food without breaking the bank. 

Bonus Content

• Why YouTube Isn’t Afraid of Creators Leaving in the Wake of ‘Obsession’ and ‘Backrooms’ Box Office Sweep (via TheWrap)
• They Tried to Catch a Predator. They Trapped Themselves Instead (via New York Times)
• How Roku Will Supercharge Fox’s Streaming and Advertising Businesses | Analysis (via TheWrap)

Want more? Explore WrapPRO now.

This report provides a weekly deep dive into the creator economy. It highlights key trends, political and technological developments, data points and industry leaders all with the goal of making you smarter about this constantly evolving space.

The post Creatorverse: Prepare for Another Creator Takeover at Cannes Lions appeared first on TheWrap.

In 2024, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan made his first plea for the Emmys to consider creators. Back then, that call to action seemed ambitious. Now locking creators out of TV’s biggest awards doesn’t just seem shortsighted; it would be tone deaf.

YouTube has been actively campaigning for six creator-led shows — all of which have premiered new episodes on the platform throughout 2025 and 2026 — to be considered for an Emmy nomination this year:

• Sean Evans’ “Hot Ones” for Outstanding Variety
• Michelle Khare’s “Challenge Accepted” for Hosted Nonfiction
• Brittany Broski’s “Royal Court” for Hosted Nonfiction
• Cleo Abram’s “HUGE* If Tre” for Hosted Nonfiction
• Kareem Rahma’s “Subway Takes” for Shortform Comedy
• Julian Shapiro-Barnum’s “Celebrity Substitute” for Shortform Nonfiction

And it’s not just members of YouTube’s curated list who are making this push. Dropout, the comedy channel with a devoted fan following, is campaigning for recognition in 11 categories, including “Very Important People” for Outstanding Variety Series and “Game Changer” for Outstanding Game Show. The host of “VIP,” Vic Michaelis (they/them), is also being submitted in the Lead Comedy Actress category. 

For the past three years, YouTube’s content has been more widely watched than anything else on television, according to Nielsen metrics. This week, in fact, the UK-based media analytics company Digital i agency found that average daily viewership on YouTube jumped from 87.2 minutes in 2024 to 99.1 minutes in 2025. The same metric for Netflix dropped from 100.5 minutes to 93.4 minutes.

The audience is undoubtedly there. But for many in Hollywood, there’s a perception that the quality of creator-made content is still stuck in its 2010s Buzzfeed era when it’s evolved to be so much more than that. Khare’s “Challenge Accepted,” for example, released one of the most heartwarming and thrilling deep dives into human perseverance this year with her “I Ran 7 Marathons in 7 Days on 7 Continents” series. Abram’s “HUGE* If True” explored the depths of Antarctica last month and interviewed Sam Altman late last year. 

Speaking of interviews, Kareem Rahma, Sean Evans, Brittany Broski and Julian Shapiro-Barnum have all pushed the limits of the talk show format in their own ways. Rahma’s embrace of random New Yorkers and Shapiro-Barnum’s kid-focused episodes have added a much-needed dose of humanity and delightful unpredictability to a format that’s felt cut and paste for years. As for Evans and Broski, both use silliness — either through hot wings or elaborate costumes and games — to disarm celebrity guests and produce richer, more entertaining interviews. 

“If you look at the shows that are in consideration at the moment, they are humongous teams — tons of money, professional equipment, pre production, post production, regular production. We’re making independent television,” Rahma told my colleague Tess Patton during a YouTube FYC event last week. “Just because it’s not on a traditional network or streamer doesn’t mean that we should not be considered.”

“It’s a really important moment for creative work. The quality of work being made on YouTube is so insanely high it feels important to me that people are aware of that,” Abram told me. “Too often we have a conversation about TV and YouTube without understanding that YouTube is already TV, and some of the highest quality shows are already on YouTube.”

We’ll see if Emmy voters agree.

Now onto the rest.

