It's Sunday and here’s a handpicked selection of stories to give you a snapshot of trends, updates, business moves, and more from around the creator industry.
But first, Dunkin is following TikTok trends by introducing a 48-ounce “bucket” of coffee. TikTok already told us that men are always thinking about the Roman Empire. Now, they’ll be up so long that they’ll never stop thinking, period.
CREATOR COMMOTION
Maya Higa just became the first Twitch streamer to give a TED Talk on the mainstage.
Creators are breaking barriers and finding out what happens next
The TED Talk: Maya Higa is the first Twitch streamer to deliver a TED Talk on the mainstage. Higa adopted her typical conservationist message as she plugged her Alveus Animal Sanctuary in front of a packed house in Vancouver. After receiving a standing ovation, Higa described her TED presentation as “the most impactful experience of my life.” The animals she shelters may have their own ideas on that.
The influencer: A creator may be responsible for the launch of Substack’s gardening category. In a newsletter post, the green-thumbed influencer known as Carmen in the Garden wondered why Substack didn’t have a category dedicated to gardening content. The platform’s reply was apparently “you know what? That’s a great idea,” because Substack’s home and garden vertical is now live.
The Streisand effect: An accidental demonetization gave Tiny Grandma the Streisand effect. The adorable stop-motion animation hub found itself in trouble when its videos were incorrectly flagged as AI-generated content. That saga was resolved, and Tiny Grandma is now doing better than ever. Nothing can slow down this little kimchi-toting clay figure—not even a yellow dollar sign.
The return: Dhar Mann is thinking about “what happens next” with his company’s first podcast. Mann is maintaining his typically positive tone as he talks to guests about moments in their lives when they found themselves at a crossroads. The first episode of What Happens Next is slated to premiere on May 18.
THE BIZ
Spotify is adopting Apple’s podcast tech.
Spotify is adopting Apple’s tech and going head-to-head with YouTube
The copycat: Spotify likes Apple’s podcast technology so much that it’s adopting it for its own platform. As part of Apple’s podcast push, it introduced HLS (HTTP Live Streaming) technology, which makes the viewership of video podcasts more seamless. Spotify is now using that tech, too. In doing so, it will help creators expand reach while making cross-platform distribution more tenable.
The foundation: Susan Wojcicki’s family is honoring her memory by launching a foundation to research and detect lung cancer. Wojcicki tragically passed away less than two years after stepping down from her role as YouTube’s CEO. By establishing the Susan Wojcicki Foundation, the exec’s family will invest in early detection initiatives, with a particular focus on nonsmokers.
The partnership: Jomboy Media is the key to reaching younger baseball fans, and Under Armour is paying attention. The sportswear brand now has an official partnership with the irreverent baseball brand led by Jimmy O’Brien. As part of the deal, Under Armour will be the official sponsor of the Warehouse Games, Jomboy’s gauntlet of eclectic sports competitions.
The creator program: Target is linking up with LTK to relaunch its creator program. Target, like many brands, is setting up infrastructure that lets creators recommend items on personalized storefronts. Social shopping hub LTK is now involved with that effort, and that move could bring Target closer to the influencer recs it covets. A press release from the retailer claims that nearly 75% of U.S. consumers have purchased a product because of creator content.
The podcast data: Spotify is driving more consumption time than YouTube on podcast episodes. That claim comes from Podstock, which shared data comparing equivalent podcast episodes across Spotify and YouTube. The Spotify uploads averaged 1.5x more consumption time, and that finding held across 95% of the surveyed episodes.
MOVERS & SHAKERS
beehiiv’s podcast push is in full swing.
This week in the digital media biz…
The podcasting head: To double down on its podcast push, beehiiv is bringing in Ainsely Rossitto. After landing roles at Paramount and NPR, Rossitto will be Head of Podcasts at a company best known for its newsletter-building tools. In a statement, beehiiv CEO Tyler Denk discussed the “huge opportunity podcasts present.” "We are really putting a lot of firepower behind podcasts,” Denk said.
The Nothing exec: Shavone Charles’ post-TikTok career is taking her to Nothing. Charles, an exec and creator with experience across the social media industry, left her post at TikTok last year. For her next move, she’s headed to London-based youth culture brand Nothing, where she’ll be Global Head of Communications for a company that works with tastemakers like Charli XCX.
The Smosh CCO: Smosh looked to the world of MTV to find its first Chief Content Officer. In a newly-created role, MTV Entertainment Studios vet Cory Midgarden will oversee digital content, live events, casting, and other artistic matters for a comedy brand that has been operating on YouTube for more than 20 years. Midgarden will report to Smosh’s CEO, Alessandra Catanese.
WATCH THIS 👀
MatPat went back to the good old days.
MatPat revisited the ‘90s for an NFL reveal
The NFL collab: Matthew Patrick (aka MatPat) just traveled back to the 1990s to tell us who the Cleveland Browns will play next season.
With each passing NFL preseason, the slate of schedule release videos gets wackier and more creative. This year, the Browns paid homage to ‘90s VHS videos with a schedule reveal featuring MatPat, a gridiron take on Street Fighter, and not nearly enough sadness for a Browns-themed video.
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Today's newsletter is from: Emily Burton, Drew Baldwin, Sam Gutelle, and Josh Cohen.