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 group of YouTubers built a Trojan Horse to sneak into a showing of The Odyssey. Listen kids, if you’re going to recreate plot points from Homerian epics, just make sure you’re well-equipped for any potential encounters with the cyclops Polyphemus.

CREATOR COMMOTION

The creator nuptials: Congrats to the newlyweds, Jimmy Donaldson and Thea Booysen. The man known as MrBeast married his South African bride during a ceremony held on Richard Branson’s private island. We do know that Booysen looked fabulous in her custom gown, though we don’t know whether she will adopt “MrsBeast” as an official title.

The fundraiser: Jacksepticeye is turning Thankmas into a year-round occasion. The popular Irish gamer took a break from his annual charity drive last year, but Thankmas is back in a big way in 2026. Jacksepticeye is partnering with the Make-a-Wish Foundation for a six-month event titled Wishmas, which aims to raise $3 million for charity.

The deck: Colin Rocker’s deck of prompts can help you break the ice. Rocker, a creator who focuses on business-related topics, has released a deck of conversation prompts called First Round. You can expect to see the cards put to use at For The Firsts, the network community Rocker operates out of New York City.

The toy titans: After becoming one of the most-watched family channels on YouTube, Toys and Colors is partnering with Bonkers Toys to bring a line of colorful playthings to retail aisles at Target. Like with all things Toys and Colors, the brand’s first product line is focused on providing a mix of educational merit and unbridled fun.

And speaking of the toy aisle, Aphmau is there, too. One of the biggest names in the internet Minecraft community is also teaming up with Bonkers Toys. Starting in August, shoppers will be able to get their hands on Aphmau toys, many of which are inspired by the creator’s love of cats. Just before the line launches, Aphmau will promote it during an appearance at San Diego Comic-Con.

The acquisition: Co-founded in 2025 by CEO Jonathan Chanti and Partner Brad Morris, Reign Maker Group is a next-generation holding company operating at the intersection of talent, media, and marketing. The company builds and scales creator-led businesses by combining strategic advisory, talent representation, brand partnerships, and original content development under one integrated platform. 

Now, Reign Maker Group is acquiring a majority stake in creator talent management company Hyphen, which was co-founded in April by Victoria Bachan and Alicia Rose. 

Chanti says Reign Maker Group was drawn to Hyphen due to its profit-sharing model, which gives both talent and managers financial stakes in the agency.

The structure: That model, Chanti says, echoes Reign Maker Group’s own approach. 

When the company brings in a talent manager under its Reign Maker Talent arm, they get a slice of Reign Maker Group ownership. Subsidiaries—which include The Now Agency—also get stakes in Reign Maker Group.

Check out our full interview with Chanti here.

POP CULTURE MINUTE

The campaign: The Guild movie has raised $3.7 million (and counting) on Kickstarter. The revival of Felicia Day‘s role-playing sitcom blew past its fundraising goal of $1.5 million. Thanks to the enthusiastic response, The Guild fans will get to see a classic web series adapted for the big screen, with Day and most of the other original cast members set to reprise their roles.

The event: Dhar Mann brought a Minions and Monsters premiere event to Hollywood. At the TCL Chinese Theater, Mann joined forces with Jordan and Salish Matter to, in Mann’s own words, “treat a movie premiere like a creator event.” The YouTube moralist’s yellow suit was the icing on the cake, even if he was missing the matching overalls.

The collab: There’s another creator film in theaters (this time with AI). On YouTube, Zack London‘s imaginative short films have brought more than 1.4 million subscribers to his Gossip Goblin channel. London’s fully AI feature Gods Don’t Give Gifts will hit “several hundred movie theaters” later this year as studios and chains look to capitalize on the success of Backrooms and Obsession.

THE BIZ

The signings: Volt Factor, which is looking to turn creator brands into multiplatform IP, has announced a wave of signings. Its new partners include channels like What’s Up Moms and Triple Charm, both of which reach millions of subscribers on YouTube and beyond.

The unionization effort: Theorist Media employees speak out on unionization push. Workers at the company formerly led by MatPat told Aftermath that they wish to join unions to “raise professional standards and bring them in line with the broader entertainment industry.” So far, current Theorist parent company Lunar X has not recognized the union.

The eye on crime: PAVE Studios is eyeing true crime as it expands its roster. Like Volt Factor, PAVE’s focus is centered around the development of creator-led IP. The latest partners for that effort include big names from categories like true crime and law content, such as YouTuber Kimbyrleigha and lawyer/TikToker Reb Masel. With PAVE’s assistance, those creators will seek new horizons in areas like audio, video, and live events.

The agency deal: There are very few creators who can say that they’ve gotten more weekly views than MrBeast, but Alejo Igoa is one of them. By harnessing some of MrBeast’s strategies, the Argentine sensation has become one of the world’s most titanic influencers, and his reward for that glow-up is a deal with major talent agency WME.

The musical act: Fans of ish’s Minecraft civilization videos may remember Schpood’s tenure as a pixelated Roman emperor. Now, he’s back with a Minecraft-set rendition of Hamilton, which was reportedly recorded in one take.

The audience loved it, and as for the rest of us? Well, no one else was in the server where it happened.

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