It’s Sunday, and here’s a handpicked selection of stories to give you a snapshot of trends, updates, business moves, and more from around the creator industry.
But first, would you use hypnosis to forget your favorite film? A theater chain in the Netherlands is running a promotion for cinephiles who want to forget (and then remember) film classics.
POP CULTURE MINUTE
Amelia Dimoldenberg’s ‘Chicken Shop Date’ is hitting the big screen.
Chicken Shop Date is headed to theaters and the creator of CSI is embracing AI
The grand finale: Amelia Dimoldenberg is ending her iconic interview series, but Chicken Shop Date is going out with a bang. Across ten theaters in London and Paris, Dimoldenberg will deliver content intended for the big screen before sharing the finale of her long-running YouTube treasure. Forget the popcorn—grab some thighs and drumsticks.
The true crime experience: CSI creator Anthony E. Zuiker is using AI to turn true crime cases into interactive stories. Zuiker has been engaged in our space for an extremely long time, and he’s continuing to embrace emerging technologies. At the MIPCOM conference in France, he demoed Cinemalistics, an app that brings true crime tales to life.
The second season: Radio Flyer brings back its animated series on YouTube. Max & Maple are going on adventures and singing songs as they begin season two of their Radio Flyer series. It’s an interesting bet for a toy company, and we’ll surely see more of this strategy as the holiday season approaches.
The educators: Ever wondered what the singers are actually saying in those K-pop bops? A Korean language institute wants to encourage learners who are trying to understand Hangul characters, so it brought K-pop idols to its YouTube channel as part of a cultural project.
CREATOR COMMOTION
Manipulating QR codes to scam a streamer? Not cool, folks. (Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash.)
Creators are filing multi-million-dollar lawsuits and selling mansions
The lawsuit: Hasan Piker hits Scott Jennings with a $72 million lawsuit. Piker is looking for big damages by claiming that Jennings, a conservative commentator, doctored one of his Twitch clips. Piker has become a convenient target for the MAGA sect, but this case shows that the left-winger is willing to hit back when his content is taken out of context and used to defame him.
The dinner bill: A hijacked QR code turned Lacy’s on-stream dinner into a nightmare. The Twitch star says that he ran up an unintended bill of approximately $12,000 after his viewers manipulated a QR code they noticed at the Japanese restaurant where he was eating.
The listing: Minecraft creator Markus Persson is selling his Beverly Hills mansion. The man known as “Notch” is looking for a buyer with enough wealth to buy his massive California abode. For that price, I would expect the mansion to come with some built-in creeper protection and a crafting table in every room.
The book: Tini Younger may be just 24 years old, but she’s looking to spark a movement that gets Gen Z feeling more comfortable in front of the stove. After becoming one of the top chefs on TikTok, Younger is getting into the cookbook game with a culinary tome titled Today We Are Cooking…
THE BIZ
A Ramadan cooking show headlines YouTube’s MENA slate.
This week in the digital media biz…
The slate: At a Brandcast event in Dubai, YouTube revealed original programs led by Middle Eastern and North African creators. Highlights include AbuRob’s competitive cooking series centered around Ramadan, Azza Zarour’s parenting competition, and Sh5baar’s eclectic travel vlog.
The update: Bluesky is letting creators link to the platforms they use to generate revenue. Monetization is still limited on the decentralized social hub, but its creator profiles now have a Links section that can be connected to Patreon accounts. Bluesky is taking the creator economy seriously without forcing its users to employ its own products. That’s a W!
The product suite: A new product suite will bring monetization to beehiiv podcasts. The platform that made its name by publishing newsletters launched podcasting tools earlier this year. Now, it is imbuing those audio programs with flexible revenue streams.
The creator brand: Caylus is entering the consumer goods market by popping his own popcorn. After becoming one of the biggest stars in the Roblox community, Caylus bought a popcorn factory and turned it into the home base for Good Kernel, his new company.
WATCH THIS 👀
Can Apple’s first foldable iPhone stand the test of time?
The iPhone Duo folds in two, but can it fold in two 10,000 times?
The stress test: Creator Tim Pan put Apple’s new iPhone Duo to the test by repeatedly folding it on its hinge to see how long it can stay operational. Apple might want to use this one in its ads, because after 10,000 folds, the Duo seemed to continue working.
Check out Pan’s full video here to see for yourself.
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Today's newsletter is from: Emily Burton, Sam Gutelle, and Josh Cohen.