TOGETHER WITH

Happy Halloween! While kiddos prep for trick-or-treating, Google is facing a spooky query of its own: does paying to be Apple’s default engine count as playing monopoly?

FEELIN’ SPARKY

The Five Nights at Freddy’s movie was made for gamers and YouTube viewers—not film critics

The film adaptation of Five Nights At Freddy’s is here at last. The movie—which is based on a YouTube-favorite horror game of the same name—was an instant hit for many fans, who were pleased to see their favorite creators grace the screen.

FNAF featured cameos from two creators who played a critical role in popularizing the original game on YouTube. Let’s Play star CoryxKenshin and Matthew ‘MatPat’ Patrick played a cab driver and a waiter, respectively, with MatPat delivering his signature Game Theorists line: “It’s just a theory.” Moviegoers also recognized the faces of five additional Let’s Play gamers: Bazamalam, 8-bit Ryan, Razzbowski, Dawko, and FusionZGamer all appeared on an Employees of the Month posters at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria.

Those easter eggs were designed with a very specific audience in mind.

During its opening weekend, FNAF reeled in $78 million at the North American box office and $130 million globally. Those numbers earned the film the biggest domestic debut of any movie released during Halloweekend, and gave Blumhouse its most lucrative international opening of all time. FNAF diehards were overwhelmingly happy with the film, too: on Rotten Tomatoes, audience members gave the film a score of 88%.

Critics were less impressed. While fans praised FNAF on Rotten Tomatoes, only 26% of reviewers gave the adaptation a positive score. Those stats support a theory posed by creator Charlie ‘Moist Cr1TiKaL‘ White on YouTube: the new FNAF film is meant for long-time fans—not film critics.

🔆 SPONSORED 🔆

How does Spotter’s creator funding process really work? Check out this 3-step guide to find out:

As a YouTuber, expanding your brand is a big step. That’s where Spotter comes in—with invaluable YouTube performance insights, personalized guidance, and funding deals ranging from $100,000 to $50 million.

Here’s how you can fund your next steps with Spotter:​

Step 1: Check out the website to see what top creators have to say 💬
Spotter’s website is full of FAQs and creator stories. MrBeast’s take on Spotter is short and sweet: “it is—in my opinion—a great way just to get money in the bank.”

Step 2: Get in touch with the team 🤝
​Fill out a quick online contact form​ and Spotter experts will reach out ASAP. Here’s how Airrack described Spotter’s fast-paced process: “They were ready to give me the money that they had offered me within like two business days, and they understood that this industry moves quickly.” 

Step 3: Spend your fresh funding however you choose 💸
With Spotter, you’re free to use your new capital to reinvest in yourself. In fact, Lizzy Capri put her Spotter funds to good use by “building out a whole studio warehouse where my team can work and grow.”

Ready to get started with Spotter?

Visit the website to learn more →​

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• All-ages YouTube hub Toys and Colors was the only U.S. channel on the platform to hit 500 million weekly views over the last full week of October. (Tubefilter)
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• YouTube’s streak of problem-free NFL Sunday Ticket streams hit a stumbling block this week, with many viewers reporting lags and buffering.  (Ars Technica)
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• FaZe Clan co-owner Nick “Nickmercs” Kolcheff has confirmed that he plans to host gambling streams as part of his lucrative contracts with Kick and Stake.com. (The Verge)
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• The Biden Administration has issued a “first-of-its-kind artificial intelligence executive order” that calls on AI companies to share safety report results and establish new security measures. (Gizmodo)

DATA • GOSPEL STATS 📈

October’s final round of top branded videos brought the heat 🌶️

The latest Gospel Stats Weekly Brand Report is in, and that means we have seven days of sponsored videos to review. You’ll find literally thousands of YouTube rankings over at Gospel Stats, but for now, here’s a sneak peek at the week’s top-viewed branded clips:

🥇 AMP x Air Up: AMP SPICY QUESTIONS 2
For the second time this month, a video sponsored by Air Up claimed the #1 spot in our Top 5 Branded list. The water bottle company followed up a speed-crazed sponsorship with Airrack by supporting the members of AMP through a round of burning questions and spicy wings.

🥈 Veritasium x Brilliant: How One Line in the Oldest Math Text Hinted at Hidden Universes
Brilliant had a pretty solid month, too. For the third week running, a clip sponsored by the online course provider earned a place among YouTube’s top-viewed branded videos. In other words: Brillliant’s plan to reach students by sponsoring educational videos is…well, brilliant.

🥉 Wendover Productions x Rocket Money: South Africa’s Slow, Inevitable March Towards Collapse
The economic decline of an entire country might seem like a heavy subject for a sponsored clip, but Rocket Money isn’t objecting. The “budget tracking and planning” app scored a shout-out from Wendover Productions by sponsoring a video that reminded viewers exactly how catastrophic financial instability can be. In The Bag? Quincy & Emmanuel Try To Discover Sophia’s Hidden Passion

Want even more data on sponsored YouTube content? Check out Gospel Stats to find out which brands are sponsoring up-and-coming creators and top stars.

BUCKET LIST

Jesser is bringing a Spotify vet on board to lead his sports brand to victory

Jesser is following up the launch of his very own sneaker line with a major hiring announcement. The creator—whose real name is Jesse Riedel—has tapped NBCUniversal vet Zach Miller to serve as the first-ever President of his sports brand, Bucketsquad. Miller will take the lead in areas like content subscription, international syndication, and retail, giving Jesser the freedom to focus his attention on content production.

Miller’s experience as Spotify’s Head of Content Strategy & Business Development makes him a clear choice to lead the fast-growing Bucketsquad brand, which claims to have doubled its revenue year-over-year. His onboarding is also good news for Marko Preocanin, an exec that Miller describes as the “creative glue that brings our videos to life.”

In the wake of Miller’s hiring, Preocanin will take on the title of Senior Executive Producer at Bucketsquad.

WATCH THIS 📺

Death by chocolate and steak? We can’t think of a better way to go.

From Sweeney Todd-inspired steaks to death-by-chocolate cake, it’s hard to object to a Halloween filled with spooky treats. TikToker @karissaeats agrees: earlier this week, the creator put a scary spin on her usual cuisine-focused video format by “eating at the spookiest restaurants in New York City.”

The resulting bites are everything Halloween foodies could hope for. If you’re a New Yorker, make sure to hit the save button—and don’t forget to don a costume for your culinary night out.

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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.