Hey Creatorverse readers,
It’s a recurring trend that we all know too well by now: another creator with millions of followers partners with a Hollywood studio to make the show or movie of their dreams. But increasingly, the opposite is starting to happen. Major Hollywood players are moving into the creator economy.
Last Thursday, Kenya Barris, the creator of shows like ABC’s “Black-ish” and Netflix’s “#blackAF,” was named vice chair of Offscript Worldwide’s REVOLT Labs. The new division will be part of REVOLT, the multimedia platform dedicated to the biggest names in hip hop and current events. In his new role, Barris will lead REVOLT Labs’ creator strategy, helping creators turn their original ideas into scaled shows, movies and live experiences.
“REVOLT already had the foundation,” Barris said in a press release. “My role is to help build the bridge from where creators start to where their ideas can ultimately go.”
This is a big get for both REVOLT and the creator economy as a whole. Back in 2018, Barris was one of the showrunners who scored a massive Netflix deal (He later exited the $100 million deal). And he’s not the only Hollywood showrunner to jump from traditional TV.
As I covered last September, “The Owl House” creator Dana Terrace took her latest series to YouTube thanks to a partnership with Glitch Productions. “Knights of Guinevere” has already been greenlit for a full season. Phil Rosenthal, the creator of “Everybody Loves Raymond,” will be taking his Netflix show “Somebody Feed Phil” to YouTube in 2027 in a move meant to give Rosenthal and his producing partners more creative control over a show that’s been around for eight seasons. And Chris Hemsworth’s very first digital series, “Azza and Zoc Do Earth,” launched on YouTube in February and has already scored over 11 million views.
Even long-established shows and production companies have been taking YouTube more seriously. “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” is getting its first YouTube channel ever as Fred Rogers Productions plans to upload episodes and clips to the platform. Pixar premiered a new YouTube show — aptly titled “The Pixar Show” — earlier this month. And “Saturday Night Live” debuted its YouTube show “The Rundown” last week.
Studios and networks experimenting with digital content is nothing new. The difference is the quality of “The Pixar Show” and “The Rundown.” These series don’t feel like afterthoughts; they feel like they were created with the same care these companies always infuse into their work (For the record, yes, Pixar’s lightbulb short did make me cry).
A few years ago, these shows would have been exclusive to streamers and watched by tens of people. Now, people can easily watch them, allowing their fandom to expand beyond a single sketch, show or movie. It’s a strategy that feels like it’s right out of the creator playbook and further proof that cool things can happen when these worlds collide.
Now onto the rest.
Kayla Cobb
Senior Reporter
kayla.cobb@thewrap.com
What’s New
Meta has to pay $375 million over children’s safety concerns, and Elon Musk was found liable of misleading Twitter shareholders
Now’s not a great time to be a tech billionaire. Yesterday, a New Mexico jury found Instagram and Facebook owner Meta liable for misleading consumers about the safety risks its platforms pose to children. Meta has been ordered to pay $375 million. Then today a LA jury found both Meta and YouTube owner Google liable for causing a woman mental health issues whens she was a minor.
The real blow from these trials is the precedent they will likely set. Several companies, including Meta and Google, are at the center of a flurry of trials claiming their platforms are harmful to children. This isn’t just a U.S.-based concern, by the way. New social media trials and laws have been increasingly popping up all over the world.
Mark Zuckerberg and Neal Mohan aren’t the only ones having a bad week. Last Friday, Elon Musk was found liable for intentionally misleading Twitter shareholders when he tweeted the acquisition deal was “temporarily on hold.” Those three words caused Twitter’s stock to drop 10%, and now Musk may have to pay up to $2.6 billion in damages. Ladies and gentleman, a bad tweet in action.
TikTok is testing a microdrama feed
TikTok’s microdrama experiments are just beginning. A new feed feature called TikTok Short Drama is being tested, according to a report from Business Insider. Right now, the offering is only available to a small group of users over the age of 18 in the U.S. and in a handful of other regions. This isn’t the first time TikTok has played around with microdramas. The company launched a dedicated microdrama app called PineDrama earlier this year.
Spotify lays off 3% of its podcasting team as part of a company reorg
Spotify laid off 15 people across The Ringer and Spotify Studios, making up about 3% of its podcasting staff. These cuts are part of a company reorganization designed to lead to faster decision making. As part of these cuts, John Jastremski’s podcast “New York, New York” was canceled, and The Ringer’s special projects lead Andrew Gruttadaro and staff writer Miles Surrey were let go.
