TOGETHER WITH

Happy Thursday! The Library of Congress may have abandoned its mission to archive every tweet in existence, but it just added something far more important: the Super Mario Bros. theme song.

END OF AN ERA

Dream SMP players marked the server’s retirement with one final stream

As of April 10, the members of Dream SMP have  logged off the server  for the last time. It was a good run: in just three years, the Minecraft server launched numerous careers, including those of founders  Dream  and  GeorgeNotFound . The two streamers now rank among the internet's most popular gaming creators, with 31.5 million and 10 million YouTube subscribers, respectively.

Those flourishing careers have a lot to do with the end of Dream SMP.

Several Dream SMP participants have launched a  comedy group called The Sorry Boys , while member Karl Jacobs has taken an  ownership role at Misfits Gaming . Ranboo and Tubbo have both linked up with Misfits as well, and Dream himself is now pursuing in-person opportunities thanks to last year's face reveal. In other words: the group doesn't have much time to stream together anymore.

Nevertheless, creators like Dream, TommyInnit, and Tubbo came together this week for one last stream. It was an  emotional event . The crew took down the Ender Dragon in a six-minute battle before saying one more goodbye to former Dream SMP member Technoblade, who died of cancer  last year . Although this may be the last time the group visits Technoblade's in-game home, they and their fans have made it clear that both he and Dream SMP will never die.

🔆 SPONSORED 🔆

What makes the Nikon Z 30 a creator must-have? Just ask your favorite social media icons:

The Nikon Z 30 is more than just a camera. According to YouTube business entrepreneur  Erin On Demand , it’s a “one-stop-shop”—a creator toolkit loaded with 4K video features, powerful image stabilization technology, and wireless sharing capabilities so you can save time creating your vlogs and content.

Here’s what top creators love about  the Nikon Z 30 :

• Ashlynne Eaton: “The autofocus is so fast, even when I’m moving around the frame.” ⚡️ The Nikon Z 30 combines innovative eye-tracking tech with state-of-the-art autofocus and background blurring. Just hit record and do your thing—the Z 30 will handle the rest.

  
  

• LEGIQN (Jordan Payton): “The lowlight on this thing is absolutely bonkers.” 🔥 Creators need  a lightweight camera that can handle it all . That’s why the Z 30 is designed to capture crystal-clear audio and video that stays crisp in all lighting conditions.

  
  

• Brittany Lupton: “I love this camera because I can switch between a photo and a video super easily…” 🤳 Whether you’re shooting Shorts or taking selfies, the Z 30 has your back with an LCD screen that tilts all the way out and flips around.

And that’s only the beginning. Ready to discover everything else the Z 30 has to offer?

 Hit this button to learn more → 

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• After investing millions of dollars in hundreds of creators, Creative Juice is  opening up  about how recipients have utilized their funds. (Tubefilter)

• Former YouTube and Viacom exec Laurel Stier has joined Pinterest as its  Global Head of Originals . (Tubefilter)

• HBO Max and Discovery+ are fusing to become Max, a streaming service that Warner Bros. Discovery says will include  personalized recommendations and profile options  for kids, pre-teens, teens, and more. (TechCrunch)

• Major record label Universal Music Group has reportedly asked streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music to  block AI from accessing their platforms . (Gizmodo)

DATA • CREATORS ON THE RISE 📈

For this film buff, YouTube was always "the perfect playground"

Patrick Gavia was  always going to be a filmmaker . After spending his whole life dreaming about making movies, there was no other option. The only problem: when the time came to start his formal education, Gavia didn't get into film school.

Needless to say, that detail threw a wrench in his long-held plans.

Still, Gavia wasn't quite ready to give up. If he couldn't learn to make movies through scho/ol, he reasoned, he'd just have to find another way. The clear choice:  YouTube .

Gavia dedicated himself to studying everything he could about filmmaking. He worked at a content house, studied viral videos on YouTube, and then summoned the courage to launch his own channel.

It wasn't long before Gavia's self-taught education paid off. A video he posted about YouTuber Jake Paul and UFC president Dana White took off like a shot, gaining hundreds of thousands and then millions of views. In other words: Gavia had found his niche.

• Since posting that initial UFC video in late 2021, Gavia has added 15 more MMA-themed documentaries to his YouTube library.

• All that hard work has paid off in a big way: as of now, his videos have racked up more than 21 million views.

• Plus, Gavia's channel has attracted nearly 300,000 subscribers.

HEADED EAST

VidCon Baltimore added some local creators

VidCon's inaugural East Coast event is coming up this fall. Tickets are now on sale for VidCon Baltimore, which will welcome attendees between September 29 and October 1, 2023.

It's an event full of firsts.

September marks VidCon's first time venturing to a U.S. city other than Anaheim, and the Baltimore convention is already forging its own path. Although the two U.S. events have a few Featured Creators in common (including  SeanDoesMagic  and  Ranboo ), VidCon Baltimore also plans to highlight locally-based stars like  Rich Black Guy ,  CircleToonsHD , and  ContraPoints . Those East Coasters will be joined by some of the most familiar faces in online video, including  The Merrell Twins  and  Aimsey .

Tickets to the Baltimore event are also significantly cheaper: a one-day Community Track pass costs $39, and fans can get in on all three days of the action for $69. Online video professionals can access workshops, keynotes, and panels by picking up a $499 Industry Track pass. The  equivalent prices  for this year's VidCon Anaheim event are $65, $135, and $799.

VidCon Baltimore's affordability and alternate location will likely open up the convention to a whole new swath of attendees. VidCon SVP of Marketing and Communications Sarah Tortoreti noted the importance of that broadened accessibility when the event was first announced in September:

WATCH THIS 📺

Fans can now watch Brooklyn 99 in VR

Andy Samberg's lovable sitcom is one of the many Peacock shows now  available to viewers  on the Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest Pro (and yes, that includes The Office).

According to  the Meta Quest YouTube channel , viewers who download the Peacock app will be able to watch "over 90K hours of movies, shows, Originals, sports and more" through their VR headsets. Personally, we'd recommend starting with Poker Face.

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