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, there are rumors about a rift in a TikTok-famous family, YouTube’s favorite liminal space goes big screen, and an annual event for digital ad buyers is ready to return.
Creator commotion
Charli D’Amelio and her family don’t seem to be getting along. After some keen observers noticed that Charli had unfollowed her parents and sister on social media, a new report is delving into the depth of the divide separating the members of the TikTok-famous clan. This is from the Daily Mail, so take it with a grain of salt, but the claims are intriguing.
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Erling Haaland is joining the UK’s favorite creator group for a “Sidemen Sunday.” The Norwegian super striker is the latest footballing celebrity to collab with the Sidemen, and in a World Cup year, expect these team-ups to become more frequently. I would love to see how thoroughly Haaland could cook if he ever faced off against YouTube stars in one of the Sidemen’s creator soccer matches.
Pop culture minute
The Backrooms trailer is as liminal as you’d expect. It’s been three years since arthouse distributor A24 announced its plan to turn Kane Pixels’ dread-soaked YouTube series into a feature film. Now the first trailer for The Backrooms is here, and it features exactly the mood you’d expect from an adaptation of a creepypasta.
The U.K. has chosen a “synth sorcerer” to represent it at the Eurovision Song Contest. Electronic musician Sam Bartle is the host of LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER, a YouTube channel that features his 80s-inflected tracks. Now Bartle will take the stage for his home country at the upcoming 2026 Eurovision competition in Austria.
Events and happenings
Here’s the agenda for the 2026 NewFronts. The Interactive Advertising Bureau has dropped the schedule of presentations for the upcoming iteration of it digital advertising pitchfest. Big names like Google, TikTok, and Snap are on the docket for the event series, which will kick off on March 23.
High school students will go “Beyond Now” with a one-day conference headlined by creators. On March 7, the Times Center in New York will play host to the Beyond Now conference, where a mix of creators, founders, and other leaders will forge connections with the next generation of leaders. TikTok star MDMOTIVATOR is one of the headliners.
The biz
Mark Rober’s CrunchLabs is charging up with a Rivian collab. The brand affiliated with YouTube’s favorite engineer has a new brand collab in the works. Rober will employ his signature storytelling style as he demystifies the science behind Rivian’s line of electric vehicles.
Hank Green is finally getting offers from media companies that make “economic sense.” In a LinkedIn post, the YouTube elder statesman said that he has 20 years of experience saying “no” to potential partners. But all of a sudden, the offers Green is receiving are coming with some more favorable terms attached. The creator economy has truly gone mainstream.
The Premier League is getting its own streaming service. A hub called Premflix will initially launch in Singapore, but it could eventually expand to the U.K. and other regions. Will this the future of sports-themed streaming services? Will other major leagues follow the Prem’s lead by taking distribution into their own hands?
Platform headlines
Threads is hyperlinking the phrase “DM me.” Meta’s answer to X is looking to distinguish itself from the competition with some unique features. This one is a useful shortcut: If you type the magic words, Threads will automatically direct you to the relevant user’s inbox.
TikTok highlights more creators to watch with its annual Discover List. who are the educators, foodies, icons, innovators, and originators who are defining the current state of creator content? If you want the answer to that question, check out the TikTok Discover List. You might just stumble upon some fun accounts you’ve never encountered before.
YouTube is testing new features for its Shorts Remix format. An ongoing test lets users “reimagine” individual frames as brand-new Shorts, and they can add objects to their remixes as well. YouTube is going all in on the creative aspects of its TikTok-style format, but user buy-in will be required if these features are going to stick around.
The internet is a strange place
The e.l.f. cosmetics CEO gets product ideas directly from chat. To learn what items his customers would like to see, Tarang Amin goes directly to the source by hitting up TikTok Shop streams. I hope he doesn’t listen to everything those chatters say, but they can provide a useful starting point for product innovation.
Pope Leo XIV warns priests against AI sermons. His Holiness has already come out as a generative AI skeptic. Now, he’s reminding priests that the only GPT they should be employing is God’s Personal Teachings.
New pygmy hippo just dropped. Friendship ended with Moo Deng. Now Jellybean is my best friend.