Kayla Cobb

Senior Reporter
kayla.cobb@thewrap.com

What’s New

Glitch’s “The Amazing Digital Circus” finale grosses $20.2 million at the box office

Creator domination at the box office continues this week with the finale of “The Amazing Digital Circus,” a cult hit from Glitch. Limited event screenings for the ending of Gooseworx’s series netted $20.2 million. Because “The Amazing Digital Circus” is a one-time event, it can’t have the widespread reach of “Obsession” or “Backrooms,” which have so far earned $224 million and $212 million at the box office, respectively. But $20 million is nothing to laugh at, and if it helps Glitch make more indie animation, more power to them. 

There is another creator who’s going to the movies. PrestonPlayz is releasing his movie “100 Hours Stranded” in select theaters. This one definitely looks more like a fans-only affair, but it does continue the creators-in-theaters trend.

TikTok and Sundance  are hosting a microseries writing workshop for creators

TikTok and Sundance are teaming up to make a microseries writing program designed for creators. The four-week online course will focus on scriptwriting for microseres and offer guidance to develop serialized, story-driven shortform shows. 

Quick clarifying note: Microdramas are microseries now. This is the new rebrand many are pushing, including yours truly. Basically, the term “microseries” better encapsulates the variety of genres that are emerging in this medium and puts some distance between higher quality shortform series and cheaper, pay-per-episode options.

Meta gives Facebook creators AI assistants and Instagram creators serialization options

Meta announced several platform changes this past week. On Facebook, creators will now have an AI assistant that’s designed to help them better understand their audience, engagement trends and performance. This is a bit similar to YouTube’s Ask Studio option for its creators. The offering will first roll out to creators in the U.S., Canada and India, and AI translations will be expanded to include Arabic, French and Vietnamese.

Meta is experimenting with a new Reels option that will let creators serialize their shortform videos. That means shortform series on Reels will be able to play episodes right after the other like on TV. TikTok has a similar feature.

By the Numbers

Creator content accounts for 44% of paid media creative

Nearly half (44%) of creator content accounted for paid media creative, according to a new report from CreatorIQ. The report also found that two-thirds of increases in influencer marketing budgets came directly from paid media budgets. In layman’s terms? Brands and companies are still investing heavily in creators.

Live streaming saw a 6% uptick in content in the first part of 2026

During the first quarter of the year, the total number of hours livestreamed increased by 6.2% compared to 2025, according to a new report from Streamlabs. That’s not all the report found. Just Chatting — a livestreaming option dedicated to lifestyle content rather than gaming or any particular niche — accounted for 668 million hours in the first quarter. Twitch remained the biggest livestreaming platform in terms of total hours watched and was followed by YouTube Gaming and Kick, the fastest growing livestreaming platform. 

For the uninitiated, Kick has more lax standards than other platforms, so it’s not unusual for controversial creators like Clavicular to be booted from YouTube and find their new home on Kick. It’s like the X to Truth Social pipeline but for streamers.

Google will let creators with 100,000 followers or more customize how they show up in search

Creators are getting a major digital upgrade from Google. Now creators with 100,000 followers or more will be able to customize how they show up in Google search results. When someone searches a creator’s name, a visual snapshot of that creator will appear at the top of Google, and they will be able to pin their favorite posts and link their social media accounts. Google offers a similar visual overlay for traditional celebrities.

Movers and Shakers

Nick DiGiovanni premieres his cooking competition show “100 Cooks” on Food Network

Celebrity chef Nick DiGiovanni debuted his cooking competition show “100 Cooks” on Food Network Monday. The series follows 100 randomly selected home chefs who compete against each other for a $100,000 prize. DiGiovanni and Alex Guarnaschelli judge the show, which is  hosted by Terry Crews.

Speaking of the intersection between traditional TV and this new era, sports media company Overtime has partnered with Fox One on a new shortform competition series. “Race to Glory” will follow two teams of shortform creators that will compete against each other. Rakai, Sketch, Rose Ruland and Tylil are just a few of the creators who will be part of this series. 

