Each week, we handpick a selection of stories to give you a snapshot of trends, updates, business moves, and more from around the creator industry. This week, a streaming icon revealed her earnings (again), a popular doctor took on the federal government, and a vlogging legend offered some advice to graduates.
The biz
Amouranth claims to have made $38 million during her two-year run on Kick. The cosplaying streamer seemed to reveal her earnings via a pithy post on X. Now that her exclusive deal with Kick is up, she’s going to start streaming on Twitch again — though her earnings will keep coming from all over the place.
Preston is inking a deal with Bonkers Toys. The gamer known for his family-friendly Minecraft content is the latest creator to get his own toy line. After turning Skibidi Toilet into a retail favorite, Bonkers Toys is looking to cash in on another channel that regularly ranks among the most-watched and most-subscribed YouTube hubs in the world. The Preston toys are due out in 2026.
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Fanfix’s creator payouts top $170 million. By encouraging fans to deliver direct monetary support to their favorite creators, Fanfix is upending the influencer marketing industry. Now it’s crossing yet another round-number payout milestone.
Creator commotion
Casey Neistat added “high school commencement speaker” to his extensive resumé. The former high school dropout told graduating seniors at Nantucket High School that they should “seek knowledge” wherever they can. “Appreciate that no one knows anything,” he later added. “And it’s up you. No pressure. Good luck.”
Hololive is going back to Dodger Stadium. The last time a VTuber sang ‘Take Me Out to the Ballgame’ at a Los Angeles Dodgers game, she ended up splitting from hololive months later. Now that the Japanese company is bringing “hololive night” back to California, I’m crossing my fingers that the “Curse of Gawr Gura” doesn’t become the next “Curse of the Bambino.”
Politics as usual
Doctor Mike is not an RFK Jr. fan. The TikTok-famous doctor believes the current head of Health and Human Services is “the wrong person” to lead the department. Despite his criticism of RFK Jr.’s Make American Healthy Again campaign, he said he would “without a doubt” be willing to have a sit down with Trump’s health czar.
Senate Democrats are starting to complain about the president’s TikTok reprieves. After Trump ordered another 90-day delay for the U.S. TikTok ban, one of the architects of that ban is accusing him of “flaunting the law.” Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) is still pushing for enforcement of the Biden-era law, even though Trump has repeatedly claimed that a divestiture deal with ByteDance will get done.
A Google shareholder is going to court over TikTok ban extensions. The complaints about ban delays aren’t just coming from inside the House (and the Senate). Tony Tan is suing Google parent company Alphabet as well as the U.S. Department of Justice. He is arguing that Google and Apple should have already been fined for failing to enforce the TikTok ban via their respective App Stores. Just another court case for the Trump Administration to handle.
Movers and shakers
Mark Rober’s Crunchlabs gets a Chief Content Officer. Rober’s science kit brand has used sponsored videos to reach millions of viewers on platforms like YouTube. Scott Lewers, who previously worked with Rober on the Discovery series Revengineers, is now coming to Crunchlabs to take the reins of the brand’s content operation.
Jubilee brings in MCN vet for biz dev role. After taking roles at influential digital media companies Maker Studios and Fullscreen, Nick Crooks is moving to Jubilee Media. As the video producer’s Head of Strategy and Business Development, Crooks will find ways to expand existing franchises while also steering the direction of Jubilee’s content and distribution.
Studio news
A new studio is going on Further Adventures with creators. Experienced YouTube operative Steven Beckman is teaming with Hollywood producer Ben Stillman to launch Further Adventures. One of the studio’s first clients is Andrew Rea of Binging with Babish, who is developing “a metaphysical action-thriller about an ageless, body-shifting consciousness in search of love and meaning.”
Visional Pop wants to make ‘Happy World’ even happier. If you’ve ever seen an animated earth making emoji faces at you, then you might be familiar with the whimsical tales of Happy World. Now, the team behind the toons — FriendsWithYou — is teaming up with Visional Pop, which is developing IP alongside animation creators.
Little Chonk co-founder gets into talent management. After helping build a line of adorable, corgi-sized accessories, Scott Dunn is working with Chris Gera to launch Unicorn, a 360 creator management company and content studio.
The internet is a strange place
Thousands of Nintendo Switch 2 consoles were stolen in a truck heist. I don’t think this is what Nintendo meant when they talked about the Switch 2’s on-the-go portability.
Samwell says Happy Pride! It’s been 18 years since the release of ‘What What in the Butt,’ and the chaotic music video’s auteur is reminiscing on his career-defining viral smash. “Being an openly gay artist, some people were [like], ‘What are you doing?'” Samwell told People. “But I did it anyway and I’m still queer and living my life.”
