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, a popular streamer was outed for past indiscretions, New York City’s mayor kicked a shoutout to a creator operation, and Tax Day arrived — whether you were ready for it or not.
Creator commotion
As shocking allegations fly, Sykkuno’s past catches up to him. In his streams with the Offline TV crew, Sykkuno projected the persona of a shy, quiet introvert. But this week, several women told a different story when they accused Sykkuno of using his fame and status to manipulate them. In a statement, Sykkuno apologized — most of all to his girlfriend — for his “unfaithful” behavior. He has pledged to take an indefinite break from streaming.
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Alex and Alix are (still) fighting. Ms. Cooper and Ms. Earle seemed to be at odds when the latter creator split from the former’s Unwell Network. Cooper then stirred up more drama by accusing Earle of “passive-aggressive” behavior, and she demanded that the TikTok star air out her grievances. Earle’s response: “Okay on it!!”
Johnny Somali gets six months of prison time for pranks gone wrong. Somali was arrested in South Korea after his public disturbances made light of the nation’s fractured relationship with North Korea. His upcoming time in the clink is a lesson for all creators: Sometimes, acting like a boor in East Asia doesn’t go as well for you as it did for Logan Paul.
Pop culture minute
Zohran Mamdani says Sidetalk inspired his iconic campaign videos. The Mayor of the Big Apple was the first guest on We Outside, a new interview podcast from Sidetalk. During his appearance, Mamdani noted that Sidetalk’s direct, man-on-the-street style inspired the social media videos that helped the former Assemblyman clinch the mayorship. And with another Knicks playoff run coming up, Sidetalk is about to get even more shine.
AMC launched its Silicon Valley-set series on TikTok. The Audacity is a new drama that dives into the world of tech startups. Given that focus, an activation on TikTok is a sensible promotional strategy, and that’s exactly what AMC did. Watching the Audacity pilot on TikTok in 21 parts may not be as fluid as traditional TV, but it’s definitely the kind of thing a startup founder would do.
ShowUp Studios wants to, well, show up for Gen Z on YouTube and TikTok. The new content studio is seeking pre-seed funding after announcing its plan to bring free, original programming to twentysomething consumers across major social networks. When I say ShowUp has big plans, I mean it — the studio wants to produce 4,500 episodes over its first five years.
The biz
Yonna learned the hard way that April 15 was Tax Day. The Twitch streamer panicked after learning that she had to file her taxes before the deadline and couldn’t just do it whenever she felt like it. Yonna said multiple times that she will be “going to jail” as a result of her tax evasion, but I think she can slow her roll. It’s not like she’s Johnny Somali or anything.
Hank and John Green’s Complexly costs $5,000 per minute. That figure comes from Complexly CEO Julie Walsh Smith, who revealed just how expensive educational content can be. The Vlogbrothers are planning to make Complexly more viable by turning it into a nonprofit, but let this blurb serve as your reminder that even the biggest creators could use a little bit of your support from time to time.
Kohl’s is sweetening the deal for its creator partners. To offset difficult economic conditions, Kohl’s is telling the members of its creator program that they can earn commissions on every sale while taking advantage of perks like free products and early access to deals. And to make things even better, the retailer’s cohort of 1,500 nano-creators don’t even have to be paid in Kohl’s Cash.
Movers and shakers
Khartoon Weiss’ next move turned out to be Google all along. Weiss sent shockwaves through the ad world when she would step down from her post as TikTok’s top North American ad exec. For her next move, Weiss is joining Google as its Vice President of US Mid Market Sales and Commerce. To remind yourself how much gravitas Google has, ask yourself this question: How many times has a top Google exec defected to a rival company rather than the other way around?
Tara Walpert Levy is saying goodbye to Google. As one ad exec arrives at the Googleplex, another is departing. For 15 years, Walpert Levy was a mainstay at YouTube events like Brandcast and NewFronts. Now, she’s moving on to obtain something even more powerful: Per her LinkedIn, she will have “the freedom to choose what comes next.”
Mark Zuckerberg’s replacement in Meta meetings is AI Mark Zuckerberg. The big boss of the company formerly known as Facebook is reportedly training an AI doppelganger that will be able to stand in for him during meetings. Come on, Zuck. If you’re going to get out of those boring meetings, you should share the love. The rest of us deserve our own AI representatives, too.
The internet is a strange place
The Sykkuno drama got the anime treatment thanks to Justin Briner. As the English voice of My Hero Academia character Deku, Briner has perfected the “boyish anime protagonist” sound. I don’t know why applying that voice to a disgraced streamer’s statement is so funny, but I’m definitely not the only person on the internet who got a kick out of this little distraction.
Horse racing might be the weirdest sport to have a “creator moment.” Thanks to platforms like TikTok, the Grand National horse race enjoyed a sellout crowd, with many members of Gen Z in attendance. Going to a horse race is the perfect vehicle for a “get ready with me” video, but in this sport, creators should be very careful before they start collaborating with the (equine) athletes.
YouTube has taken action against the pro-Iran AI Lego channel. The unique news hub has been removed from YouTube, according to the group behind it (which goes by the name Explosive Media). The absurd Lego depictions of Trump’s executive orders were as surreal as they sound, and if they really are gone, they will be missed.