Accenture Song acquires the creator and social agency Whalar

Accenture Song, the consulting company’s tech-powered marketing division, will be acquiring the creator and social agency Whalar from Whalar Group. The plan is for Accenture to use this acquisition to expand its reach in the creator economy and the influencer marketing arena. Whalar’s co-CEOs Emma Harman and Jo Cronk will continue in their roles and join Accenture Song through the acquisition as will Whalar’s team of over 170 employees. Whalar Group will still operate independently and manage Sixteenth, Foam, Moby Ventures, The Lighthouse and The Business of Creativity.

This is the latest strategic acquisition from Accenture after the company acquired Superdigital in 2025 and Unlimited in 2024.

“Rotten Mango” and “What Now? With Trevor Noah” are releasing episodes on Tubi

Several podcasts, including “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend,” “Rotten Mango,” “The School of Greatness,” “What Now? with Trevor Noah,” “Moral of the Story” and “The Deep 3 Podcast,” will be coming to Tubi as part of a collaboration with SiriusXM. The deal isn’t exclusive, meaning that these shows will still be available on YouTube as well as on other podcasting platforms.

@1minutetalkshow EP 27: “I was hired on Craigslist to pants someone’s friend but he was just hiring me to pants himself.” guest @depthsofwikipedia host/creator @aiden.wall host @sean.w.kane bandleader @morriscorncorn producer/videography @behappyforonce #1minutetalkshow #storytime #truestory #story #storytelling ♬ original sound – The 1 Minute Talk Show

Who to Watch

“The 1 Minute Talk Show”

If your favorite part of “Subway Takes” is when a random New Yorker has a wild opinion, then you’re going to love “The 1 Minute Talk Show” (1.3 million TikTok followers). The titular talk show is a desk and an armchair set up in an NYC park as the show’s two hosts, Aiden Wall and Sean Kane, and band leader MorrisCornCorn scream at and run down random passerbys for their weirdest stories. There’s a mania to this show that’s akin to something Eric Andre would produce. It’s a silly shot of adrenaline, and sometimes that’s really all that you need.

Bonus Content

• Andrew Tate’s Empire of Abuse (via New Yorker)
• Amazon Is Making an AI-Animated Good Advice Cupcake TV Show. Its Original Creator Is Furious (via Wired)
• ‘Unbelievable How Accurate’: How Paid Influencers Hype Polymarket’s Odds (via Politico)

Want more? Explore WrapPRO now.

This report provides a weekly deep dive into the creator economy. It highlights key trends, political and technological developments, data points and industry leaders all with the goal of making you smarter about this constantly evolving space.

The post Creatorverse: Here Are the YouTubers Pushing for an Emmy This Year appeared first on TheWrap.

Hollywood is a predictable industry. When something is successful, everyone in the biz piles on. Right now that means creators are getting more industry interest than ever before. Max Reisinger, the CEO of the creator-led production company Creator Camp, told me that this week has been the busiest in the history of the company. 

“All the bigger studios came back to us this week. We just had a meeting with Blumhouse. They were obviously involved in both of those films and want to find more creators,” Reisinger said. Creator Camp released its first feature, “Two Sleepy People,” earlier this year, an independent film that was made entirely outside of the Hollywood ecosystem and has made back more than four times its budget.

But from the conversations I’m hearing, a lot of people are already starting to take away the wrong lessons from this creator-led one-two punch. Anyone in the middle of this mad rush needs to remember: 

• Not every creator has a guaranteed hit movie
• Most creators don’t need Hollywood

Not to be a Debbie Downer, but for every “Obsession,” “Backrooms” and “Iron Lung,” there’s been a creator-led theatrical flop. “Ryan’s World the Movie: Titan Universe Adventure” and “Dude Perfect: The Hero Tour” bombed, and Chris Stuckmann’s much-hyped “Shelby Oaks” and Kris Collins’ “House of Eden” underperformed. Part of why those films flopped has to do with independent films figuring out the complex theatrical landscape, part of it has to do with what does and doesn’t translate to a big screen. It’s no coincidence that Barker and Parsons — two directors with distinct styles — are steering this vibe shift.

