Hey Creatorverse readers,
If you’re looking for a primetime example for how legacy Hollywood players should collab with the creator economy, look no further than “SNL.” The NBC staple’s Nov. 7 episode hosted by Druski delivered more than 5.6 million viewers and was the most-watched “SNL” episode among viewers aged 18 to 34 years old in over four years.
There are a lot of reasons why Druski’s episode was a hit, from Druski’s 15.6 million TikTok followers to the midterms’ blue wave (Politics are always great for “SNL”). But a huge part of the credit goes to the whole “SNL” team. “SNL” didn’t go with the creator with the biggest follower count. The series deliberately partnered with a creator who specializes in making sketch comedy, and the results speak for themselves.
On a pure viewership front, the episode generated 424 million views across YouTube, Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok as of Tuesday morning. Then there’s the quality of the episode. Throughout his opening monologue and sketches, Druski was more visibly comfortable than most “SNL” hosts, and I’m talking a John Mulaney or Nate Bargatze level of “SNL” comfort. And it was clear that the writers were eager to embrace his very-online credentials as evidenced by the “You Can See Everything” spoof, “Dru Can See Everything.” Written by Ben Marshall, Jane Wickline, Ceara Jane O’Sullivan and Alison Gates, the parody has over 5.9 million views on YouTube.
Speaking of YouTube, even the “Saturday Night Live” channel proved it understood creators, adding Druski as a collaborator. Musical guests The Strokes were also added as collaborators on their performances.
The Nov. 7 episode didn’t just feel like NBC threw a popular name on a show. Druski was treated with the same degree of respect as every “SNL” host, which continues a trend at NBC. Creators have been appearing in the NBC ecosystem more this past year.
So far this year, Seth Meyers has interviewed Jake Shane, Caleb Hearon and Brittany Broski on “Late Night.” He’s also interviewed Meg Stalter, Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers — three celebrities whose fame is suspended between traditional TV and their large digital followings. As for Jimmy Fallon, the “Tonight Show” host has welcomed MrBeast, Alix Earle, Robert Irwin, Kane Parsons and Shane on his show. Earle has actually appeared on “The Tonight Show” twice, and Shane’s appearance came after his Meyers interview.
That’s a key detail considering how the NBCUniversal machine works. NBC may be the only media company that still wholeheartedly embraces good ole fashioned corporate synergy. A celeb appears on Meyers, and if they do well enough, maybe they get tapped for Fallon or “SNL,” like what happened with Shane. If those appearances go well, that could lead to a small part in an NBC show, a Universal Pictures movie or a guest spot during Olympics coverage. Adding to that synergy is the fact that Peacock and YouTube Premium will be offering a bundle starting next year.
NBC isn’t blindly throwing deals out to creators. It’s testing them through its own tried and true methods, a strategy that has turned many a Bravo celeb into a household name. As “SNL” proved last weekend, that can lead to a beautiful partnership between traditional Hollywood and this new era.
Now onto the rest.
Kayla Cobb
Senior Reporter
kayla.cobb@thewrap.com
What’s New
CAA signs Alex Cooper, and Sofia Franklyn releases her “Call Her Daddy” book
Lots of news on the Alex Cooper front. After exiting UTA back in August, CAA has signed Cooper as well as her husband and business partner Matt Kaplan and her media company Unwell. It’s a great get considering that Unwell has been partnering with Netflix more on original content.
In other news, the former co-host of “Call Her Daddy” Sofia Franklyn released her tell-all about the podcast, “Daddy Issues.” If you need a refresher, Cooper and Franklyn started “Call Her Daddy” together at Barstool Sports until the two had a falling out over ownership, the future of the podcast and pay disparity. Unless you’ve been obsessively following the Cooper drama, “Daddy Issues” is a bit of a nothingburger. The two biggest allegations are that Cooper tried to get Franklin fired and that Kaplan threatened to sue Franklyn over the book (Kaplan has denied this). It’s doubtful that its release will impact Cooper and Unwell in any meaningful way, but hey, at least this latest drama is over.
