TOGETHER WITH

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, a 75-day skateboarding odyssey has come to a satisfying conclusion. Jason Van Porppal raised awareness for his favorite sport by riding all the way from Los Angeles to New York—and donating 100 skateboards along the way.

CREATOR COMMOTION

Creators are going to greater and greater lengths to stand out (including by renting the Pyramids)

The world record: Nick DiGiovanni went all Willy Wonka to grab a Guinness World Record. The culinary creator made the world’s largest chocolate bar and donated the delicious result to children in Ecuador.

The casual rental contract: MrBeast rented out the Great Pyramids of Giza as part of a new video. Is Jimmy Donaldson on a Seven Wonders of the Ancient World Wide Tour? If so, he’ll have to recreate the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Statue of Zeus at Olympia, Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, Colossus of Rhodes, and Lighthouse of Alexandria. But we wouldn’t put it past him.

🔆 SPONSORED 🔆

Viral Nation just dropped its 2025 creator marketing playbook. Here are 3 trends to look out for next year:

The State of Influencer Marketing 2025 has arrived. Compiled by Viral Nation—an agency that represents 900+ creators across all platforms and verticals—the report gives brands an inside look at the trends that will define influencer marketing in 2025.

Here are 3 takeaways to keep in mind:

1. Brands will Favor Mid-tier Influencers. Posts with high engagement rates can lead to a 20% increase in sales and 4.3x higher ROI—and the smaller the influencer, the higher the engagement rates. In 2025, that advantage will increase the partnership appeal of small creators with 10K to 500K followers.

2. Longer Short-form Content Will Reshape Engagement. In response to updates on platforms like TikTok, creators are extending their narratives with videos lasting 3 to 10 minutes—and watching their engagement levels rise. 

3. The Creator Economy Will Redefine Hollywood. Viral Nation’s collaboration with Jackass director Trip Taylor and Sunny Skye Productions illustrates how creators are blurring the line between traditional entertainment and digital content.

Access Viral Nation’s full creator marketing playbook for free to discover insights on brand safety, scaling with intention, and 2025 campaign trends:

Download the full report →

LET’S TALK POLITICS

Politics as usual: Right-wing YouTubers follow the leader and the ACLU opposes the TikTok ban

The opposition: The American Civil Liberties Union (aka the ACLU) thinks the U.S. TikTok ban is a bad idea. On December 17, the org urged the U.S. Supreme Court to block the law that would force either a ban or divestiture of TikTok. After hearing oral arguments on January 10, it’ll be time for the highest court in the land to make the final call.

The political pundits: Right-wing YouTubers are wrapped up in South Korea’s political chaos and Mexico’s tense transition of power. Before South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol attempted to rule via martial law, he courted right-wing influencers on YouTube and parroted their misleading rhetoric. Now, those creators are feeling the backlash.

Mexico’s outgoing president left a similar power vacuum in the nation’s creator community. During Andrés Manuel López Obrador‘s tenure in office, he became one of the most popular world leaders on YouTube, and many other creators filed in behind him. Now that he has left his post, the situation is a bit trickier for those creators.

EVENT SCHEDULE

This week in creator happenings: The VTuber Awards, the Game Awards, and the Black Creator Academy

The award winners: Hololive creators crushed it at the VTuber Awards—but couldn’t show up to accept their trophies. Nine of the 22 trophies at the 2024 VTuber Awards went to streamers who are affiliated with Hololive, but apparently differing laws with regards to awards between the U.S. and Japan (where Hololive is based) made it difficult for those creators to celebrate their wins.

CaseOh, on the other hand, was front and center when he won the streamer category at the Game Awards. The creator known for Agar.io jokes and other bits of silliness had an effusive reaction when his name was called during The Game Awards. That’s right: CaseOh was absolutely cheesing.

The creator program: The Black Creator Academy is supporting up-and-comers in the Toronto area. As part of the program, Black youth in the Greater Toronto Area will get access to tools and support they can use to break into the $250 billion creator economy. Select participants will be eligible for $10,000 grants upon completion of the coursework.

WATCH THIS 🥵

Hot Ones sauces might not be as sweat-inducing as you think

The burning question: How hot are Hot Ones sauces, anyway? A lab test video shared on the Howtown channel found that most of the sauces on Hot Ones do not rank as high on the Scoville scale as advertised.

The exception is Da Bomb, which has been proven to be spicy enough to make many celebrities wriggle in their seats.

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