But the major point people in Hollywood seem to be missing is that, for many creators, having a theatrical movie is a nice dream, not the end-all be-all of their careers.

I’ve heard a lot of dismissive remarks around Parsons saying he will continue to create on YouTube. That reaction misses the fact that the creator era is different than any other “future of film” trend. These creators have already independently built an audience and made a career from their art on their social media feed. Not only do they have financial and creative independence, but they’re also used to having full ownership of their work. 

You can see that mindset in how both Barker and Parsons have approached their projects.Barker intentionally wrote “Obsession” so that it could be made on a cheap budget. The backup plan was if producer James Harris passed on the script, he could make it himself like he did with his first movie, “Milk & Serial,” which was made for $800. As for Parsons, he’s been making videos about the backrooms for four years now. If that leads to several movies and a TV show, great. But Parsons has been clear that no matter what happens, he’s still going to be exploring this unsettling world. 

Simply put, partnering with Hollywood isn’t a need for creators. It’s a want. That means anyone on the hunt for the next big creator sensation needs to be prepared for a partnership instead of a creative voice to shoehorn into the latest exec-approved project. 

Now onto the rest.

Kayla Cobb

Senior Reporter
kayla.cobb@thewrap.com

What’s New

Fox Creator Studios partners with Tom Segura

Fox has found its first celebrity collaborator for its creator studio. Comedian Tom Segura and his company, YMH Studios, will develop, finance and produce a slate of originals alongside Fox Creator Studios. These projects will be released through YMH Studios’ direct-to-consumer platforms. The slate includes a standup comedy showcase, a horror comedy animated series and a live-action comedy set in an airport bar. Segura has long supported up-and-coming comedic talent through the podcasting division of YMH Studios, and Fox has always had a strong comedy footprint. Pretty good fit. 

“Celebrity Substitute” is adding KATSEYE, Tom Holland and Millie Bobby Brown to its guest list

Season 3 of “Celebrity Substitute,” Julian Shapiro-Barnum’s show that follows different celebrities surprising students with classroom takeover, is going to be packed. Guest stars include KATSEYE, Tom Holland, SZA, Millie Bobby Brown, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, Maluma, Quinta Brunson, Alex Warren, Ziwe, Idris Elba, Latto and Charlie Puth. The show, which YouTube is campaigning for an Emmy nomination, returned yesterday, weeks ahead of Shapiro-Barnum’s late night show.

Roblox is connecting brands to its creators

Roblox is the latest platform to create a system that better connects its creators to brands. Brand Link will pair brands with a vetted directory of creator partners. YouTube and TikTok have similar offerings. It’s all part of Roblox’s plan to pay creators more. Last year, the company paid its creators over $1.5 billion through its DevEx program.

Podcasts Galore

YouTube Premium users have watched more than 800 million hours of podcasts

Last month, YouTube Premium users watched more than 800 million hours of podcasts. Compared to the 1 billion people who watch podcasts on YouTube each month, YouTube Music and Premium subscribers are super-users. That’s why the platform introduced three new options for those users: an on-the-go mode, an auto speed option that automatically adjusts playback speed based on relevant moments (like information-dense segments) and a podcast finding option added to Ask Music. 

The most ad-supported listening time comes from podcasts and radio

Over 80% of consumers’ ad-supported audio time came from radio and podcasts, according to a first quarter audio trends report from Nielsen and Edison Research. When it came to listeners between the ages of 18 and 34, 45% of their ad-supported listening time came from radio, and 30% came from podcasts. Those numbers jumped to 68% spent on the radio and 16% on podcasts when it came to adults aged 35 years and older. 

