TOGETHER WITH

It’s Friday and if you’re already dreading those Monday morning emails, fear not: the Creator Rosetta Stone has arrived just in time to translate the next jargon-filled message from your brand or creator partner.

THE BIG LEAGUES

The Dodgers’ latest curve ball: a “hololive night” featuring 3 top VTubers

The event: In less than a month, Dodger Stadium will host three of the world’s top VTubers: Gawr Gura, Hoshimachi Suisei, and Usada Pekora. That collision of virtual talent will take place on July 5, when spectators gather for the Dodgers’ “hololive night.”

• Fans who snag tickets to the big event will be treated to special PA announcements, a drone show, and life-sized cutouts of Gura, Suisei, and Pekora.
  
  

• The three VTubers—who each claim at least 2.3 million YouTube subscribers—will contribute to the fun by participating in promotions and on-field activities, including a seventh-inning rendition of “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” performed by Gura.
  
  

• Hololive night attendees will walk away with more than that jolly song stuck in their heads. Each ticket also includes a three-pack of trading cards depicting Gura, Suisei, and Pekora in Dodger blue.

The context: Hololive night is far from the Dodgers’ first creator collab. In 2023, the club announced a deal to make Logan Paul and KSI’s Prime Hydration its official sports drink.

• The Dodgers’ latest creator-driven event is named for hololive, the production company that first introduced Gura, Suisei, and Pekora to fans and has since fostered connections between its roster of 86 VTubers and top brands like Taco Bell and Red Bull.

The takeaway: Creators have become some of the most influential voices in sports—and the world of pro athletics is listening. Digital stars like Adam Waheed and Ryan Trahan served as the NFL’s “reporters on the scene” at Super Bowl LVIII, while others have forged connections with the NBA and the UFC. Now, VTubers are getting in on the action.

🔆 GIVEAWAY 🔆

Ready to win two free tickets to VidCon? Check out Creator Logic’s 2024 sweepstakes:

Your opportunity to connect with industry leaders at one of the biggest creator events of the year is only one click away.

To mark VidCon’s June 26-29 return to Anaheim Convention Center, Creator Logic is giving away two Industry Track tickets to the big event. 🎉

Those free Industry Track tickets will give you and a pal access to all four days of VidCon 2024, including dedicated networking and peer-to-peer learning sessions.

And that’s only part of the prize: Creator Logic is also covering travel and accommodation with $1,000 cash—bringing the giveaway’s total value to a whopping $2,698.

Ready to take your shot?

Enter to win →

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• Applications are officially open for Cannes Lions’ 2024 Creator Pass, a new program that will bring creators face-to-face with the world’s top brands and thought leaders. (Tubefilter, Sponsored by Cannes Lions) 
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• OpenAI’s Safety and Security Committee has welcomed a controversial new member. The recruit in question: former NSA director Paul M. Nakasone. (The Verge)

• A TikTok-produced video series called “Off the Record” will further the platform’s mission to ”support artists at all points of their journey” by featuring stars like Shakira and Charlie XCX. (The Verge)
  
  

• Spotify is leveling up its advertising services. The listening platform has announced the launch of an in-house creative agency and the development of a new AI tool for brands. (TechCrunch)

COLUMNS • CREATORS ON THE RISE 📈

Viewers fell in love with Angela Rafuse’s grouchy old cat. Now, her TikTok-famous foundation saves pets across Canada.

The origins: Angela Rafuse didn’t think anyone would see her videos. She’d originally downloaded TikTok to support a friend’s account, and figured she might as well post a few videos of her “spicy” senior cat, Mackenzie, while she was on the platform.

• Rafuse had roughly three followers at the time, so she assumed her videos would essentially go unnoticed. Instead, hundreds of thousands of views and comments began pouring in.
  
  

• Curious cat lovers wanted to know more about Mackenzie: Why did the old girl have such a human name? How had she ended up in Rafuse’s care?

The epiphany: The answer was the best-case scenario in a situation that affects pets across the world. Rafuse’s grandfather had passed away, leaving behind his then-14-year-old cat (who he’d named Mackenzie).

• Rafuse was there to give the feline a home when she needed one, but she knew many senior-owned pets didn’t have such happy endings. So, with the support of her 30,000 TikTok followers, the creator founded My Grandfather’s Cat: a nonprofit dedicated to seamlessly rehoming cats whose owners have passed on or moved into nursing homes.

The outcome: These days, Rafuse is 100% dedicated to that cause, which she promotes on TikTok (~650K followers), Instagram (100K followers), and Facebook (17K followers). That social-first strategy has proven to be a crucial resource for the foundation; since its launch, My Grandfather’s Cat has found homes for 187 pets and expanded to include a food bank—called My Grandmother’s Pet Pantry—that provides 25 seniors with $200 worth of free pet food every season.

• Find out more about Rafuse’s journey and the founding of My Grandfather’s Cat here.

PLAYING MONOPOLY

Is YouTube‘s parent company using anticompetitive tactics to dominate TV?

The allegations: YouTube’s quest for TV screen domination is raising alarm bells among some watchdog organizations.

• In a letter sent to U.S. Department of Justice antitrust chief Jonathan Kanter, 11 regulatory groups claimed that YouTube improves its “prospects for living room dominance” through anticompetitive means. At the center of that argument: the pre-installation of YouTube on smartphones and smart TVs.
  
  

• The letter—which includes signatures from antitrust specialists at the American Economic Liberties Project and the open-internet champions of Demand Progress—presented the far-reaching influence of YouTube’s parent company, Alphabet, as a key component in its alleged monopoly:

The response: There’s one thing watchdog groups and YouTube agree on: the platform’s TV presence is growing at a breakneck pace. Earlier this year, YouTube announced that it gets one billion hours of daily watch time on TVs; now, the platform is capitalizing on all those eyeballs by introducing new products (including a video player for Shorts) and hyping up its TV viewership at ad-focused events like Brandcast.

• That seems to be the extent of YouTube’s common group with its watchdog adversaries. In a statement, a spokesperson for the platform argued that “anyone looking for something to watch can see this space is very competitive.”

The context: YouTube’s growing hold on TV viewers has attracted notice from advertisers, competitors, and watchdogs alike, but that doesn’t mean its underlying cause will top the DOJ’s list of priorities. The federal department is currently preparing for war against another platform—and the battle of the TikTok ban likely won’t leave much time for other investigations.

WATCH THIS 📺

Paddington Bear is jetting off to Peru

The movie: A beloved character is making his way back to theaters. After charming viewers in 2014 and 2017, Paddington Bear is set to tromp into cinemas on November 8 (with a marmalade sandwich in hand, of course).

• A trailer for the upcoming film promises plenty of wholesome fun—and a star-studded cast of supporting actors. Fans of The Favourite can look forward to seeing Olivia Coleman as a plucky nun, while Antonio Banderas will bring his signature charisma to the jungle as a wily boatman.
  
  

• Check out the full teaser here.

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Today's newsletter is from: James Hale, Emily Burton, Sam Gutelle, and Josh Cohen. Drew Baldwin helped edit, too. It's a team effort.