TOGETHER WITH

It's Monday and….well, that didn’t take long. Just days after getting hit with a lawsuit from Disney, Midjourney’s new V1 video tool is reportedly generating gun-toting clips of characters like Wall-E.

Today’s News

THE BIZ

Pinterest’s first-ever co-branded product partner: Chamberlain Coffee

The product: Emma Chamberlain is giving Pinterest an energy boost. For the first time in its 15-year history, the platform is putting out an original, co-branded product: a “trend-inspired blend” released by Chamberlain Coffee.

Pinterest says the limited-edition Sea Salt Toffee blend—which is available on Chamberlain Coffee‘s website for buyers in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Europe—was inspired by the idea of “sipping an iced coffee by the seaside” and the popular “fisherman aesthetic” trend, where users pin images exemplifying cozy ocean cottage living accented by “cable knit sweaters, sardine tattoos and stripes. on. everything.” Considering the platform's prediction that “a laid back maritime attitude” would be a top trend of 2025, that nautical theme seems like a natural choice.

Fans can buy a 10 oz bag of ground roast for $23.95, or snag associated merch like a keychain ($14), a pitcher ($54), or a tote ($64).

The brand partner: Pinterest choosing a creator-led business for its first foray into consumer products shows that the platform recognizes the power of influencers as business owners. And Chamberlain has demonstrated significant sway with the success of her coffee brand, which hit an estimated $20 million in annual sales in 2023.

To mark her latest partnership, the creator held a Chamberlain Coffee popup and hosted a fireside chat with Pinterest CEO Bill Ready at last week’s Cannes Lions festival. She’s also celebrating by adding a special drink, the “Salted Sailor,” to the menu at Chamberlain Coffee’s brick-and-mortar location, which opened in Los Angeles this past January.

🔆 SPONSORED 🔆

With partners like Meta and X, Creators HQ is where media disruptors make an impact

Earlier this year, 100 top creators joined industry leaders to launch the ultimate go-to space for digital pioneers: Creators HQ. 

Open to revolutionary voices worldwide, Creators HQ is where forward-thinking creators and brands—including Dhar Mann, Yes Theory, Meta, and X—meet to shape the future of digital content.

The world’s top platforms and media experts partner with Creators HQ to redefine digital storytelling.

Now, it’s your turn. Creators HQ is opening its doors to members and partners in the following categories:

• Government entities

• Social media platforms

• Creative agencies

• Media professionals

• Managers, video editors, & production experts

• Investors & venture capitals

• Tech companies

• Brands

Whether you’re looking to lead workshops like Meta, host bootcamps like TikTok, expand your influence like Komi, or simply connect behind-the-scenes, Creators HQ will put you at the center of the creator community.

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• Speedrunner/speedrunning historian Summoning Salt is going old school with a series of VHS tapes containing some of his top YouTube videos. (Tubefilter)
  
  

• Snapchat parent company Snap has acquired Saturn, a calendar app available to students at more than 17,000 high schools. (Engadget)
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• Strings of code identified by mobile app intelligence firm AppSensa suggest that X is considering the launch of a physical debit card. (TechCrunch)
  
  

• In the wake of the latest ban deadline extension, TikTok has released a statement expressing gratitude “for President Trump's leadership and support in ensuring that TikTok continues to be available.” (TikTok)

20 YEARS OF YOUTUBE

In 2012, Psy rode around the world on an invisible horse

In February 2025, YouTube turned 20. The video site has gone through a lot over the past two decades, including an acquisition, an earnings glow-up, and multiple generations of star creators. In our 20 Years of YouTube series, we’ll examine the milestones that defined the platform—one year at a time. Click here for a full archive of the series.