Accurate podcast measurement remains a big problem in the industry. That’s why the Alliance for Measurement in Podcasting (AMP) was formed, a task force designed to address this headache with members from Spotify, UTA, SiriusXM, DraftKings, Libsyn and more. The organization plans to release a more unified measuring system later this year.

Spotify is letting listeners clip and share podcasts from within the platform

Spotify listeners will now be able to more easily clip and share segments from their favorite podcasts without leaving the platform. Clipping has become especially popular among podcasters and podcast fans, so this new feature seems like a no brainer.

Movers and Shakers

UTA signs Steven Rinella, creator and founder of MeatEater

UTA has signed Steven Rinella (1.4 million Instagram followers), the outdoor-focused creator who is the founder of the media company MeatEater. The agency will represent Rinella and MeatEater across digital video and audio, including The MeatEater Podcast, and will seek new opportunities connected to brand partnerships, TV and live touring.

Smith&Saint signs Charlie Scott, Kristin Johns, Lauren Vanessa and Stefana Avara

UTA isn’t the only one with some notable signings. Smith&Saint has signed “Dance Moms” alum Kalani Goodman alongside creators Charlie Scott (295,000 Instagram followers), Kristin Johns (629,000 followers), Lauren Vanessa (442,000 followers) and Stefana Avara (207,000 followers).

Glitch Productions is opening a gaming division

Glitch Productions, the creator-focused animation company behind “The Amazing Digital Circus,” will be opening a gaming division. The company announced the news through a LinkedIn post. 

Speaking of new moves, Lyrical Lemonade TV will be releasing a slate of more than six original shows in the coming months. First up are the late night-style show “New York Nights” hosted by Father Steve; Sara K’s interview show “Call It a Day;” and the comedic educational series “Chloe Explains” hosted by Chloe Forero.

@parishilton PART 1: The most dangerous man on the internet could be hiding in plain sight. I’m teaming up with journalist @Laurie Segall to expose the disturbing reality of AI-generated deepfakes and why urgent change is needed now more than ever. 1 in 8 teens report knowing someone targeted by deepfake p*rn. This issue is growing fast… and it could happen to anyone. 14-part series streaming TOMORROW MAY 27th on my TikTok channel #Deepfake #OnlineSafety #DefianceAct #AI #ParisHilton @RAINN ♬ original sound – ParisHilton

Who to Watch

“Searching for Mr. Deepfakes”

Paris Hilton — yes, that Paris Hilton — has released a 14-part microseries (or microdrama) about deepfake abuse on TikTok, and it’s haunting. The celebrity teamed up with tech journalist Laurie Segall to create “Searching for Mr. Deepfakes,” an investigative series about exposing the realities of AI-generated deepfakes, specifically around the AI-generated adult content site Mr. Deepfakes. The series from Hilton’s 11:11 Media is an excellent example of how to create engaging, topical and necessary journalism in the digital age.

Bonus Content

• Why Gen Z Is Turning to Christian Influencers (via The Nation)
• TikTok’s New Music Strategy Has Record Labels Scared of Being Left Behind (via Bloomberg)
• How YouTube’s First Late Night Show Is Both an Ode to and an Evolution of the Medium (via TheWrap)

Want more? Explore WrapPRO now.

This report provides a weekly deep dive into the creator economy. It highlights key trends, political and technological developments, data points and industry leaders all with the goal of making you smarter about this constantly evolving space.

The post Creatorverse: Hollywood Is Taking the Wrong Lessons From ‘Obsession’ and ‘Backrooms’ appeared first on TheWrap.

It’s a bittersweet time to be a late night comedy fan. As Stephen Colbert leaves the space, two creators — Ben Glieb and Julian Shapiro-Barnum — are attempting to become the new late night hosts of the internet age.

