TOGETHER WITH

It’s Thursday and Meta isn’t too popular with meemaws right now. As it strives to modernize, the company has promised creators that the 2024 version of Zuck’s OG platform is “not your mom’s Facebook.”

CAPITAL IDEAS

EYstreem’s YouTube production company has $5 million and a plan

The plan: After scoring a $5 million investment from Spotter, Spawnpoint—a production company founded by Minecraft streamer EYstreem in 2010—is poised to open a multimillion studio in Melbourne, Australia.

• That space won’t resemble anything the creator economy has seen before. Thanks in part to EYstreem’s origins as a creator, Spawnpoint’s setup is an unorthodox one: the production company builds Minecraft and Roblox-centric YouTube channels from scratch, taps a design team to create in-game sets, and then casts rising Australian actors to host.
  
  

• Spawnpoint’s upcoming studio will streamline that process with everything from gaming booths and automated camera/lighting rigs to an IRL space with a kitchen set and a cyclorama:

Why it matters: Spawnpoint’s ongoing growth is a masterclass in the benefits of investing in creators. Alongside its new studio, Spawnpoint has poured funds from Spotter into salaries and bonuses for its cast and crew, who EYstreem (aka Jordan Barclay) calls “the lifeblood of the company.”

• As of now, Spawnpoint has over 80 employees and produces 30+ videos a month for its six proprietary channels (EYstreem, EYstreem Reacts, Firelight, FirelightGamez, Sponty, and Milo and Chip), which have collectively attracted more than 3.5 billion views and 3.4 million subscribers. (Two additional channels are currently in development.)
  
  

• According to Barclay, Spawnpoint’s channels have been responsible for generating YouTube’s top-watched Australian-produced gaming content every year since 2021. Now—thanks to Spotter’s creator-focused funding—the company will ensure its crew members have everything they need to thrive.

🔆 SPONSORED 🔆

beehiiv’s new Creator Accelerator will turn 5 creators into newsletter moguls. Have you submitted your application?

Email isn’t dead. In fact, it’s the fastest way for creators to grow monetizable audiences.

The proof is in the pudding: thousands of creators and entrepreneurs have expanded and monetized their following using beehiiv’s revolutionary creator newsletter platform. 

With requests flooding in from creators and celebrities, beehiiv’s team knew the time was ripe for the world’s next legendary newsletter—or the next 5 legendary newsletters. Their answer to all that demand: 

An exclusive Creator Accelerator designed to help 5 creators build successful newsletters from scratch.

Soo…what exactly is a creator accelerator? beehiiv will be helping 5 creators with everything they need to expand their brand into email and create a phenomenal newsletter, including:

• A world-class newsletter design and template ✨

• VIP editorial, writing, and promotional support 🤝

• 1:1 consulting and content strategy services 💻

• Growth and recommendation pairing with other top talent 💬

• A dedicated success manager 🦸

HOW: Applications are now open—but they won’t be available for long. Hit the link below to learn more and submit your application for beehiiv’s Creator Accelerator:

Apply now →

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• Last week, the entire contents of PlayStation‘s latest State of Play event were leaked online. Now, one reporter speculates that a YouTube insider might be responsible. (Tubefilter)
  

• Influencer marketing agency BENlabs’s says its “strategic restructure” will include layoffs affecting “many” staffers and the appointment of a new CEO. (Tubefilter)
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• YouTube has updated its firearms policy to prevent viewers under the age of 18 from seeing content that shows homemade or automatic guns. (Engadget)
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• Ms. Rachel’s controversial Cameo fundraiser has left users and creators wondering whether the platform’s policies are flexible enough to accommodate top digital stars. (TechCrunch)

COLUMNS • CREATORS ON THE RISE 📈

This actor has been “chronically online since the day that AOL came out”

The creator: Retro Avocado had a good thing going. She was “killing it” in the Atlanta theater scene and on the brink of living out her dreams in New York…until COVID hit.

• With the world shut down and acting opportunities reduced to nil, Retro Avocado went looking for a new creative outlet. Along the way, she “discovered a love for creating short-form content” and a knack for turning millennial nostalgia into viral hits
  
  

• Four-odd years later, Retro Avocado’s ability to evoke the comfort of simpler times has earned her over 267K followers on TikTok. Here’s a snapshot of our chat with her:

Tubefilter: For people reading this who aren’t familiar with you, give me a little bit about your background…

Retro Avocado: “I was an early adopter—or, should I say, chronically online since the day that AOL came out. Even back then as a kid, I was always interested in computers and social media and whatever iterations that existed from the beginning of time.”

Tubefilter: Most people who do nostalgia content are like, “This was my childhood and I’m sharing it with you,” but it seems like you’re using this as a healing journey.

Retro Avocado: “I wouldn’t say 100% is like that…what I’m trying to do, is transcending even pop culture into capturing that feeling that you had while you were living at that time beyond just, ‘Oh, what was the popular music?’”

Tubefilter: What’s been your favorite part of being on TikTok?

Retro Avocado: “I find it really fulfilling to be able to just be a safe, comforting place for someone to just feel the warm and fuzzy feelings and just have a smile and a laugh.”

DATA • U.S. TOP 100 📈

U.S. Top 100: MaxPreps is still scoring mad views after 22 years on the court

The month: It’s safe to say that May was a month of mainstays. Chart regulars like MaviGadget, MrBeast, and Toys and Colors topped the monthly rankings by scoring 1.8 billion or more views apiece—but at least one newcomer still managed to make a splash.

The channel: MaxPreps has been a big name in high school sports since 2002, but May 2024 marked its first entrance into our U.S. Top 100 chart. The athletic channel snagged a spot at #97 by combining two beloved YouTube content categories: high-adrenaline game highlights and heartwarming Shorts.

The stats: That strategy has earned MaxPreps plenty of points over the last two years, with one particularly viral Short earning more than 133 million views since its 2022 upload date. Now, the hub’s game plan is paying dividends:

• In May alone, MaxPreps scored a whopping 320.2 million monthly views.
  

• That 31-day haul added up to an impressive 70% month-over-month increase.
  

• The result: MaxPreps is quickly approaching a lifetime total of 4.5 billion views.

Check out our full Top 100 list here for more info on May’s most-watched U.S. channels.

WATCH THIS 📺

Prepare yourself for the coziest creator/brand collab of all time

The partnership: It doesn’t get better than hand-knit frogs in matching pajama sets. For Apple TV’s latest creator collab, the streamer tapped fiber artist India Rose Crawford to recreate scenes from the upcoming season of Frog and Toad.

• The result: a stop-motion masterpiece that had us booting up Apple TV within the first ten seconds. Check out the full amphibious love story here.

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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.