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, CoComelon’s live-action programming has some labor issues, Dude Perfect is the hot new thing in Banana Ball, and the Scientology speedrun meme goes global.
Creator commotion
The IATSE is striking against CoComelon’s live-action programming. Shows like The Melon Patch have allowed CoComelon to expand beyond its animated roots. The union representing theatrical stage employees, however, has found something rotten in the melon patch. The IATSE cited producers’ unwillingness to provide “fair wages and benefits” for crew members as it initiated a work stoppage affecting CoComelon shows.
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Where’s Filian? The VTuber is one of the most prominent representatives of her community and has even served as the host of the VTuber Awards. But after she vanished from social media and abruptly wiped the content from her accounts, fans are wondering if the VRChat standout is gone for good — or if she’ll return in a new form somewhere down the line.
Jacksfilms wants Roblox fans to watch out for live stream scams. The veteran creator is known for targeting hucksters in the YouTube community, and he found some new targets in the world of Roblox. A recent video of his shares evidence of giveaway scams that run through fake live streams consisting of prerecorded footage. So if a creator you watch offers you Robux in exchange for a YouTube gift, be very careful.
Sports and games
Dude Perfect and the Savannah Bananas are a match made in heaven. The creator perspective has brought a new angle to pro sports, disrupting leagues like the NBA and NFL in the process. If creators are going to take over the sports world, why not bring them into a silly spectacle like Banana Ball? That’s exactly what the Dude Perfect guys did, and their Savannah Bananas cameo even included a trick pitch (because of course it did).
The Baller League has become a YouTube phenomenon. Millions of viewers are tuning in to watch indoor soccer matches contested by creator-led teams. The likes of iShowSpeed struggle to compete with soccer legends like Ronaldinho on the pitch, but when they match up as opposing managers, the results are far more even — and more exciting, if the deluge of traffic is any indication.
The Unibet Rose Rockets are off and pedaling in the Giro d’Italia. In February, we discussed the formation of the Unibet Rose Rockets, a cycling team that is shaking up its sport by combining high-level performance with social media content. The Rockets have struggled to gain a spot on the pro cycling circuit, but they’re in the Giro d’Italia. Imagine how wild the vlogs will be if they actually win the thing.
Pop culture minute
Dixie D’Amelio is back on YouTube with new music on deck. The elder D’Amelio sister has taken some time away from social media, but she ended her hiatus with a vlog on her YouTube channel. Now she’s eyeing a revival for her music career as she focuses on writing and recording new material. If the TikTok-to-pop chart pipeline can work for Addison Rae, it can work for Dixie.
Bebefinn has a movie out, and it’s a chart-topper on Netflix. Bebefinn is a piece of kid-friendly IP under the umbrella of Pinkfong, the South Korean company behind Baby Shark. To bring Bebefinn fun to a new format, Pinkfong brought a new movie to Netflix, and it hit #1 in the streamer’s kids’ category. If Netflix is going to lose CoComelon rights to Disney+, Bebefinn could emerge as a prized asset.
Eugene Mirman rebounds from car crash with YouTube comedy special. One month after he was hospitalized due to injuries sustained in an accident, the Bob’s Burgers voice actor has brought a new piece of work to YouTube. Mirman’s latest special is titled Here Comes The Whimsy, and we could all use a little bit of that these days.
The biz
Meta and YouTube are pushing back against social media addiction verdict. A jury decision in California — which held Meta and YouTube liable for their addictive social feeds — threatens to strip Section 230 protections and upend an entire industry. In response, the two Big Tech firms have officially appealed the decision via filings in an L.A. court. The verdict of the appeal could set an important precedent.
Creator Authority has joined the LinkedIn Marketing Partner Program. The so-called “LinkedIn influencer marketing company” facilitates deals on the platform known for its professional content. As an official LinkedIn marketing partner, Creator Authority will be able to move faster as it executes influencer campaigns alongside partners like SAP, Dropbox, and HubSpot.
Indigenous House adds podcasts to its library of Native content. The seven-month-old streaming service is committed to empowering Indigenous American voices, and it is doing exactly that with a podcast called Power in Numbers, which touches on cultural, social, and political topics. The first episode of the show asks a pertinent question: “What the &#@$ Is Happening Right Now?”
The internet is a strange place
Scientology speedruns have made it across the pond. The L.A. branch of the Church of Scientology tried to stop memers from running through its building by literally removing its doorknobs. Instead, the speedrunners have hopped over to London and Edinburgh, where teenagers are making new incursions into their local Scientology chapters. We’ll see how much time and effort the Church spends applying the Streisand effect to this particular meme.
Spirit Airlines’ market value is a lot higher than its average flight price. That’s what a creator named Hi There Hunter learned when he launched a fundraising campaign in an attempt to acquire the failing low-cost airliner. Hunter raised a whopping $22 million, but even that titanic sum might not be enough to absorb Spirit’s assets. And even if the deal goes through, Hunter will have to pay extra for adequate legroom.
Happy trails, Ask.com. The search engine formerly known as Ask Jeeves is calling it quits. It’s hard out there for a search engine these days, and Jeeves might find the open job market to be even tougher. You don’t see much demand for butlers these days.