Last week, “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” came to an end with its highest-rated episode ever and in the middle of an overall ratings boom for the genre. Late night ratings for the first quarter of 2026 were 20% higher than they were last year, according to Nielsen. But that boost, which was driven by widespread audience support for both Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel, doesn’t change the fact that linear ratings and ad spend for late night have decreased overall. And when ad dollars leave late night, they’re now more likely to go to YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, according to data insights company Guideline.

So it’s weirdly fitting that a week after Colbert’s finale, Gleib is launching his own late night show on YouTube. “Good Night” stars the comedian and is showrun by former “Daily Show” producer Stewart Bailey. The series will have all the staples of a “traditional” late night show — a monologue, a house band, guests — but it will also let viewers digitally interact with with the show before episodes are posted on YouTube.

That will be followed a few weeks later by Julian Shapiro-Barnum’s “Outside Tonight,” which launches on YouTube June 17. Shapiro-Barnum told me that creators have been especially great at perfecting the individual elements you’d find on late night shows — guest interviews, man-on-the-street interviews and pretaped segments. The new show from the host of “Recess Therapy” and “Celebrity Substitute” will bring together these elements from other creators in one show. It’s a curated collection of creators from Shapiro-Barnum and his team presented to audiences every week.

It’s not surprising that Glieb and Shapiro-Barnum would be embarking on this journey. Creators have already been taking over the cultural space late night used to dominate. Alex Cooper’s “Call Her Daddy,” for example, has a monthly YouTube average that’s greater than “The Tonight Show” and that rivals “Late Night with Seth Meyers.” A huge reason for that cultural upset has to do with how flexible creators are able to be compared to their traditional TV counterparts. 

“Every day I get to wake up and decide what the next episode needs to be. Not what a network wants. Not filling a time slot. What actually matters now,” Alex Cooper, CEO and founder of Unwell, told me. “The second you lock the format in, you’ve already started losing.” Check out our full deep dive on how creators have been changing the late night landscape.

Now onto the rest.

Kayla Cobb

Senior Reporter
kayla.cobb@thewrap.com

What’s New

Video episodes of Jay Shetty’s “On Purpose” are coming to Spotify and Netflix as part of a multiyear deal

Spotify and Netflix will soon be the home to video episodes of Jay Shetty’s “On Purpose,” the creator’s wellness podcast that centers on mental health. “On Purpose,” which was Spotify’s ninth most listened to podcast globally in 2025, will be available on the two services starting July 13 as part of the multiyear deal. 

That’s not the only podcasting change Netflix has up its sleeve. Charlamagne Tha God, DJ Envy and Jess Hilarious’“The Breakfast Club” will soon be livestreamed on Netflix every weekday starting on June 1. It’s the latest example of Netflix leaning on podcasters to fill the roles traditionally occupied by daytime and late night hosts.

TikTok and Universal Music Group extend their partnership

TikTok and Universal Music Group, the label behind artists like Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter, have entered into a multiyear licensing agreement. The new deal is an extension of the 2024 agreement between the two companies, which gave TikTok’s global community access to UMG’s recorded music and publishing catalogs. This new agreement expands the TikTok marketing and advertising campaigns for UMG’s artists and songwriters and gives artists more access to the platform’s tools. Both companies also stated they will work to remove unauthorized AI-generated music from TikTok.

Creator-led media company Spy Ninjas Entertainment announce a $25 million investment 

Spy Ninjas Entertainment, the company from YouTubers Chad Wild Clay and Vy Qwaint, announced on Tuesday a $25 million investment. This money will be used to expand and scale the YouTube channel, which currently has over 47 million subscribers across all the creators’ various channels. To do that, Clay and Qwaint plan to hire 50 employees this year and increase production. Former Jubilee Media executive Shelly Soriano was hired last summer to serve as the President of Spy Ninja Studios.

The AI Revolution

YouTube and LinkedIn crack down on AI

Both YouTube and AI are cracking down on AI-generated posts. YouTube will start to automatically label both longform and shortform videos that use a significant amount of AI. 

