TOGETHER WITH

It’s Thursday and Starbucks has already turned its baristas into creators. Now, those coffee-making stars are piloting TikTok’s new custom ad networks.

THE BIZ

The hiring spree: Since tapping Jeffrey Housenbold to lead Beast Industries, MrBeast has dropped some hefty hints about a planned brand marketing hub. Last year, the creator (aka Jimmy Donaldson) and Housenbold teased their brand/creator matchmaking service during an appearance at the New York Times‘ DealBook Summit.

To bring that rumored service to life, Donaldson will need an innovative team on his side—and he seems to have found it in Pietra, a venture-backed startup that recently launched an agentic AI solution.

According to Business Insider, Pietra Co-Founder and CEO Ronak Trivedi is one of a “significant” number of Pietra employees who have been hired by MrBeast’s company.

Pietra has raised millions by selling itself as a facilitator of creator-led product lines. That pitch appealed to Andreessen Horowitz, which was one of Pietra’s seed-round backers. To date, the startup has raised $36 million of VC funding.

The context: Donaldson’s decision to hire Pietra’s top talent—rather than contracting with the company or pursuing a similar type of partnership—tracks with Beast Industries’ recent power moves.

Donaldson has employed a few different hiring strategies at Beast Industries, but lately, he seems to prefer in-house expansion over external partnerships. Rather than risking a repeat of the MrBeast Burger debacle, Donaldson can port over entire teams that possess expertise in specific fields. His acquisition of Step, for example, seems as if it will form the foundation of a rumored financial services firm. (In Pietra’s case, Beast Industries isn’t acquiring Trivedi’s company. Instead, it will presumably continue on with a new CEO.)

Trivedi and his Pietra cohort will join a growing Beast Industries team that also includes Google alum Shiva Rajaraman. Development related to the brand-creator platform will occur at Beast Industries’ new product and engineering office in San Mateo, California.

Every year, VidSummit tickets sell out as top creators and industry pros prepare for a biz dev event like no other. 

With a fan-free environment and a speaker lineup dedicated to furthering your career, VidSummit is more than a creator industry conference. 

It’s where video creators and digital entrepreneurs discover how to dominate the industry—with exclusive insights from the world’s top experts.

Meet the speakers behind one of VidSummit’s hottest panels:

From September 29 to October 1, VidSummit 2026 will unite those digital pioneers and 70+ other expert speakers in Dallas, Texas to share actionable growth strategies you won’t discover anywhere else. 

Visit the website to claim your spot at VidSummit:

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

CREATOR COLLABS

The program: Lowe’s is adding another layer to its year-old Creator Network. New and long-term members of that network will now be able to develop their own Lowe’s products through a program called Lowe’s Creator: Into the Blue.

A press release explains that the new program puts creators in contact with Lowe’s product design and development teams. The participating creators will be able to pitch products ranging from existing items to new ideas to collaborations that make use of current Lowe’s products.

The context: In recent years, Lowe’s creator partnerships have looked to harness the ingenuity and resourcefulness of the YouTube community. A 2022 team-up with Jenn Im, for example, saw the lifestyle maven produce unique home décor looks inspired by items in Lowe’s Origin 21 line.

As Wilson noted, Lowe’s has also become a close ally of MrBeast. One of the initiatives to emerge out of that partnership is a series of workshops where kids can assemble build kits from MrBeast’s Lab Swarms toy line.

Now, another round of enterprising creators will have a chance to bring their products to Lowe’s shelves. Partners who have ideas for the new Into the Blue program can apply for access via the Lowe’s website.

AI WAVE

The Creator Studio: In 2023, Facebook sunsetted its three-year-old Creator Studio hub, which was absorbed into the Meta Business Suite. Now, Creator Studio is back—with an AI-powered integration.

In addition to crunching numbers and translating complex ideas into simpler terms, Meta’s new AI Assistant leverages personalized elements to draft posts and replies that match each creator’s distinct voice. Continued use will train the tool to better understand each user’s personality.

The middle ground: Skeptics may lament the arrival of yet another AI product, but Meta’s AI Assistant actually represents a more measured approach for the tech giant. Rather than generating creator likenesses to an uncanny degree, Meta is serving the majority of Americans who prefer to use AI as a supplementary service.

In an introductory post, for instance, creator Jen Hamilton lauded the AI Assistant’s utility, noting that “one of my biggest complaints with Facebook analytics or analytics in general has always been that I don’t know what to do with those numbers. So I really appreciate having something that can break it down for me.”

WATCH THIS 👀

The adaptation: For us old folks, a One Piece anime is nothing new. Toei Animation’s long-running adaptation has been airing since 1999, and doesn’t show any signs of stopping after Season 22.

Now, however, Netflix is getting in on the One Piece anime biz with a new series produced by WIT Studio. The streamer’s live-action take on the iconic manga has proven to be a smashing success. Add in the hype surrounding animated content like KPop Demon Hunters, and it’s no surprise Netflix is trying its hand at an anime revival of One Piece.

Fans new and old can check out a trailer for Netflix’s The One Piece here.

Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe here.​

Want to introduce your brand to Tubefilter’s audience? Sponsor the newsletter.

Today's newsletter is from: Emily Burton, Drew Baldwin, Sam Gutelle, and Josh Cohen.