TOGETHER WITH

It's Friday and Time is placing its bets on the future of AI. Can you guess which industry leaders made the Top 100 list?

ADS WILL ROLL

YouTube is giving creators more control over mid-roll ads—and less control over every other ad format

YouTube’s manual ad controls are getting an update. In a post uploaded to the Google Support forum, a YouTube team member named Rob announced that new monetized uploads will automatically be filled with a mix of pre-roll and post-roll spots. YouTube will also be in charge of determining whether channels run skippable or unskippable ads, although creators will still be able to determine the frequency and location of ad breaks within their content. (For context, the previous policy gave creators the ability to pick and choose from among pre-roll, post-roll, skippable, and/or non-skippable ads.)

The upside: most creators weren’t that into selecting individual ad format options anyway. As Rob pointed out, “in the last year, more than 90%” of long-form monetized videos “had pre-roll, post-roll, skippable, and non-skippable ads turned on.”

YouTube’s other ad policy change will likely make more of an impact.

Thanks to the addition of a new mid-roll ad option for long-form videos, creators will now be able to apply YouTube’s in-house intelligence in to determine when they should serve ads to their viewers. Creators will have even more opportunities for optimization when they go live:

🔆 SPONSORED 🔆

Your videos already stand out from the rest. Now, you’ll have a camera that does the same.

From travel vlogs to gaming streams, creators like you do it all—and now, there’s finally a camera that can keep up with your busy posting schedule. Enter the Nikon Z 30: a lightweight, cutting-edge camera armed with everything creators need to succeed, from 4K video and innovative eye-tracking technology to crisp autofocus and 20 Creative Picture Controls. ​

Here’s what creators love about the ​Nikon Z 30​:

1. A design as versatile as you are ✨ 
With crisp autofocus, artistic filters, and 4K video, the Nikon Z 30 can capture everything from close-up product shots to livestreams. That versatility is exactly what drew fitness vlogger Brittany Lupton to the Z 30: “I love this camera because I can switch between a photo and video super easily…”

2. A front-facing screen built specifically for vloggers 🤳 
According to vlogger Erin on Demand, the Nikon Z 30 is a “one-stop-shop” equipped with ​everything creators need to film on the go​—including a vari-angle touchscreen that tilts all the way out and flips around.

3. Wireless sharing capabilities 📲 
The Z 30 is 100% compatible with the free Nikon SnapBridge App—meaning you can transfer content to a smartphone within seconds and share on social media with ease.

​Visit the website to learn more →

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• Viral Nation has signed a new wave of notable creators, including Brooke Ashley Hall, The Furrha Family, The McCartys, Cale Brown, and Xavier Mortimer. (Tubefilter)
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• Pinterest has rolled out a new algorithm designed to infuse wedding, makeup, and fashion-related search queries with “more diverse body types and skin colors.” (Gizmodo)
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• SoundCloud is the latest app to debut a vertical, TikTok-esque discovery feed. (TechCrunch)
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• Snapchat is reportedly launching a strike system to discourage accounts from sharing publicly viewable “age-inappropriate content.” (Engadget)

DATA • CREATORS ON THE RISE 📈

This car detailer thought she was too old for TikTok—until she went viral

Jessica Tran’s car cleaning videos are the very definition of ‘oddly satisfying’—but at first, the creator wasn’t sure her content was right for TikTok. Without a proper camera to promote her detailing business, Tran says she felt “out of her depth” when it came to the vertical video app. More importantly: the creator worried that she was just a little “too old for TikTok.”

Then fate intervened in the form of a 2006 Saturn Ion.

According to Tran, the car was what industry experts call “a disaster detail.” It was a total mess—and a perfect subject for the creator’s first TikTok video. With a little elbow grease (and a whole lot of skill), Tran transformed the Saturn from top to bottom. She uploaded a TikTok of that stunning makeover before she could change her mind, and the rest was history: her channel took off like a shot and, in her words, “it’s been a really cool ride ever since.”

“Really cool” might be a bit of an understatement.

In the two years since she joined TikTok, Tran’s detailing business has gone from a one-person, mobile show with no home base to a full-fledged brick-and-mortar location with six employees. The company is more profitable than ever, too: Tran says JT Mobile Detailing’s annual revenue has increased by five or six times, and new clients are still pouring in every day.

As for the detailing wiz’s next goal? Aside from entertaining her 1.7 million followers and keeping business steady, Tran has just one thing on her mind: getting her hands on a 1989 Toyota Cresta.

HOME BASE

A Gen Z creator pop-up is coming to NYFW (and bringing a hair bar and a skincare station with it)

College Fashionista is bringing a next-gen creator popup to New York Fashion Week. The digital community (which describes itself as “a launch pad for aspiring fashion and beauty writers, editors, creators, influencers, and marketers”) is teaming up with Kate Spade to present Creators Loft, a three-day pop-up “designed for up-and-coming Gen Z influencers.”

Interested creators will need to fill out an application in order to attend the September 8-10 “experience”—a small price to pay for an escape from the hustle and bustle of NYFW. According to College Fashionista, Creators Loft will include everything from a hair bar and skincare station to a borrow-a-bag setup and common areas.

Gen Zers are likely to walk away with more than glowing skin and a newfound Kate Spade obsession.

In addition to some much-needed pampering, Creators Loft attendees will have access to expert-led AMA panels, industry-centric sessions, and fireside chats. You can take a sneak peek at some of that programming below (courtesy of College Fashionista):

• Fireside Chat: BYOB: Being Your Own Brand – An insightful session led by The Oddity and Gigi Robinson, two master brand builders who got their start with Her Campus Media and who will share tips and tricks on how to build your own personal brand.
  
  

• Girlies On The Grid: The Creators Loft Content Shoot – Learn new phone photo and video hacks from industry experts, then participate in the ultimate collaborative content shoot.
  
  

• Best Face Forward Sponsored by CeraVe – Ask a Derm Anything, AMA-style panel. Audience members are encouraged to ask questions to our resident dermatologist, transitioning #DermTok from your screen to IRL!

WATCH THIS 📺

The D’Amelios are coming back to Hulu for another star-studded season

A new trailer for The D’Amelio Show has officially arrived—and that means the Season 3 premiere is only days away. Starting September 20, fans of the TikTok-famous family will get an inside look at everything from the D’Amelio daughters’ dating lives to Charli's changed dynamic with her mother Heidi in the aftermath of Dancing With The Stars.

D’Amelio devotees can tide themselves over until the big day by checking out the Season 3 trailer here.

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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.