Have you heard? A ‘Dead Meat’ meetup, Jake Paul’s re-raise, and the TikTok farlands.

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, an annual awards show is capitalizing on the creator horror trend, the Problem Child is refreshing his investments, and TikTok has its answer to YouTube Poop.

Pop culture minute

For the first time, the Dead Meat Horror Awards will be an IRL, ticketed experience. Since 2022, James A. Janisse and Chelsea Rebecca‘s Dead Meat channel has celebrated indie horror with an awards show. In 2026, the pomp and circumstance is coming to Pacific Electric in Los Angeles for an IRL show that will stream on July 18. With YouTube horror maestros like Kane Parsons and Curry Barker currently dominating the box office, it’s the right time for Dead Meat to make such a big move.

Justin Bieber’s transgressive Coachella set has landed on YouTube. By watching YouTube videos in the middle of his performance, Bieber turned the camera back on the audience and forced us to consider the growing unity between pop music and creator culture. On June 25, Bieber made sure the whole world could see his headlining performance when he distributed it on his YouTube channel.

Creator commotion

Jake Paul’s venture firm announces oversubscribed Growth I fund totalling $100 million. The Anti Fund, led by Paul and fellow Managing Partner Geoffrey Woo, has built positions in companies like OpenAI and SpaceX. Now, Paul and Woo are hunting for more ambitious founders they can get behind. As Paul put it: “We are not trying to be just another fund.”

Watching the World Cup alongside iShowSpeed just makes sense. While other creators announced World Cup content well in advance, Speed waited until the tournament started to make his biggest move. His alternative broadcasts will be available via the Fox One app and the subscription service’s YouTube channel. Viewers outside of the U.S. will be able to check out the action on Speed’s YouTube channel.

Syndicate is dealing with 3,000 copyright claims due to a rights issue. When you’re a YouTube OG with a massive back catalog of gaming videos, rights management can be tricky. Syndicate learned that the hard way when the rights to his longtime outro video were sold and summarily claimed. Unfortunately, his Call of Duty skills won’t help him extricate his videos from this mess.

The kids’ table

Moonbug publishes the learning principles that inform its videos. Earlier this year, the company behind franchises like CoComelon announced its plan to bring more educational outcomes to its videos via a partnership with UCLA. Now, those “Learning Principles” have been published on Moonbug’s website, giving parents a resource they can use to evaluate the videos their little ones are watching.

Toys and Colors teamed up with Kidz Bop. After collaborating with the residents of Sesame Street, Toys and Colors has teamed up with another legacy brand from the world of children’s entertainment. This time, the popular YouTube-based preschool hub has revived its partnership with Kidz Bop. The two brands’ collaborative series

includes music videos, sing-alongs, and dance parties.

Agency dealings

Volt Factor follows up its buzzy launch with a foray into food. Alongside partners like Alan Chikin Chow and TheBurntPeanut, Volt Factor launched to supercharge IP from top creators. For its next move, Volt Factor is targeting culinary and lifestyle voices with big social followings. Its new partners include Kimmy’s Kreations, Owen Han, and Ashley Yi, who will team up with Volt Factor to explore product-related opportunities.

New representation for a social comedy brand? Betches love that. If you don’t think there’s room for a Millennial and Gen Z touchstone to expand into areas like linear TV, film, and live experiences, then CAA is here to tell you, “betch please.” The agency has linked up with Betches and will hunt for new partnerships for the brand and its social-first profile.

Valkyrae linked up with CAA, too. Though Rachell Hofstetter rose to prominence through streams on platforms like Twitch and YouTube, she has since flexed her muscles as a businesswoman. The gamer known as Valkyrae has signed a deal with CAA, and her new agency reps will look to further her reach in fields like branded entertainment, podcasting, entrepreneurship, and content production.

The latest tech

Netflix’s Omnicom partnership will bring AI ads to its cheapest tier. Netflix has enjoyed significant growth on its ad tier since launch, but how will those subscribers feel about the arrival of AI-generated ads? For me personally, I’m fine with a little AI slop if it means I can be served something other than a Liberty Mutual ad from time to time.

UTA is bringing AI-powered insights to its clients. Like Netflix, UTA used its presence at Cannes Lions to explore the intersection of AI and creativity. In the talent agency’s case, a pact with Coactive AI will deliver a veritable smorgasbord of audience insights and performance metrics. Those analytics are expected to roll out this fall.

The internet is a strange place

Beware traveler, lest you fall victim to the terrors of the TikTok Farlands. The Backrooms is so last month. The hot new liminal space is the TikTok Farlands, a world that exists beyond algorithmic recommendations. It’s basically TikTok’s answer to YouTube Poop, and like with that genre, there are clear reasons why these videos aren’t promoted in feeds.

Oh, you can name a woman? How about 100 women? A classic Billy Eichner bit has become a hot new speedrun. Thanks a new leaderboard, you can see how fast it takes streamers to name 100 women. I can’t wait to see all the new women-naming strats that show up the next time Awesome Games Done Quick rolls around.

A streamer named Snowcone said that Kai Cenat’s Streamer University offers better career prospects than Harvard University. Citation needed.