TOGETHER WITH

TGIF! It's the end of one wild week for top streamer Kai Cenat, who went from being banned on Twitch  to soaking up praise from Nicki Minaj.

GET WITH THE PROGRAM

Rooster Teeth’s Digital Creators Program is back for another round of mentorship and masterclasses

Last year, Rooster Teeth launched a  three-month mentorship program  “designed to identify and develop aspiring and emerging digital content creators to widen diverse, equitable, and inclusive representation."

The creators selected to participate in  that program —including ChelseaBytes, Christian Henley, DaGeecheeGamer, eyezcosplay, Katskratchh, Jabren, Girlthulhu, and Reem Eden—met with executives from Warner Bros. Discovery, worked on professional video sets, and filmed sponsored content with Rooster Teeth/Warner Bros. Discovery partners. By the end of their mentorship, the Digital Creators Program's first cohort had raised $10,000 for children’s charity org Extra Life.

Now, it's time for the program's leaders to select its second cohort.

Applications for the Digital Creators Program's second run opened yesterday and will close on May 7 at 11:59 p.m. PT. According to Rooster Teeth, creators selected for the program “will receive education and training on production, marketing, business development, technical skills, content development, branded content, partnerships, writing workshops, improv training, media training, and more."

Here's a rundown of the program's main perks:

• Mentorship, masterclasses, and workshops from an advisory council of execs, including Jennifer Dill (VP Gaming & Women’s Sports Strategy, WBD), Toren Weiner (VP Social, Food Network), and Geoff Ramsey (Founder, Rooster Teeth)
  
  

• Opportunities to shadow Rooster Teeth producers and appear on Rooster Teeth’s various content channels and podcasts
  
  

• A “talent showcase” displaying participants' work
  
  

• Potential eligibility for a one-year Rooster Teeth talent contract

Creators interested in joining the Digital Creators Programs' second cohort can check out the application form  here .

🔆 SPONSORED 🔆

Visit Epidemic Sound’s website → 

When editing feels endless, try these 2 creator-friendly hacks:

As the #1 destination for social media-ready music,  Epidemic Sound  is dedicated to helping creators make the most of their content. That’s why their team linked up with creators Sorelle Amore and Shameless Maya to discover the best editing hacks in the biz.

Here’s how Sorelle and Maya make every cut count:

Tip #1: Choose your music first 🎵 
Sorelle: "I need to have the music first, to help pace the edit. I choose my music using either ‘mood’ or ‘genre’” to search through Epidemic Sound’s royalty-free catalog. Want to give Sorelle’s process a try? Visit Epidemic Sound’s website to  sign up for a free trial today .

Tip #2: Combine raw footage with produced shots 📹
Maya: ​"My first tip is to open with footage from my phone; it’s raw, it’s organic, it’s in the moment… It’s not produced. The next step is to go from the non produced, organic shot to something a bit more structured.”

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• Nintendo‘s latest indie games showcase included a teaser for Animal Well, an upcoming title from the publishing company  co-founded by YouTube game reviewer Dunkey . (Tubefilter)
  
  

• Buzzfeed CEO Jonah Peretti has announced the closure of Buzzfeed News amid  layoffs that will reduce the company's workforce  "by approximately 15%." (The Verge)
  
  

• Twitter removed the majority of blue checkmarks from  non-paying accounts yesterday , signaling the end of verification for users not subscribed to Twitter Blue. (TechCrunch)
  
  

• Meta’s Oversight Board has released a report encouraging the social media giant to  update its misinformation policies  in light of public health concerns. (The Verge)

DATA • YOUTUBE MILLIONAIRES 📈

This "Lost Kardashian" has mastered the art of celebrity impressions

First things first: Yuri Lamasbella's  celebrity impressions  come from the heart. The TikTok-slash-Instagram creator has perfected the art of creating Kardashian-themed comedy without mocking her subject—because at the end of the day, Lamasbella is the famous family's biggest fan.

In fact, she's pretty sure that adoration is the key to her on-point impressions:

 Lamasbella  grew up watching the Kardashians' reality TV shows with her sister, but it wasn't until March 2021 that she posted her first viral parody. Back then, the creator was still relatively new to short-form video and had only been on TikTok for about a year. Now, Lamasbella says her "content strategy is focused on TikTok. TikTok is the center of it, and then everything else is repurposed on other platforms."

That TikTok-centric approach has paid off in a big way. In addition to scoring brand deals with companies like Urban Decay and Hulu, Lamasbella has built up a loyal fanbase of 3.8 million followers on TikTok—and she's not slowing down anytime soon.

• In total, the creator has accumulated more than 105 million likes on TikTok.

• Lamasbella is a hit on  Instagram , too, where her account now claims 1.6 million followers.

• And on  YouTube ? The comedian's top three Shorts have each collected over 3 million views.

BY DESIGN

The Sorry Girls rounded up some killer design tips from the American and Canadian first ladies

As it turns out, U.S. First Lady Dr. Jill Biden and her Canadian counterpart, Mme. Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, have some  pretty great interior design ideas . The two first ladies sat down for a chat with YouTube DIY mavens The Sorry Girls on March 23, during the Bidens' official visit to the Canadian capital.

It wasn't long before the conversation turned to decor advice.

While The Sorry Girls co-founder Becky Wright and co-host Rachael Nyhuus turned their attention to redecorating a minimalist bedroom, co-founder Kelsey MacDermaid and producer Rochelle Gracey solicited design tips from Dr. Biden and Mme. Grégoire Trudeau. Their advice was hard to argue with: FLOTUS described using scents to awaken the senses of her guests and stressed the importance of making room for exercise, while her northerly neighbor discussed the ways she incorporated Trudeau family heirlooms into her designs.

On a deeper level,  those conversations  aimed to promote interior design as a means of improving mental health. For Dr. Biden and Mme. Grégoire Trudeau—both of whom moved into government residences following their husbands' elections—the importance of decor came into play as they adjusted to their new homes. As Mme. Grégoire Trudeau put it, "the container…is historical, but the content is human. It’s us and it’s a family."

WATCH THIS 📺

Moonbug's latest spin-off is basically the cutest thing ever

You've heard of Cocomelon and Blippi. Now,  meet Minibods .

Moonbug Entertainment's latest channel is a spinoff of Oddbods, a popular YouTube franchise geared towards young viewers. Fans of the original series can look forward to seeing some familiar characters on  the Minibods channel . The show's first season will follow Bubbles, Jeff, Newt, Pogo, and Fuse (and a new friend named Lulu) as they face kid-friendly challenges in 39 seven-minute episodes.

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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.