James Hale

• OpenAI’s CEO said ads were a “last resort” business model. Now ChatGPT is getting ads–and asking brands to pay a lot for them.
• Fixated is using a $50 million investment to build a creator development ecosystem. What sets its model apart?

  What happens when a music industry veteran (and former FaZe Clan President/COO) teams up with an experienced content creator to launch a company they call a "breakthrough digital talent powerhouse" that is "redefining modern entertainment"?

  
• Hello Kitty is coming to CoComelon

  Playdates will premiere Jan. 24 on CoComelon's YouTube channel, where the Moonbug-owned brand has over 200 million subscribers and brings in 2+ billion views per month. For those curious, Sanrio also manages a number of YouTube channels for its IPs; its English-language channel Hello Kitty and Friends has over 5 million subscribers and nets around 50 million views a month.

  
• Kickstarter itself backs Creator Camp for a wide theatrical release of ‘Two Sleepy People’

  Here at Tubefilter, we've been keeping a sharp eye on Creator Camp. It's an indie filmmaking initiative turned full-fledged media company that was founded in 2021 by creators Max Reisinger, Simon Kim, and Chris Duncan. Its goal? To give digital content creators the funding and production support they need to make big-screen projects without relying on Hollywood.

  
• Top 5 Branded Videos of the Week: A full week of Shorts (plus Veritasium)
• Netflix CEO says YouTube “is TV”: “We all compete with them in every dimension”
• Neal Mohan’s 2026 letter to creators: A lot of AI, a TikTok Shop competitor, and “beautifully produced” TV to compete with Netflix
• The BBC is joining forces with YouTube to make original shows combating disinformation (Report)
• Dr. Fran is battling the TikTok era of medical misinformation
• Governments are confronting the reality of dealing with AI-generated deepfake porn
• Top 5 Branded Videos of the Week: Doki Doki Mustard Club
• Dubai continues its creator-wooing efforts with a splashy Amazon partnership