TOGETHER WITH

This Tuesday, an unlikely mystery has captured the internet's attention: Where is Lofi Girl and why has she disappeared without a trace ?

GO GREEN

Pinterest is expanding its creator fund to shine a light on sustainability

Creators in Canada, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and France will soon have  a chance to participate  in Pinterest's Creator Inclusion Fund. Since  launching in 2021 , the fund has provided quarterly mentoring opportunities and lump sums of cash to dozens of creators from the U.S., U.K., and Brazil.

Creators won't have to wait long to see the fruits of that expansion. Fund cycles will open in the U.K., Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and France later this year, while applications for the first North American cycle of 2023 are already open to U.S. and Canada-based creators, independent publishers, digital magazines, and content collectives.

 According to Pinterest , that North American cycle will focus on sustainability (“since people on Pinterest are actively looking for ways to be more eco-conscious") by prompting selected participants to create a variety of content on themes like upcycling, foraging, farming, thrifting, and gardening.

North American creators hoping to take part in Pinterest's sustainability-themed fund cycle can submit their applications  here  until 9 PM PT on April 13.

🔆 SPONSORED 🔆

What happens when YouTubers have the freedom to create without compromise? Colin & Samir joined forces with Spotter to find out.

Spotter has invested over $740 million in creators since 2019—and they’re not hitting the pause button anytime soon. In fact,  Spotter’s team of experts  is obsessed with helping video creators achieve financial and creative freedom. That’s why they’ve teamed up with YouTube duo Colin & Samir to figure out where creators need the most support—whether that means data-driven optimization resources, exclusive YouTube insights, or immediate capital.

Here’s what Colin & Samir discovered:

• Overall, 25% of Spotter investments have been dedicated to producing new videos 🎥

• 21% of those funds were allocated to studio purchases 🏬

• Another 13% supported brand-building initiatives and creator products 👕

• And finally, 9% of Spotter payouts went towards towards hiring editors 👨‍💻

The result: Spotter has helped more than 1,100 channel partners grow their brands and expand their businesses—with the  full financial and creative freedom  they deserve. That freedom is an integral part of every single Spotter deal, whether there’s $100,000 on the table or $50+ million. Because when YouTubers partner with Spotter, they can spend their new funds to grow their channel or business.

Ready to join the ranks of Spotter partners like MissDarcei, MrBeast, and Airrack?

 Fund your future with Spotter →​ 

HEADLINES IN BRIEF

• Art for Kids Hub, a family-friendly channel that reaches nearly 7 million YouTube subscribers, has  signed with A3 Artists Agency . (Tubefilter)
  

• Creative Juice has invested millions in creators since 2021, giving  70% of funding recipients  the ability to grow their teams by hiring staff. (Tubefilter)
  

• According to recent reports, President Biden's latest attempt to appeal to young voters could include the creation of  an exclusive briefing room  for influencers. (Gizmodo)
  

• YouTube Premium will now offer improved video quality and the ability to  watch videos with friends  over FaceTime via SharePlay. (TechCrunch)

DATA • GLOBAL TOP 50

This South African creator is proving that some childhood experiences are 100% universal

Ryan HD knows  a thing or two  about harnessing the power of nostalgia. The South African creator (whose real name is  Ryan Lombard ) has risen to the upper echelons of the YouTube charts by acting out common  childhood experiences  and cringe-worthy family moments.

 This Short  compiling all the "things we did as children for no reason," for instance, has scored the creator a whopping 52 million views since December 2022. Lombard's short-form success doesn't stop there. The sketch comedian has experienced rapid growth since launching his YouTube channel in 2019.

This past week was no exception.

Lombard kicked off April by more than doubling his week-over-week viewership. In fact, the creator's latest seven-day view count was high enough to top long-time chart stalwarts like Vlad & Niki and Kids Diana Show.

• With 229.7 million weekly views, the Shorts star became the first creator from sub-Saharan Africa to crack the worldwide ranking this year.

• That massive weekly total shot Lumbard's channel up to 39th place in the  Global Top 50 .

• And overall? The YouTuber now claims a  lifetime view count  of over 537 million.

IT’S GOT THE JUICE

Unspeakable and Aphmau have joined forces to create a lo-fi-inspired juice brand

Walmart officially  has the juice  thanks to creators Unspeakable and Aphmau. The duo's newly-launched kids’ juice brand, JuiceBlox, went on sale April 8 across 4,500 U.S. Walmart locations.

It's a match made in lo-fi heaven.

Night (aka the talent management company that reps both Unspeakable and Aphmau) says that the pair was “sought after by Walmart,” which is looking to bring in more creator-led brands after the successes of MrBeast’s Feastables and Ryan’s World toys. With its lo-fi design and health-conscious ingredients list, JuiceBlox fits nicely into the retailer's existing niche of creator-branded products. Shoppers who indulge in the occasional plant-based  Quinoa Crunch  Feastables bar, for instance, might be just as likely to gravitate towards JuiceBlox products, which are billed as 100% juice with no added sugar and non-GMO ingredients.

Once purchased, JuiceBlox products also offer a fun surprise for kids: each box comes with a QR code that, when scanned, will take consumers to creator-led minigames “for a chance to win meet-and-greets, free merch from creators, or monetary awards." That ingenious combination of clean ingredients, Roblox-style visuals, and familt-friendly games was dreamed up in part by Night, which helped develop JuiceBlox through its venture studio Night Labs.

WATCH THIS

After an eventful Wrestlemania 39, Logan Paul has renewed his contract with the WWE

Logan Paul's  first year of wrestling  has come to a dramatic conclusion. The creator-turned-fighter  took on WWE icon Seth Rollins  during this month's Wrestlemania 39 and even got an assist from fellow creator KSI (who also happened to be dressed as a human-sized Prime bottle).

Now, Paul has  announced the renewal  of his WWE contract—meaning fans can expect another riveting year of wrestling. And who knows: with the WWE and UFC set to merge, it's possible Paul could end up in the Octagon, too.

Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe here.​

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