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, Instagram’s bench reviewer has delivered his first perfect ten. Sam Wilmot has sat on a lot of benches during the seven years he has run his Rate This Bench account. Now, the bench that played a role in his relationship has received his most glowing review ever.
CREATOR COMMOTION
Fans are going feral for ‘Ren Faire’d.’
The Guild broke a Kickstarter record and “Gangnam Style” hit 6B views
The broken record: The Guild has become the biggest Kickstarter film campaign of all time. When Felicia Day’s iconic web series returned with a crowdfunding campaign for a feature film, we knew Ren Faire’d would be a big deal. We didn’t know it would be this big. After raising over $5.8 million, The Guild's Kickstarter broke platform records.
The menu item: The “Salish Matter Order” has come to Chipotle. Matter, a 16-year-old with a sizable Gen Alpha fanbase on YouTube, has her own quesadilla (plus chips and chocolate) on the Chipotle menu. Matter is the youngest creator with a digital menu item at Chipotle, and fans who post about it can win a chance to meet her in Los Angeles.
The collab: Speaking of fast casual Mexican food, say hello to The Fat Grilled Burrito. Taco John’s wants to keep up with the Joneses when it comes to creator-inspired menu items, so it teamed up with Nic Flood, also known as The Fat Electrician.
The multi-billionaires’ club: “Gangnam Style” is the ninth YouTube video to reach six billion views. 14 years after Psy’s smash hit arrived, K-pop is still a titanic force in mainstream entertainment. Another Korean video, “Baby Shark,” is #1 in the YouTube rankings with 17.2 billion views.
SPORTS STUFF
What is YouTube willing to pay for the NBA’s local broadcast rights?
LeBron James isn’t just a basketball titan. He’s killing it on YouTube, too.
The golf vlog: A titan of basketball has become a titan of YouTube’s golf scene, too. A reunion of the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers gave LeBron James a choice piece of content for his new YouTube channel. LeBron only needed a few days to get millions of views on YouTube, so he clearly dominates golf vlogs the same way he dominated the aforementioned 2016 season.
The fencing wave: En garde! Fencing is the latest sport courting creators. Creator content can provide a boost for any sport centered around individual personalities, and fencing certainly fits that bill. At an upcoming “creator showdown” in New York, Olympians will face off against influencers to see how the newbies fare in the world of physical chess. The creators know about sharing, but what about sabering?
The broadcast rights: Is YouTube going to pay over $1 billion for the NBA’s local broadcast rights? Recent reports suggest that YouTube is the frontrunner to land that package. The NBA has long had a huge presence on YouTube, so a broadcast deal of this nature would make sense, even if it would make NBA rights even more fractured.
AGENCY DEALINGS
Alex Cooper is changing up her rep. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images.)
From Eitan Bernath to Kat and Déjà Clark, it was a big week for CAA
The shakeup: Alex Cooper is switching up her representation. Fresh off a massive funding deal, the Call Her Daddy host is reportedly breaking up with her agent at UTA, according to Bloomberg. Though the details aren’t official, Cooper apparently has her eyes on a new team of reps at another major agency: CAA.
The expansion: Eitan Bernath will expand his foodie empire alongside CAA. Bernath has shared approachable recipes across multiple platforms, with a particularly strong presence on Snapchat. He has appeared on The Drew Barrymore Show and has published a cookbook, and his deal with CAA will help him chase more offline ventures.
The signing: Also new to the CAA family are Kat and Déjà Clark. The mother-and-daughter duo are Australian natives, but after building a 20 million-strong social following, they moved to L.A. to level up their careers. To wit, they’ve now linked up with one of the biggest Hollywood agencies, with future retail opportunities on deck.
WATCH THIS 👀
Creators like Alexis Leianna are spreading the word about e.l.f.’s pickle-themed lip balms.
e.l.f.’s pickle-inspired lip balms are back on TikTok Shop
The big dill: e.l.f. is bringing its pickle-inspired lip balms back to TikTok Shop. The hype around pickle-flavored cosmetics might seem strange to basic chapstick users, but e.l.f.’s unusual line of balms is apparently a pretty big dill to its digital-native audience. Just ask beauty creator Alexis Leianna.
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Today's newsletter is from: Emily Burton, Drew Baldwin, Sam Gutelle, and Josh Cohen.