As for LinkedIn, the professional development social media site plans to target and remove low-quality AI posts from the platform, so sorry to all the long-winded, low-effort corporate gurus out there. To be clear, neither company is completely eliminating AI from its platform, especially not YouTube. Google has invested too much in Gemini to do that. But the days of AI slop may be numbered. 

CapCut editing tools are coming to the Google Gemini app

CapCut users are getting a makeover. The editing software from ByteDance will soon be integrated into the Google Gemini app, meaning that users will be able to edit AI-generated videos and images using CapCut directly in the Gemini app. CapCut remains one of the most popular free mobile video editing tools around with over 730 million monthly active users, so this partnership is a big deal.

Spotify will start rolling out AI-generated personalized podcasts

Spotify will start rolling out Personal Podcasts, an option that lets listeners use AI to generate and schedule short, private audio episodes tailored to their interests and habits. These will appear directly in users’ Spotify feeds, and the beta mode will soon launch in the U.S. As part of its investor day, Spotify also announced memberships, a new way for on-platform creators to offer subscriptions to their fans.

Movers and Shakers

Donut Media brings “HiLow” to Tubi

Donut Media, the automotive digital content brand, brought its “HiLow” YouTube series to Tubi. The six-episode new season titled “HiLow: $5K Civic vs. $50K Civic” will be available to watch on to the Fox-owned streamer. This continues Tubi’s ongoing investment in creator-led content. 

Webtoon series “unOrdinary” celebrates its 10-year anniversary with over 1.76 billion global views

Superhero Webtoon series “unOrdinary” celebrated 10 years of serialization on Sunday. Over that decade, Chelsey Han’s comic has secured over 1.76 billion global views. The rising popularity of web comics is one of the most interesting and under-covered stories happening right now. Warner Bros. Animation has partnered with Webtoon to adapt several creator-made comics with loyal fan bases into TV shows, and  Lion Forge Entertainment is working with the production division of the company to turn the zombie horror-comedy “ShootAround” into a live-action young adult movie.

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani is a Twitch streamer now

On the more political side of the creator ecosystem, New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani launched a chat show on Twitch called “Talk with the People.” Mamdani plans to use the channel to do exactly what its title says — talk to and answer questions from regular New Yorkers. Mamdani’s aggressive social media focus and accessibility helped lead to his election last fall.

@orderofthevoid today Asha Ward steps into the void (voice of the void: @Longfellow ♬ original sound – the void

Who to Watch

The Void

Cutting Michael Longfellow (214,000 TikTok followers) — a deeply sarcastic comedian with a style reminiscent of the late Norm Macdonald — was one of the biggest mistakes “Saturday Night Live” has made in years. But the silver lining is that Longfellow is alive and well on TikTok. Created in partnership with Longfellow and Carlo Malis, aka The Sun King (4.7 million followers), each episode of “The Void” (11,900 TikTok followers) spotlights a different guest as they’re dropped into the void and confronted by either Longfellow or Malis as a massive floating head. Each time, they’re asked to reveal something they’ve never told anyone before. And every time that ominous framing breaks down within seconds, devolving into a chat about everything from hating on PDA in movie theaters to cheating on the ACTs and still failing. It’s silly fun wrapped up in existential terror.

Bonus Content

• YouTube Is Crawling with Pirated Audiobooks Made Using A.I. (via The New York Times)
• Is Everyone Using AI Better Than Me? (via GQ)
• Political Money Is Flowing to Influencers. But From Whom? (via The New York Times)

Want more? Explore WrapPRO now.

This report provides a weekly deep dive into the creator economy. It highlights key trends, political and technological developments, data points and industry leaders all with the goal of making you smarter about this constantly evolving space.

The post Creatorverse: Late Night Is Evolving Into Its Creator Era appeared first on TheWrap.