Speaking of podcasts, CNN’s Jake Tapper and Anderson Cooper were mocked this week for trading their fancy studios for a low-tech podcasting setup. Here’s a hint CNN: People aren’t watching podcasts because they love oversized mics and big office chairs.
Missing the NewFronts?
Samsung TV is launching a new Mark Rober show, and LG will premiere a “Chewed Up” FAST channel
The free ad-supported streamers (FAST) are still taking creators very seriously. At Samsung TV’s NewFronts presentation in New York, the company announced an upcoming special from Mark Rober (74.4 million YouTube subscribers). The two-hour live global event will follow Rober’s expedition with archaeologist Dr. Zahi Hawass inside Egypt’s Great Pyramid of Giza.
As for LG, the company announced “All Chewed Up,” a new FAST channel that will feature new episodes of the cooking and advice talk show “Chewed Up.” The podcast stars Clinton Kelly, Carla Hall and Michael Symon, and the channel will have more than 70 episodes of the series from the production company Simple Alien.
TikTok partners with Tubi and expands its branded creator opportunities
Last Thursday, Tubi and TikTok announced a new partnership designed to support creators developing original shows called the Creatorverse Incubator program. No, I’m not getting a check for that one.
I’ll be keeping an eye on the Creatorverse Incubator, but the Tubi partnership wasn’t a major talking point during TikTok’s NewFront presentation on Tuesday. Most of the company’s new offerings were advertising focused, but TikTok also unveiled Pulse Tastemakers, an option that lets brands align their ads with their selection of eligible creators.
YouTube is making it easier for creators to connect to brands
Ahead of its NewFront presentation on Monday, YouTube announced it will be incorporating YouTube Creator Partnerships directly into YouTube Studio. Those are a lot of buzzwords, but just know that it’s going to get a lot easier for brands to find YouTube creators they want to partner with, which means more creators are going to get paid.
While we’re on the topic of cold hard cash, YouTube expanded the eligibility for its shopping affiliate program. Now all qualified creators who have 500 subscribers or more will be able to make money from shopping affiliate links on YouTube.
Movers and Shakers
Tianna Robillard signs with UTA
Tianna Robillard, the lifestyle creator with 2.3 million TikTok followers, has signed with UTA, TheWrap learned exclusively. Robillard is also the founder of her own live event production company TNO, or Tianna’s Night Out. UTA will work to secure her opportunities across unscripted television, brand collaborations and more.
Hannah Berner and Paige DeSorbo partner with Amy Poehler and Kay Cannon on a Netflix series
“Giggly Squad” cohosts Hannah Berner (2.9 million TikTok followers) and Paige DeSorbo (1.7 million Instagram followers) are getting their own show. The duo are partnering with Amy Poehler and Kay Cannon on a half-hour scripted Netflix comedy that will be co-written by and star Berner and DeSorbo.
Law & Crime launches its own streaming service
Law&Crime (7.5 million YouTube subscribers) is expanding beyond YouTube. The legal content network launches its own streaming service — Law&Crime+ — on Tuesday. The app will be available on all major streaming platforms including Roku, Google TV, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV. Run by Dan Abrams, Law&Crime acquired Court TV last month.
@goldentrashbagg Did I meet my husband👀 #fallinginlove #gabriellekennedy #comedy #dating #love ♬ original sound – Gabrielle Kennedy
Who to Watch
Gabrielle Kennedy
During this cold, endless winter, few people have brought me more joy than Gabrielle Kennedy, aka goldentrashbagg (690,000 TikTok followers). The comedian started the year strong by ruthlessly mocking Bushwick boys and introducing her don’t-pick-me girl. But she really stole my heart with her “Falling in Love” series, where she dramatically and painfully falls in front of random men in the hopes they’ll ask for her number. If you like silly and hyper-specific post-hipster Brooklyn comedy, Kennedy is your gal.
Bonus Content
- How ‘Last Meals’ Host Josh Scherer Channeled Food and Death Into 100 Episodes of a YouTube Talk Show | Exclusive (via TheWrap)
- The Veteran Podcasters Hanging Up Their Headphones (via Wall Street Journal)
- How Content Creator Killer Hoped a YouTube Alibi Would Help Him Avoid Justice (via BBC)
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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.
