Have you heard? KSI’s got talent, British networks take on Ms. Rachel, and sorority girls make six figures.

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 creator goes into the thick of it on a reality competition show, British networks take on family-friendly U.S. stars, and a TikTok hashtag turns into a big payday.

Pop culture minute

KSI is the new guest judge on Britain’s Got Talent. The best-known member of the Sidemen will sit alongside Simon Cowell and co. as a judge on season 19 of Britain’s Got Talent. If the performers follow his advice, they can make a song so bad that it becomes a pop culture sensation.

Chris Stuckmann’s directorial debut impresses the critics. Reviews praised Stuckmann’s creative vision as reviews of the upcoming horror film Shelby Oaks rolled in. The YouTube star’s first theatrical release is almost certainly better than Shelby: The Dog Who Saved Christmas, a movie I accidentally clicked on while searching for Shelby Oaks.

Deestroying signs with CAA. The sports star, who was previously partnered with WME, recently got a sideline gig during YouTube’s exclusive NFL broadcast. Dee is moving up in the world, and his latest move will open more doors for him.

Creator commotion

Logan Paul’s Michael Jordan autograph purchase turns into a lawsuit. Paul won an auction to acquire a Chicago Bulls floorboard signed by His Airness himself, but the auctioneer’s suspicious behavior led Paul to file a suit. If he’s adding yet another court battle to his list, he should probably make sure he’s completed all those CryptoZoo paybacks.

Ned Fulmer’s podcast launches with a bit of a lurch. The disgraced former Try Guy brought on his wife Ariel as the first guest for a new podcast that discusses “people’s lowest, most embarrassing, and challenging moments.” The internet wasn’t into it, though — it might take a few more years before the sting of Fulmer’s cheating scandal fades.

NPC Miles Morales got into a car crash on the way home from his Mafiathon 3 appearance. Luckily, the streamer was unharmed in the accident, but he admitted that he “fell asleep” after spending a long night hanging out on Twitch with Kai Cenat. Incidents like this will lead to more scrutiny for marathon streams.

Platform headlines

The BBC doesn’t like how successful Ms. Rachel is across the pond. Patricia Hidalgo, the Director of Children and Education at the BBC, scolded YouTube for leading U.K. kids to creators like Ms. Rachel and Blippi instead of “nourishing” homegrown content. Now Ms. Rachel is going to have to write a song to teach her littles how to say “nativist nonsense.”

Meta AI is running on vibes at this point. The Big Tech firm’s Vibes feed offers a stream of AI-generated videos across specific moods and aesthetics. The feed is purportedly intended to help those in need of a creative spark, so consider it Meta’s answer to YouTube’s Dream Screen feature.

NBCUniversal warns customers about a potential YouTube TV blackout. For YouTube TV, the carriage disputes just keep coming. This time, the parent company of channels like NBC, Telemundo, and Bravo is playing hardball with YouTube’s negotiators — and the friction has arrived weeks before NBC is set to restart exclusive NBA coverage.

The biz

#RushTok is bringing beaucoup bucks to top sorority sisters. At the start of every school year, #RushTok surges in popularity, and the hashtag’s top stars are riding the wave to the tune of six-figure annual payouts. What’s most surprising about this is that the #RushTok stars can even afford to pay for their college education.

Jesser’s Bucketsquad drops an NFL collection. Jesser is best known for his basketball content on YouTube, but his ability to branch out to other sports has fueled his rapid rise. As YouTube continues to invest in the NFL, expect collabs like this one to become more common.

Amigas Mia’s is a new Latina-led digital media and talent company. The startup’s offerings will include an investing venture for its partner creators. Some of the first names on its roster are lifestyle creator Paula Galindo and makeup artist Camila Bravo.

The internet is a strange place

Motto by Hilton brings sidequests into the hotel experience. Motto heard that Gen Z likes to live it up with exciting experiences, so it launched a Guest Quest to send travelers on local adventures after they check in. If you do enough ice bucket fetch quests, you might even level up.

Charlie Kirk has become an AI character on the Christian side of YouTube Shorts. The people who brought us strange AI content starring God and Jesus have now added Charlie Kirk to the mix. Short-form feeds are starting to look like the next megachurches.

Watch out for fake Labubus. As if the original Labubu craze wasn’t ominous enough, U.K. officials are now dealing with a confiscated shipment of millions of dollars worth of counterfeit dolls. How will Britain deal with this Labubu booboo?