Hey Creatorverse Readers,
Festival season is finally upon us. But this time around, it’s not just Hollywood that will be descending on Park City, Utah, for Sundance 2026. TikTok is sending 10 film-focused creators to the film festival, including Louis Levanti (2.4 million TikTok followers); Monse Gutierrez, aka @cvnela (2.6 million followers); and Kit Lazer, aka moviesaretherapy (854,000 followers).
I’ve already covered why this is a win-win-win for studios, creators and TikTok. Long story short? FilmTok — the cutesy name for the film side of TikTok — has become a major discovery tool and community for movie fans, making it the perfect partner for the first major festival of the year.
Yet there’s another, less business-focused reason why these kinds of collaborations are a good idea. As creators continue to establish themselves as the future of the entertainment industry, putting them in direct contact with some of the most innovative independent filmmakers of the year is another way to merge these two worlds.
“Sundance is the birthplace of so many emerging filmmakers,” Dawn Yang, the global head of Entertainment Partnerships at TikTok, told me. “I see [creators] as very well matched with independent filmmakers … Some of them aspire to be the storytellers of the future.”
When considering who to bring to major film events like Sundance, the TikTok team examines the obvious metrics like follower count, engagement and topic expertise. But they also consider the larger aspirations of their creators. A creator who wants to someday direct her own feature, for example, may be chosen over someone with a higher follower count because she’s more likely to create more authentic, engaging content about the experience. A great marriage between creator and festival happened last year at Cannes with the debut of the latest short from Reece Feldman, aka @guywithamoviecamera (2.8 million TikTok followers).
“Especially as creators and people coming up, it’s great studying the directors and the writers, even apart from the cast,” Alex Maystrik, one half of the comedy duo durafest2 (778,000 followers) that also includes Pablo Hernandez, told me.
This will be Maystrik and Hernandez’s second Sundance. Though they are undoubtedly excited to see the films, both creators seem far more excited to learn from these filmmaking teams and study them up close. That degree of access is invaluable to any aspiring creative.
By the way, this is far from just a TikTok-only phenomenon. Amazon will be co-hosting a creator happy hour at Sundance alongside UTA and the shortform production studio Gymnasium (which I covered last year). And before the festivities even began, Adobe announced a $10 million investment in its film and TV fund, which is for both creators and aspiring filmmakers. These worlds are colliding at a faster rate than ever before.
Now onto the rest.
Kayla Cobb
Senior Reporter
kayla.cobb@thewrap.com
What’s New
Netflix recruits Alan Chikin Chow, Alix Earle, Jake Shane and more
Netflix made some serious creator moves this past week. Alix Earle (8.2 million TikTok followers) has an unscripted show coming to Netflix in 2026, and Alan Chikin Chow (99 million YouTube subscribers) will be creating a K-pop scripted series with HYBE America. If you need a refresher, the Korean branch of HYBE is behind mega groups like BTS, and HYBE America is behind Katseye.
But wait, there’s more. Season 3 of Jake Shane’s podcast “Therapuss” is also coming to the streamer, bringing Netflix’s podcast count up to 50.
Senate Democrats are planning a creator summit
Senate Democrats are planning a summit for creators, independent journalists and new media for the first time on Feb. 11, according to Scalable. The event will take place at the U.S. Capitol.
There have been certain Democratic politicians who have embraced creators. Take New York’s Zohran Mamdani, for example, who added Ms. Rachel (18.6 million YouTube subscribers) to his inaugural committee. But overall, the Democrat party has not been as welcoming of creators as Republicans have been. Looks like someone’s playing catch up from Trump’s podcast election.
Representative Ro Khanna introduces the Creator Bill of Rights
Last week, Ro Khanna, the Democratic representative from California, introduced the Creator Bill of Rights. The resolution calls for a guarantee of universal access to health care for creators and digital workers, a portal benefit system to help support workers from gig to gig, and a requirement that online platforms share revenue with creators.
It’s not just politicians making moves. The Better Business Bureau’s Center for Industry Self-Regulation launched a creator certification program. The goal of the newly-created Institute for Responsible Influence is to elevate transparency and strengthen accountability between creators and brands.
Platform Updates
YouTube will monetize on controversial topics and invest in more AI tools in 2026
For a long time, YouTube content about topics like abortion, self-harm, suicide and domestic and sexual abuse was not monetized. That changed last week. Now YouTube creators can dramatize and discuss these topics without getting penalized on ad revenue as long as the content isn’t overly graphic. Monetization around these topics has always been a dicey subject. On one hand, you don’t want to incentivize harmful content. On the other, bans were so strict that well-meaning content was penalized.
Speaking of monetization, developing new ways for creators to make money was one of Youtube CEO Neal Mohan’s goals for 2026. The other big one? Investing in AI protection for creators as well as more AI tools.
X will give $1 million to the “Top Article” during its next payout period
During its next payout period, X will give $1 million to the creator who writes what it dubs the “top” article on the platform. There are some caveats. The winning article has to be original, over 1,000 words, follow X’s content guidelines and come from a U.S. user. The winner will be determined by which article receives the most views from verified users on their home feeds. And yes, of course people are already asking Grok to write their articles for them.
TikTok launches microdrama app PineDrama
TikTok is jumping aboard the microdrama craze. PineDrama is an app dedicated to microdrama series that quietly rolled out in the U.S. and Brazil last week. So far, the app has already picked up some steam. PineDrama is free to watch (for now), but considering how most microdramas make money, that may change.
Movers and Shakers
Khaby’s ecommerce company sells in a six-figure deal
Step Distinctive Limited, the ecommerce company owned by comedy creator Serigne Khabane “Khaby” Lame (160 million TikTok followers), is being acquired by the Hong Kong-based financial services firm Rich Sparkle Holdings. It’s a good day to be Khaby. The deal is reportedly on the high end of six figures.
The BBC will be making content for YouTube
As part of a landmark deal, the BBC will be making original content for YouTube. The content will be a mix of entertainment, news and sports and will start with the Winter Olympics in February. This is a big deal. As traditional news organizations struggle to stay relevant, viewership on platforms like YouTube has skyrocketed, making this partnership a potentially fruitful one for both companies.
Smosh, Morgan Jay and Trisha Paytas are coming to the Netflix Is a Joke Festival
The 2026 iteration of the Netflix Is a Joke festival will include several creators like Smosh (27 million YouTube followers), Morgan Jay (10 million TikTok followers) and Trisha Paytas (11 million TikTok followers). Since its founding, Netflix Is a Joke has emerged as one of the top comedy festivals in the world while also becoming a pipeline to getting a special on the streamer.
@kweinbydesign We did it ❤️
♬ original sound – kwein
Who to Watch
Kwein
Kwein (82,000 TikTok followers) declared she was going to design merchandise for every NFL team until someone hired her. And earlier this month, her prayers were answered by the New England Patriots. The entire saga is a prime example of how something as mundane as wanting to work for a specific company can be elevated into a viral saga. Plus, in the era of AI it’s really nice to see a talented graphic designer get work.
Bonus Content
- The YouTube Vibecession (via New York Magazine)
- People Are Paying $99 a Month to Talk to a Tony Robbins Chatbot (via Wall Street Journal)
- Roblox’s AI-Powered Age Verification Is a Complete Mess (via Wired)
Want more? Explore WrapPRO now.
This report provides a weekly deep dive into the creator economy. It highlights key trends, political and technological developments, data points and industry leaders all with the goal of making you smarter about this constantly evolving space.