The K-pop hit: The most influential YouTube video of all time involves invisible horses, an iconic elevator twerk, and one especially recognizable line: “oppa, Gangnam Style.” Psy‘s magnum opus arrived in July 2012 and captivated the internet like nothing before—due in large part to good timing. Seven years into YouTube’s existence, viral videos were peaking, music videos were doing massive numbers, and the platform’s global era had begun. “Gangnam Style” arrived at that pivotal moment, and the resulting stats were staggering:

• From its upload date to the point where it became YouTube’s most-watched video, it averaged 70 views per second.
   
  

• Within five months, “Gangnam Style” became the first YouTube video with at least one billion views.
  
  

• On a single day in October 2012, the phrase “gangnam style” was searched over 5 million times on YouTube.
  
  

• In 2014, the music video had accumulated so much traffic that it broke YouTube’s view counter. 
  
  

• One year later, YouTube noted that “with 11,000+ years of watchtime, the total amount of Gangnam Style served up by YouTube thus far would be enough to fill nearly 50 million standard VHS tapes.”

The impact: In 2011, YouTube noted that “less than half the viewership of top K-Pop channels was from outside the Asia-Pacific region.” One year after “Gangnam Style,” 91% of viewership on those hubs came from outside Korea. That wasn’t just a shift in musical taste; it was a cultural upheaval that led artists around the world to draw inspiration from K-pop and leverage “you-can-do-it-too dances as a way to gain attention” (per Pitchfork).

These days, YouTube is big enough that younger K-pop stars have broken Psy’s chart records and other music videos have overtaken “Gangnam Style”—in large part because the founding father of the billion-views club demonstrated the shocking power of worldwide appeal.

#BOOKTOK TALK

#BookTok is booming. So why is TikTok leaving the publishing biz?

The closure: #BookTok is an international sensation. Interest in the hashtag’s top 90 authors increased every year between its 2019 inception and 2023, and booksellers across the world are still promoting TikTok‘s favorite genres. That upward trend has continued into 2025, with series like Rebecca Yarros’ Fourth Wing driving a 41% year-over-year market share increase for genres like fantasy.

In other words, #BookTok seems to be as big as it’s ever been—which makes TikTok’s reported decision to sunset its publishing wing all the more surprising.

The Bytedance-owned platform launched 8th Note Press as an e-book publisher in 2023 and began making offers to both #BookTok-beloved writers and unheralded authors. Only two years later, however, a report from The Bookseller says TikTok is currently negotiating with authors and agents to return the rights to acquired titles. The publishing firm’s former Editorial Director, Allison Moore, seemingly departed her post in April.

TikTok hasn’t publicly commented on the fate of 8th Note Press, but the firm’s official website is gone and its TikTok and Instagram accounts have been deactivated. The landing page that detailed 8th Note Press’ partnership with publishing company Zando now throws up a 404 as well.

So, why is TikTok exiting the publishing biz now?

The (potential) explanation: Despite the success of #BookTok, it seems like ByteDance never quite figured out how to capitalize on the literary trend it spawned. The Bookseller argued that 8th Note Press missed out on a golden opportunity to sell its tomes via TikTok Shop, and didn’t do enough to organically promote its titles.

But as easy as it is to blame ByteDance’s failures, it’s also worth considering that #BookTok may have already peaked. Some literary creators have found monetization opportunities to be slim, with publishers preferring to send advance copies of books rather than direct payments. 

LISTEN UP 🎙️

This week on the podcast…

“We Went to Cannes”: This week’s episode of Creator Upload was recorded live from the 72nd annual Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, where hosts Lauren Schnipper and Joshua Cohen featured a fantastic lineup of guests across the creator economy.

Tune in to hear from Ed Davidson (Chief Growth Officer for Cannes Lions International Festival), Val DiFebo (CEO of DNY), Shaina Zafar (Executive with the Next Gen Practice at UTA Marketing), and Sarah Potter (Global Dove Director – PR and Social Influencer, Unilever). It’s all right here on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

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Today's newsletter is from: Emily Burton, Drew Baldwin, Sam Gutelle, and Josh Cohen.