Tubi head Anjali Sud is moving to SiriusXM
One of the most surprising creator leaders in Hollywood has been the Fox-owned streamer Tubi. That was under the direction of CEO Anjali Sud, who will be leaving the platform in the wake of Fox’s acquisition of Roku. Sud will be replacing Jennifer Witz as the CEO of SiriusXM, which also has a strong relationship with creators, specifically podcasters. Since Kudzi Chikumbu, the VP of creator partnership, is staying at Tubi, the platform should be fine. But it will be interesting to see how Fox, Tubi and Roku all manage their various creator plays.
In other hiring news, Emily Rasekh, the former SVP of global podcast strategy and operations at Sony Music Entertainment, has joined CAA’s creator division.
Google, Meta and TikTok sue California over a law designed to protect children on social media
Three of the biggest tech companies around — Google, Meta and TikTok — all separately filed lawsuits last Wednesday to block a California law designed to protect minors. The proposed law bans personalized feeds, endless scrolling and autoplay for kids under 16, and the tech companies have argued that the law violated their First Amendment rights. They’re also arguing it’s a violation of Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, which has been used to protect platforms’ rights to decide how third-party content is handled.
By the Numbers
Over 35 million people in the U.S. watched election coverage on YouTube during election day
During last week’s midterm elections, over 35 million people in the U.S. watched their election coverage on YouTube. That’s a 22% decrease compared to how many people watched election coverage on Election Day in 2024, though it should be noted that presidential elections are typically more widely watched than midterms. Viewership peaked a little after 10 p.m. ET. which saw over 3 million concurrent viewers.
Snapchat surpasses 30 million paid subscribers
There are now over 30 million subscribers to Snapchat+, a 5 million user increase since February. The company reported the growth during its third quarter earnings release, and the news comes a year after the company announced it was putting a cap on free storage.
Spending on creator content accounted for $46 billion last year
Among media and platform companies, spending on creator content came in at $46 billion last year, according to a new report from the accounting organization KPMG. Overall, spending on creator content is up 75% compared to 2021. The most was spent on film, TV and streaming, which accounted for about $132 billion last year, but their overall share of content spend fell from 71% in 2021 to 64% last year.
Movers and Shakers
Glitch Productions gives “Gameoverse” a greenlight after scoring over 32 million views
The digitally-focused animation studio Glitch has greenlit its latest show. After the pilot of the video game-focused action drama “Gameoverse” saw over 32 million views over the course of five months, the show is getting a full season. “Gameoverse” is the second 2D animated project from the studio behind “The Amazing Digital Circus.” The first was “Knights of Guinevere,” which scored 14 million views on its recently released second episode.
Former UTA and FaZe execs launch creator management firm, ISO
Mike Lee, the former head of gaming and livestreaming at UTA Creators, and Darren Yan, the former chief talent officer at FaZe Clan, have banded together to launch the creator management and representation company ISO. The company’s streamer-heavy talent roster includes PlaqueBoyMax, Jasontheween, Ironmouse, Lacy, Vanillamace, Kyedae and RDCWorld.
In other business news, talent management company Entertainment 360 has purchased the digital talent firm Brigade. Specific names on the talent list have not yet been made public, but the new operation will include Substack writers, podcasters and influencers.
MrBeast, Lilly Singh and more top creators help launch The Susan Wojcicki Foundation’s YouTube channel
In memory of the late former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, several creators banded together last week to help launch The Susan Wojcicki Foundation’s official YouTube channel. Wojcicki died in 2024 of metastatic lung cancer at 56 years old. The channel is designed to raise awareness about how lung cancer is detected, diagnosed and prevented.
Who to Wacth
Kim Quindlen
Missing “Broad City” or need something to tide you over before “Adults” Season 3 premieres? Look no further than Kim Quindlen (265,000 TikTok followers) and Erin Uttich. Posted on Quindlen’s TikTok channel, their day-in-the-life series follows two best friends as they stumble through life and ask bizarre questions, like whether a tiny puppy is a scientific experiment into how small a dog can be. Now in its second season, their show has a snappy energy that’s reminiscent of Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer. Someone get them a show, stat.
Bonus Content
- ‘Put the Posters in Charge’: Inside the Democrats’ Secret Strategy to Flood the Internet with Clips (via Semafor)
- Adobe Launches 10-Part Masterclass for Creators Led by Dhar Mann, Kinigra Deon and More | Exclusive (via TheWrap)
- “Get Huge: Looksmaxxing to Death” (watch on Hulu)
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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.
