Hey Creatorverse readers,
How do you launch a podcast in 2025’s wildly oversaturated market?
That question has haunted many as this area has exploded. This week, a Renub Research report predicted that the U.S. podcasting business will skyrocket to $205 billion by 2033. If that prediction becomes reality, it would mark a 634% increase compared to the $27.8 billion the space was worth in 2024.
“There’s millions of podcasts. We have to make a show that stands out, is really high quality and is hosted by someone who is a trusted authority in that space,” Ray Chao, SVP and general manager of Audio and Digital Video at Vox Media, told me. “If we can get the right host and the right show, the ecosystem of platforms and all that stuff will follow.”
Vox Media and The Cut are hoping that “right host” is Tefi Pessoa, a creator with 1.9 million followers on TikTok who will be leading their upcoming pop culture talk show “Tefi Talks.” “The podcast, I’m a receptionist, and you’re my work bestie,” Pessoa told me of her vision for the show.
“Tefi Talks” is the latest creator-driven podcast Vox Media has invested in, following in the footsteps of Marques Brownlee’s “The MKBHD Podcast.” Ray assured me that Vox Media isn’t scaling back its investments in podcasts from its editorial team, which is how the company first entered the space. But as this branch of the company has been expanding beyond news, politics, business and tech to focus more on culture and entertainment, they’ve started to look more into the creator space.
“A lot of really notable voices aren’t going to work as journalists for publication,” he said. “Sometimes that expertise comes from practical experience.”
The benefits of a partnership like this are twofold. Vox Media and The Cut get a host with a built-in audience with a clear voice and vision. Also, between working with Pessoa for years and The Cut’s Ask Tefi column, they know that Pessoa’s voice fits with their brands. As for Pessoa, she gets infrastructure. “Tefi Talks” will launch on Aug. 6 with a Vox team of podcasting experts, a set the company spent months designing and a strategy that accounts for the podcast itself and the visual presence as more people watch podcasts on YouTube and a shortform strategy. The team is actually counting on that latter element to dictate the direction of the show.
“There is a flywheel of looking at what people are saying and consuming in the short form and then using that as cues to feed back into the show as we develop it out,” Nishat Kurwa, SVP and executive producer for Vox Media Podcast Network, told me.
It’s an incredibly engineered approach that feels antithetical to the “all you need is a mic” ethos that’s fueled podcasting to its current boom. But maybe that’s what you need in 2025. Only the weekly podcasting charts will tell.
Now onto what you may have missed the rest of the week.
Kayla Cobb
Senior Reporter
kayla.cobb@thewrap.com
P.S. You don’t want to miss a livestream roundtable I’ll be moderating, “Creator Power: The Business of Influence,” at noon PT on Aug. 14. Sign up today here.
What’s New
Samsung TV Plus bets on Dhar Mann for its TV future
If you’re a Dhar Mann diehard, you may have to start watching Samsung TV Plus. The FAST streamer has partnered with Dhar Mann Studios to produce 13 original episodes, which will premiere on the platform’s channel dedicated to the creator. Not only that, but several other creators including Mark Rober, Creators Smosh, The Try Guys, Epic Gardening and more, will be getting their own dedicated channels. It’s always interesting to see more traditional TV brands invest in the creator space. But will people actually watch a streamer on Samsung when YouTube is right there?
You can now f*%!king curse on YouTube
Videos that use strong profanity in their first seven seconds will now no longer be penalized and are eligible to receive full revenue. This is part of a revised profanity monetization policy YouTube released this week. It’s also going to get harder for YouTube’s younger users to lie about their age. The company started testing a tool that uses AI to determine whether viewers should be on a teen account, similar to what Meta uses. If YouTube incorrectly determines you’re under the age of 18, you’ll have to prove your age with a credit card or a government ID. Oh, the pains of looking young.
OpenWav wants to fix the broken music industry and get artists paid
88rising co-founder Jaeson Ma unveiled his latest venture — a new music platform designed to give artists more control. The OpenWav platform combines music streaming with ticketing, fan engagement and ecommerce, allowing independent artists to have more financial control over their work. They can even drop merch with no upfront costs. The goal is to get artists more money, which is a major concern in the music industry during the streaming era. So far it seems promising. Early testing from the company found some artists generated five figures per week on OpenWav.
The AI Revolution
Adobe launches the The Unfinished Film, an AI creative experiment with director Sam Finn
Adobe is showing off its Firefly generative AI tool in a pretty cool way. Together with director Sam Finn, the company has unveiled The Unfinished Film. Basically, Finn started this AI movie, and it’s up to the Adobe creative community to finish it. “It used to take years of learning — and a lot of money — to make a film. Now anyone with a vision can start,” Finn said of the project. “I’m excited to see what creators from non-traditional backgrounds will make when those barriers fall away.”
Nearly half of Substack users say they’re using AI
That’s what the blogging platform found during its AI report released last week. Specifically, 45.4% of the platform’s surveyed users admitted to using the technology. Out of the 2,000 publishers the report consulted, men were more likely to use AI than women, with women expressing more skepticism about the technology. Also, people who use AI on Substack are more likely to be 45 years or older and publish in categories like tech and business.
Amazon backs an AI platform that lets users generate animated TV shows
Showrunner, which launched in alpha this week, will let users generate animated scenes. The platform comes from Fable, the experimental studio from Edward Saatchi that’s toyed with everything from a Neil Gaiman VR adaptation to exploring the simulated reality of AI characters. At first, Showrunner will be free to use before it starts charging users between $10 to $20 a month. It’s unknown how much Amazon has invested in the company. But Showrunner is launching with two shows: “Exit Valley” and “Everything Is Fine.”
Who to Watch
KallMeKris and Celina Spooky Boo
These two are the latest creators to creep into theaters. A found footage horror flick, “House of Eden” marks Kris Collins’ (50.8 million followers on TikTok) feature directorial debut. Celina Myers (28.7 million followers on TikTok) also stars in the movie alongside Jason-Christopher Mayer.
“House of Eden” has so far received unfavorable reviews — something that isn’t necessarily a killer when it comes to the tricky world of horror. But it comes with an impressive deal. RLJE Films and the AMC Networks-owned streamer Shudder secured the rights to the movie earlier this year complete with a theatrical run. Aside from her horror foray, Collins is known for her topical skits. As for Myers, she’s better known for posting silly jokes and commentary, which often touch on the paranormal.
Bonus Content
- YouTube’s Cofounder Said He’s Wary of His Kids Spending Too Much Time on Short Videos (via Business Insider)
- First Came Tea. Then Came the Male Rage (via The Atlantic)
- Anime Girl VTubers Are Selling Out Concerts, but Are They ‘Real’? Depends on Who You Ask (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.
