Hey Creatorverse readers,
Every week, I tell you basically the same thing — the creator economy is evolving and there’s more money in it than ever before. That evolution isn’t just because TikTok’s algorithm is oh-so-addictive. It’s because creators themselves have changed.
The days of creators just being “talent” are long gone. The modern creator is now the entrepreneur, editor, producer and manager behind their own brand.
Most of the people making money in this space are doing so through their own LLCs. In 2024, the top 50 honorees on Forbes’ Top Creators list made $720 million in earnings, capitalizing on their collective 2.7 billion followers. Many, like Alex Cooper and Dhar Mann, have their own production companies. Even now, I’m writing this from Colin and Samir’s Press Publish NYC event, a pay-to-attend summit for full-time creators.
Few creators better demonstrate the seismic shift than Michelle Khare, who has 5.2 million subscribers on YouTube. The stunt-loving YouTuber behind “Challenge Accepted” made headlines last week for her biggest and most ambitious challenge to date: attempting Tom Cruise’s most dangerous “Mission: Impossible” stunt (she crushes it, by the way).
“Challenge Accepted” is undoubtedly a premium creator product; each episode costs between $10,000 and $30,000. And she admitted those costs rose after she started copying Ethan Hunt. But in order to optimize her output, Khare and her showrunner and husband Garrett Kennell manage their show the same way a TV network does. At the beginning of the year, the team sets goals around subscribers, views, revenue and new business ventures. They then check in weekly to monitor the profits and losses of their production company.
“We’re able to project out into the future and decide what episodes to greenlight based on that,” Khare said on the most recent episode of Colin and Samir’s podcast.
Her evolution as a producer and entrepreneur is also something she will discuss during TheWrap’s “Creator Power: The Business of Influence presented by Adobe.” Khare will join Global Head of Social at Adobe Jared Carneson, Head of Public Figure and Creator Partnerships of North America at Meta Megan Bycel and Smosh CEO Alessandra Catanese in a roundtable about the state of the creator ecosystem hosted by yours truly. Be on the lookout for it to land Tuesday, Sept. 9 at noon. Save your spot today!
Now, onto the rest.
Kayla Cobb
Senior Reporter
kayla.cobb@thewrap.com
What’s New
Influencers will benefit from Trump’s “no tax on tips” policy
Streamers, podcasters and influencers are on the list of treasury jobs eligible for the tipping break. The law allows for a deduction of up to $25,000 for qualified tips received by tipped workers and will be in place from 2025 to 2028. Looks like the podcast election may have had an effect on Trump after all.
The FTC warns big tech not to comply with the Digital Services Act if it interferes with free speech
Google, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft and Apple received a letter from the FTC this week urging them not to comply with the Digital Services Act if it interferes with free speech. If you need a refresher, the EU regulation calls for increased content moderation and platform transparency. The FTC letter accuses the measure of trying to impose censorship and “weakening end-to-end encryption.”
But it’s not like overseas attempts at digital regulation are going swimmingly. The U.K. enacted the Online Safety Act this summer, which requires platforms like YouTube and Roblox to enhance their age verification measures. But the Washington Post found that sites that ignored that measure — aka adult websites — doubled or even tripled their audiences in August. Whoops.
The creator era is more than a revolution; it’s a cultural reset
That’s what Jo Cronk, Co-CEO of the leading global creator agency Whalar, wrote for TheWrap in the first installment of her three-part series about the industry. Cronk emphasizes that, during a time when the box office is in decline, more creators are taking their destinies into their own hands rather than waiting around for Hollywood’s permission.
Creator Corner
MrBeast eyes starting his own mobile phone service and raises $40 million for charity
The YouTube star’s reported mobile ambitions are based on a leaked investor deck viewed by Business Insider. The proposition calls for the creator to work with a major name like T-Mobile or Verizon to make a MrBeast-branded mobile service, but a person close to the MrBeast team said this venture isn’t an immediate priority. This report comes after Jeffrey Housenbold, the new CEO of Beast Industries, said that he’s focused on making the organization profitable rather than just buzzy. Though MrBeast makes a lot of money, the creator has been transparent about how most of that cash goes into funding his next gonzo video.
Speaking of MrBeast and tons of cash, the creator and Mark Rober raised over $40 million to bring clean water to over 2 million people as part of their #TeamWater collaboration. Donations are still open.
Dude Perfect launches a new talk show, and the Sidemen are investing in their own sidemen
Add Dude Perfect to the growing list of creators diving into the talk show game. Premiering on Sept. 10, “Almost Athletes with Dude Perfect” will be hosted by founding member Garrett Hilbert and crew member Kevin ‘Sparky’ Sparkman and will feature a rotating cast of The Dudes. The collaboration with Wave Sports and Entertainment promises to give fans behind-the-scenes stories about the comedy group with over 61 million YouTube subscribers.
And you know what other group of digital bros is expanding its roster? The Sidemen. For the first time, the musical group with over 22 million subscribers will be giving up-and-coming talent their own shows on their streamer, Side+. That talent pool is mostly comprised of their friends, but hey — expansion is expansion.
Chicken Shop Date goes live this September
Amelia Dimoldenberg and Dimz Inc. are bringing “Chicken Shop Date” into the real world for the first time with “Chicken Shop Date: 10 Years Of An Idea.” The exhibit served by YouTube will give fans a behind-the-scenes look at the viral talk show and will be available on Sept. 26 and 27 at Protein Studios in Shoreditch, London.
Who to Watch
Jeremy Culhane and Veronika Slowikowska
If you’re an “SNL” fan, chances are high you already know Ben Marshall of Please Don’t Destroy fame. And two of the NBC staple’s recently announced cast members — Kam Patterson (419,000 followers)and Tommy Brennan (34,000 followers)— come from the world of standup. So let’s focus on the two new creators coming to 30 Rock.
Slowikowska’s digital schtick is basically being a massive weirdo to her roommate. As her over 700,000 TikTok followers can attest, it’s more charming than it sounds. Plus, Sarah Sherman has proven that delightfully odd still has a place on late night broadcast TV.
Culhane’s work (340,000 followers) dives more into horror. No, that’s not a typo. Many of his videos revolve around Culhane and a group of his “soft boy” friends partaking in a bizarre TikTok trend that feels like it could be real or fake. But the more they mug for the camera, the darker his videos become.
Bonus Content
- How Trump lost the podcast bros (via Vox)
- Inside the Creator Economy’s Late Payment Crisis (via Campaign Live)
- Scientists Are Flocking to Bluesky (via Wired)
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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.
