TOGETHER WITH

It’s Thursday and a YouTube Music search tool is making the most of Android users’ humming skills. If you can find the beat, YouTube can find the song.

DYNAMIC DUO

From a Kevin Hart collab to the “creator Hunger Games,” Kai Cenat has big plans for the future

The stream: It’s been a big month for Kai Cenat. After dying 17,000 times during a weeklong Elden Ring playthrough, the streamer came back with a vengeance for a four-hour Twitch stream with comedian and actor Kevin Hart.

• 400,000 viewers tuned in on Thursday to watch Hart and Cenat exchange comedic “gifts” and show off some serious dance moves. A VOD of the stream has also garnered 4.5 million views on YouTube, where at least 12,000 fans agreed that Cenat is “literally a younger version” of Hart (per @HannahBrielle).
  
  

• That comparison jives with the streamer’s plans for the future. Last year, Cenat told A Safe Place co-hosts Lil Yachty and MitchGoneMad that his ultimate goal is “acting full-time” in movies and shows.

What’s next: In the meantime, Cenat is turning his full attention to the production of bigger and better streams. The Twitch record-breaker has encouraged viewers to watch out for playthroughs of roguelike games like Sekiro and the Dark Souls trilogy, as well as a “creator Hunger Games” featuring “drones,” “combat suits,” and 50 influencers.

Why it matters: Cenat may be eager to break into Hollywood, but Hollywood seems just as anxious to harness the attention of his 10.7 million Twitch followers. Cenat’s channel has become a coveted promotional stop for stars like Hart, 21 Savage, and Nicki Minaj, indicating a growing overlap between traditional media and the creator economy. Now, fans of Cenat and Hart are crossing their fingers that the duo’s next team-up will be a feature-length affair.

🔆 SPONSORED 🔆

Explore the Cannes Lions 2024 Creator Pass: The first Cannes Lions program designed for the creator economy

In partnership with social-first marketing and talent agency Viral Nation, Cannes Lions is introducing The Creator Pass: an exclusive learning experience that will showcase the power of creator-led marketing—and your contributions as a creator—to the world’s biggest brands.

Unmissable talks from industry-leading speakers:

Hear directly from creative leaders and talent driving the change for a new era of social media for good. BBC Studios’ Marianna Spring is joined by Founder of Final Straw Productions Joe Sugg, comedian Munya Chawawa, and GK Barry as they discuss how to navigate backlash and use creativity to cut through the noise.

Digital educator Kahlil Greene, aka the ‘Gen Z Historian’, will be talking about how brands can empower and uplift creators—building bridges, not barriers.

Watch it unfold.

Get your pass and be part of it.

Space is limited, so submit your application now:

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HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• Alphabet and Meta are reportedly holding conversations with Hollywood studios in the hope of licensing productions to train AI video generation software. (Tubefilter)
  

• According to a recent report from Epidemic Sound, 65% of surveyed creators believe a TikTok ban would hurt their ability to monetize content. (Tubefilter)
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• Elon Musk’s xAI startup has raised $6 billion in a Series B funding round that included contributions from Valor Equity Partners, Vy Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, and Sequoia Capital. (TechCrunch)
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• A lawsuit filed by families of shooting victims at Robb Elementary School claims that Meta and Call of Duty publisher Activision "knowingly exposed the shooter to the weapon [he used].” (Engadget)

HOT DIGGITY DOG

Welcome to Chonkfest: a Philly-based pawpalooza hosted by the internet’s favorite corgis (and their humans)

The big event: Chris Equale and Bryan Reisberg are letting the dogs out. The two creators—who you may know as the dog dads behind internet-famous corgis Hammy and Maxine—have joined forces with Philadelphia-based bar Bark Social to host “the best dog party in history.”

• That three-day festival, called Chonkfest, is set to run from June 14-16 at Bark Social. Dog lovers who get their paws on tickets will enjoy offerings like a dog-safe pool, a comedian, a ball pit, caricature artists, food trucks, cocktails, guest appearances from famous pups, and a (hopefully) record-breaking dog yoga session.
  
  

• According to Equale, only a “small amount” of those tickets—which start at $35 apiece—still remain. Passes to Chonkfest went on sale last week and (per a post from Equale) sold “thousands” on their first day available.

The context: It’s no surprise that pet parents are eager to attend Euqale and Reisburg’s pawpalooza. The former creator has built Hammy’s digital presence to more than 15 million followers across platforms like TikTok and YouTube, while 1.3 million fans currently follow Maxine’s Instagram account. Reisburg has also leveraged his pup’s growing popularity to launch his own dog accessories company, Little Chonk. Now, Chonkfest will bring Hammy and Maxine’s most devoted fans together under one proverbial roof.

The statement:

LISTEN UP 🎙️

This week on the podcast…

OpenAI vs. the World: It’s been a tough month for OpenAI. The ChatGPT parent company faced major backlash last week after releasing an AI voice that supposedly sounds just like Marvel actress Scarlett Johansson—and that’s only one of the controversies on OpenAI’s plate.

• Tune into the latest installment of Creator Upload to find out why YouTube has OpenAI in its sights (and stick around to hear all about Brandcast, Linktree’s latest user milestone, and host Josh Cohen’s recent speaking gig at Nintendo).
  
  

• You can find the full episode right here on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

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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.