TOGETHER WITH

Happy Monday to everyone except the Loch Ness monster! The elusive hooligan is still nowhere to be seen—despite an eventful weekend hunt that included everything from infrared cameras to drones.

NEBULA’S NEW RECRUIT

Nebula has a new chief content officer—and you should probably already know his name

The creator of Wendover Productions, Half as Interesting, and Jet Lag is headed to Nebula. Sam Denby will serve as the creator-owned streaming service’s new chief content officer—a position that will tap into his 13 years of experience as a YouTuber and entrepreneur. The creator has amassed more than 7 million subscribers across multiple channels since 2010, including through his flagship “edutainment”-style hub Wendover Productions.

Now, Denby will bring all that social media savvy to Nebula:

Nebula works with over 180 creators to produce exclusive content, so bringing on a veteran YouTuber like Denby as CCO just makes sense. In fact, Nebula says it selected Denby specifically for the purpose of highlighting “the company’s priority of keeping direction and power in the hands of its creators,” especially as “entertainment’s business model continues to buckle under fair-compensation pushback from artists and creatives alike.”

🔆 SPONSORED 🔆

Only one event unites the top 1% of creators and industry experts. Do you have your ticket to VidSummit 2023?

It’s time to become an industry insider—and who better to lead the way than top influencers like MrBeast, Zach King, Michelle Khare, Mindy McKnight, Colin Rosenblum, and Kwebbelkop?

From October 3-5, ​VidSummit 2023​ will bring together the top experts in online video for an exclusive, industry-only event.

In just over a month, dozens of leading brands, creators, and marketers will come together in Dallas, Texas to unravel the truth behind success in the creator economy—all in one room, for creators’ ears only. That means no fans, no meet and greets, and no overrun panels: just top influencers and sponsors sharing the real details of what they do.

The result: you’ll ​gain unfiltered insights​ into all corners of the creator economy.

With keynotes, panels, and round-tables spanning everything from generative AI to multi-million-dollar ad strategies and sponsorship optimization, VidSummit 2023 is the can’t-miss event of the year. Tickets are on sale now—so why wait to reserve your spot?

​Snag your ticket today →​

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• A roundtable hosted by Colin and Samir featured Streamy Award winners and nominees Cleo Abram, Ammar Kandil of Yes Theory, Michelle Khare, Zach King, and Ryan Trahan. (Tubefilter)
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• YouTube joined forces with MrBeast to give fans a chance to win “the Ultimate Sunday Golden Ticket” by hunting down 1,000 QR codes between August 25 and August 27. (Tubefilter)
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• Twitch and YouTube creator Kai Cenat has premiered Global Pursuit, a short film inspired by the action-comedy franchise Rush Hour. (Tubefilter)
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• A multi-city Misfits tour featuring Karl Jacobs, KreekCraft, and AustinShow will hit Miami, Houston, and Long Beach between October 7 and November 11. (Tubefilter)

DATA • MILLIONAIRES 📈

This zoologist talks about everything from spooky critters to the history of life on Earth

Lindsay Nikole went all out for her high school senior project. Instead of presenting a quick speech, she flew to South Africa, where she began volunteering at an animal sanctuary. It was there that the creator discovered her passion for big cats and other at-risk wildlife—a love she now shares with millions of fans every single week.

Lindsay Nikole followed up that slam-dunk senior project with a four-year zoology degree. The only problem: she graduated from college in 2020, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Global quarantine put the brakes on her budding career, so the newly-minted zoologist took her animal facts to TikTok.

It wasn’t long before Lindsay Nikole’s “bite-sized” educational videos began attracting legions of online fans. Her viral short-form clips made zoology accessible in a whole new way—but condensing the entire “History of Life on Earth” into 60-second videos wasn’t exactly an easy task. So, the creator turned to YouTube.

Nowadays, Lindsay Nikole claims 1.1 million YouTube subscribers, 2.5 million TikTok followers, and a loyal band of Patreon supporters. Those fans have a lot to look forward to, from a long-form expansion of the zoologist’s “History of Life” series to a potential merch drop. Check out our full interview with her here.

GUILDING THE LILY

Can a new creators guild unite the entire online video community?

A new nonprofit is hoping to succeed where organizations like the Internet Creators Guild have failed. The Creators Guild of America officially launched on August 24, with the aim of offering creator advocacy services and networking opportunities to digital media pros.

As a “professional service organization” founded by Daniel Abas, the CGA isn’t exactly a union (it doesn’t engage in collective bargaining, for instance), but it does place a strong emphasis on industry-wide support. That ideology comes with some notable backers: as of now, the org’s board includes both YouTube legend Justine Ezarik and entertainment attorney Paige Kaplan.

The CGA’s solidarity-focused mission isn’t limited to on-screen stars.

CGA members are divided into three categories: media members (who qualify for membership by reaching 15,000 followers and earning at least $15,000 from paid activations), marketing professionals (who must have at least five creative credits and active employment at an agency), and makers (a group that includes developers, founders, and other execs). The idea—according to the CGA’s website—is that “by creating a certified public record of your work…you establish yourself as a professional, whose skills have been validated by your partners in the creator economy.”

That validation currently comes with a price tag of $99, which covers a year of dues. If that sounds like a fair trade, you can apply for membership here.

LISTEN UP 🎙️

This week on the podcast...

Bloomberg Technology and Social Media Reporter Alex Barinka drops in to discuss the latest news surrounding TikTok’s government negotiations and YouTube’s dive into AI music management. Can a Bytedance-owned app survive in Washington? Will Alphabet find a way to keep both artists and listeners happy?

Find out on the latest episode of Creator Upload. It’s all right here on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

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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.