Have you heard? Kurzgesagt is not AI, John Nellis goes dancing, and Baby Shark’s K-pop idol.

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 animation channel suffers from a case of mistaken identity, a soccer creator puts on his dancing shoes, and there’s a new K-pop idol (doo doo doo-doo doo-doo).

Creator commotion

Someone has to tell YouTube that Kurzgesagt isn’t AI-generated. After seeing its view counts fluctuate, the iconic educational hub learned that YouTube’s automated systems had flagged Kurzgesagt as AI slop. As if animation channels didn’t have it hard enough already, now they’re turning up as false positives. Fortunately, YouTube has rectified the issue (at least for now).

ESPN’s latest creator partners will cover “The Year Of The Super Bowl.” ABC/ESPN has the broadcast rights for the next Super Bowl, and the Worldwide Leader in Sports plans to turn that event into a creator spectacle. By announcing its fourth Creator Network, ESPN is naming the names who will help it provide new perspectives during the upcoming NFL season.

Pop culture minute

John Nellis has been cast in the next season of Strictly Come Dancing. The U.S. doesn’t have a monopoly on influencer entrants in dance competition shows. After his soccer content helped him become one of YouTube’s most-watched creators during the World Cup, Nellis is taking up a spot on Britain’s version of Dancing With The Stars.

The AD of Obsession is directing a new vertical web series. After working on one of the year’s biggest hit films, Grayson Shapiro is directing Typecast, Sachin Kumar‘s upcoming project about the lives of Indian-American actors in Hollywood. You can catch new episodes of Typecast as they roll out on Instagram.

Alix Earle is “just having fun” in Earle Meets World trailer. The TikTok it girl now has her own Netflix docuseries, and as you might imagine, it will be filled with drama. Earle Meets World will touch on the titular creator’s relationships with family, friends, and fellow influencers — at least if its new teaser is to be believed.

Move over, Amazing Digital Circus — another one of YouTube’s animated faves is coming to Netflix. When it comes to creator content, Netflix is proving to have an insatiable appetite. The streamer’s latest addition to its creator lineup is Monkey Wrench, an adult animation project that has developed an ardent fan base since its premiere in 2022.

Facing the (kiddie) music

He was in the Baby Shark video. Now he’s a K-pop star. When Park Geon Roung was seven, he was one of two child actors who appeared in the most-watched YouTube video of all time. Now, at age 17, Baby Shark parent company Pinkfong is helping Park make a star turn as he performs his very own K-pop single. According to Pinkfong, Park’s future activities will depend on the performance of the track.

Paging Billboard: Ms. Rachel is releasing her first album. Millions of fans consume Ms. Rachel’s educational family videos every day, and now they can spin her CD in their homes, too. On September 25, Ms. Rachel will drop I’m So Happy

, which is filled with 23 plucky tracks. Rachel’s husband, Aron Accurso, co-produced the album alongside its star.

Like Nastya is having some success on the music charts, too. One of the world’s leading kidfluencers dropped a single called “I’m Gonna Shine,” and even though it’s only been out for three months, the toddler are loving it. “I’m Gonna Shine” now has more than 100 million views on YouTube, proving that Like Nastya has plenty of appeal beyond her typical vlogs.

Brands in the biz

Jim Beam is opening its own creator campus. The notable bourbon purveyor is inviting creators to visit its Clermont, Kentucky campus, where a brand new space will facilitate the production of original content. This seems like a perfect opportunity for someone to launch a boozy creator product, even if there’s all those stories about how the college kids don’t drink like they used to.

Aeropostale is shelling out to support some creator-led shows. How do you get Gen Alpha excited to shop for clothes? If you’re Aeropostale, you team up with creators — including TikToker Deja Clark — to roll out a slate of creator shows. Aeropostale is a longtime partner of big-name creators, and it is continuing that work as it adapts to changing times.

Are you the next Geralt of Rivia? Join CD Projekt Red’s creator program. The Polish video game developer has delivered hit franchises like The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077. Now, it wants to reward the gamers who use that IP to tell immersive stories, so it is adding its name to the long list of companies that have launched creator programs.

The internet is a strange place

If your rent is too expensive, just live in a Netflix billboard instead. The streamer took viral marketing to the next level with a high-profile stunt that turned one of its billboards into a man’s living quarters. I only have one question: Does this guy count as a daily active user for Netflix’s numbers?

DoorDash’s CringeMart is for items that are too embarassing to buy face-to-face. Look…if you’re not willing to go into the convenience store and buy prophylactics for yourself, then you’re probably not ready to use them. Or you could just say “f*** it” and order your sensitive items through CringeMart. I don’t think this promotion will help solve cases of social anxiety.

Forget instant communication. Let’s go back to the carrier pigeon days. If you want to know how long your message would take to reach its destination in the age before digital communication, check out Carrier Pidge. The app simulates real life by including rare cases in which your virtual pigeon veers off course and dies. Hope that message wasn’t important!