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, Rainbolt has some stiff competition, a European creator broke one of MrBeast’s records, and an NFL Draft prankster messed around and found out.
Creator commotion
Have Ludwig and Caedrel become Rainbolt’s heirs apparent in the Geoguessr world? In a Twitch Rivals tournament, the team known as “LudRel” crushed the competition en route to a decisive win. Rainbolt is still the Michael Jordan of geography-based guessing games, but Ludwig might just be the Geoguessr equivalent of LeBron.
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Creators Banks and Ansem have a new hustle: breaking down prediction markets. The man known as FaZe Banks and the crypto influencer known as Ansem are teaming up with Polymarket. The leading prediction market is the presenting sponsor of a podcast series that will turn Banks and Ansem into bet-making analysts who appeal to the “ultra tapped-in crowd.” Their advice might feel like gambling all on its own.
Pokimane and LilyPichu have ended their joint podcast after 69 episodes. In the latest blow to the Offline TV universe, two of its best-known alumnae are ending one of their creative ventures. Sweet n Sour was the canvas for Pokimane and LilyPichu’s “good cop, bad cop” routine, but the creators have decided to move on to greener pastures. Luckily, their friendship remains intact and they plan to collaborate again in the future.
The biz
A Polish streamer reportedly raised about $69 million to benefit the Cancer Fighters Foundation. Across a nine-day streaming event, the streamer known as Łatwo Gang pulled in an estimated fundraising total of 250 million zlotys. Top Polish athletes, including tennis champion Iga Swiatek and soccer star Robert Lewandoski, made guest appearances to support the stream. Turns out that collaborations between creators and sports luminaries isn’t just an American thing.
A CBS News veteran is taking YouTube for a spin. Some reporters are splitting from traditional employers to venture out on their own across social platforms. Anthony Mason is doing something different. With a new YouTube show called Alchemy, Mason is bringing his brand of musician interviews to younger audiences while still maintaining his tenure at CBS News. Could that hybrid model be the future of journalism?
Pop culture minute
Issa Rae’s Screen Time is a veritable microdrama hit. Rae returned to her web series roots with Screen Time, a microdrama produced by her media company HOORAE. Screen Time only needed 24 hours to become the biggest thing on the internet since Misadventures of an Awkward Black Girl. It got 18 million TikTok views in its first day to prove that the microdrama boom is as real as advertised.
MrBeast is shopping the film rights for the book he wrote with James Patterson. The novel, titled Most Dangerous Game, hasn’t even hit bookstores yet. That hasn’t stopped MrBeast from selling the film rights for the inevitable Most Dangerous Game adaptation. Looks like the library of dystopian media is getting at least one more feature film for its shelves.
King Bach’s Creator TV partnership will bring multiple shows to the FAST lane. A decade ago, Bach was a big deal on Vine. Now, he’s one of the growing number of creators who are seeing free, ad-supported TV platforms as the future of entertainment. Through Creator TV, Bach will roll out a sketch program called The King Bach Show as well as some poker content.
Terry Crews is back on YouTube — in a racecar. We’ve seen Crews around these parts before, and his look at an F1 racing team will give him another contribution to the YouTube canon. I’m not sure if Crews chose to partner with Cadillac because he’s a big fan of the automaker’s racing team, or because the punny series title Crews Control was too good to pass up.
Agency dealings
Underscore Talent uses strategic hire to break into the theatre world. As more creators find their way to The Great White Way, Underscore Talent is diversifying its approach to meet shifting demands. Though Underscore has its roots in creator management, it is launching a theatrical division led by new hire Lital Spitzer. Synergy with Underscore’s creator roster will “meaningfully enhance opportunities.”
UTA is helping Shareef O’Neal follow in his son’s footsteps. Shaq’s son didn’t have nearly as much basketball success as his father did, but he inherited dad’s entrepreneurial spirit. As Shareef looks to relaunch the Shaq brand, he is teaming up with UTA to unlock new opportunities in the creator and business sectors.
Chriselle Lim signs with CAA. Lim is best known as a fashion creator with a seven-digt following on Instagram, but she’s also the creative director of a fragrance brand called Phlur. Lim wants to turn Phlur into a global phenomenon, so she’s inked a deal with a major entertainment industry talent firm.
The internet is a strange place
Fred Beyer’s NFL Draft prank turned into a fumble. Beyer thought it would be a good idea to sneak onto the draft stage and announce that the Steelers had picked a fake player called “Luke Maxer.” (Get it?) The NFL and its security team had other ideas. Beyer received criminal charges for the stunt, and he has been banned from all future NFL events.
The Church of Scientology doesn’t love the latest interpretation of “speedrunning.” A TikTok trend has L.A. youths running through the halls of the Scientology Church’s Hollywood hub. To prevent future incursions, the church removed the knobs from its front doors. That feels like more of a self-own than anything else, and I wouldn’t put it past these speedrunners to find a new “skip” that gets them into the building.
A kid reportedly watched 13,000 YouTube videos over three month of school. That sum is a whole lot of YouTube Shorts watch time — or it’s about two video essays on the long-form side of the platform.
