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, TikTok has announced automotive ads. TikTok is already in the car. Now the car is also on TikTok.

STREAMING BIG

In streaming news, AMP members hit the beauty aisle and the court—leaving Twitch to Will Smith

The celebrity cameo: Will Smith made a surprise guest appearance on xQc’s stream. The Twitch ironman walked away from his monitor for a minute, and all of a sudden the Men in Black star was there. Luckily for xQc, this collab went a lot smoother than the last time Smith made a surprising move.

The creator launch: While xQc is amping up his celebrity guest list, AMP is setting the Tone. The creator group—which includes members Kai Cenat, Fanum, Agent 00, Duke Dennis, and ImDavisss—launched a skincare brand on February 20. Skincare is a popular area for creator products, with Jake Paul’s W also edging its way into a category dominated by name brands.

The sports crossover: The launch of Tone wasn’t the only thing on Cenat’s agenda in February. The AMP streamer joined Druski to headline this year’s NBA All-Star Game, which just so happened to be interrupted by a MrBeast video. A fan won $100,000 in the middle of the tournament, raising a timely question: are creators starting to overshadow basketball stars at the NBA’s annual bash?

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THE BIZ

The creator industry is playing musical chairs with a series of hires and acquisitions

New hires: A game of musical chairs is taking place in the creator industry. In executive news, Loren Piretra has left Fanfix to take on the role of CMO at Passes. The creator marketing platform will look to level up with help from a seasoned decision-maker who has also spent time at Red Bull, the NFL, and Twitch.

LunarX is shooting for the moon by bringing on a creator expert of its own. The startup that acquired Theorist Media in 2022 has named Spotter vet Kevin Daigle as its new COO. Daigle will oversee LunarX’s growing portfolio of brands, which also includes some “unannounced investments,” according to a press release shared with Tubefilter.

Donut Media is making moves, too. The automotive brand has named Colby Mann as its new General Manager. Mann will steer Donut Media after previously working on one of its first original programs. He helped produce Up To Speed, which ran for more than 130 episodes.

Big acquisitions: Outloud Talent has acquired two agencies. The talent arm of the full-service influencer marketing agency Outloud Group will manage the creators formerly repped by Bowie Agency and has acquired NanoZebra, a firm known for its influencer marketing strategies.

THIS WEEK ON YOUTUBE

YouTube got a makeover, a farmer got a new profession, and a creator got a pink slip

In platform news: Does YouTube have a Valentine’s Day crush? It’s blushing. After reaching the 20th anniversary of its founding, YouTube announced a new logo that’s slightly less red than the previous one. The new hue will clear up some display issues and make YouTube’s iconography less jarring overall.

In creator news: A typo in a YouTube search led an Indian farmer to a new profession. Rajasthani man Narenda Kumar Girwa wanted to see videos about terrace farming, but a slip of the finger led him to search for pearl farming instead. Surprise, surprise: he’s now a freshwater pearl fisherman.

Not every YouTube search has such a happy ending. After 7-11 found out that (now former) employee IanOnYouTube had been filming his videos at work, the company gave him the boot. You might think it’s bad PR to fire someone for giving your brand free advertising on YouTube…and you’d be right.

WATCH THIS 🦀

Howie the Crab might be gone, but her sense of style lives on through TikTok

RIP Howie: We’re wishing a fond farewell to Howie the Crab. The viral crustacean—who was beloved by more than a million followers on TikTok—has passed away after unexpectedly losing a limb. Prior to her passing, Howie enjoyed demonstrating her manners on-leash, wearing fabulous hats, and chatting with her owner via sign language.

If you’re also missing Howie, here’s a compilation her most impressive moments of communication—featuring some of her cutest headwear, of course.

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