The times, they are-a-changin’. That was the consensus at The Grill 2025, TheWrap’s annual entertainment business conference that took place at the DGA Theater in Los Angeles on Tuesday. 

Instead of only highlighting shining success stories, there was a sense of urgency around the event’s panels, which ranged from the rapid growth of the sports sector to two sessions about how AI is being implemented in Hollywood.

It’s not difficult to understand where that panic came from. A mid-year study from IAB adjusted its ad growth predictions from 7.3% to only 5.7% due to consumer concerns about tariffs.

So how do creators fit into all of this?

While the ad spends projections for digital video and linear video decreased for the second half of the year, spending in creator-dominated sections like social media and podcasts increased from January to September.

IAB isn’t alone in singing the praises of the creator economy. Ruth Mortimer, the global president of Advertising Week, noticed that in the past two years, more creator delegates have attended her events as well as other major advertising conferences like Cannes Lions. She’s also noticed a “big shift” from advertising professionals seeing creators as the bottom of the funnel to something more. 

“We’re seeing brands looking to work with creators right at the start of their brand strategy,” Mortimer said. That’s why for Advertising Week New York next week, the event has added a creator track for the first time in the event’s history.

(P.S. I’ll be there covering the whole thing for TheWrap.)

It’s just further proof that advertisers aren’t backing down from investing in this space as Hollywood continues to struggle. How these two industries are going to work together remains a major question, but based on the conversations I’ve been having daily, it’s one that both sides are desperate to answer.

Now onto the rest.

Kayla Cobb
Senior Reporter
kayla.cobb@thewrap.com

What’s New

Kai Cenat, Druski and Kevin Hart are starring in a horror comedy movie

Kevin Hart has been a frequent guest on Kai Cenat’s (19.7 million followers on Twitch) livestreams, and now Cenat is entering Hart’s world. From Hartbeat, the aptly titled “Livestream from Hell” follows Cenat, Druski (10.9 million followers on Instagram) and Hart as they embark on another livestream. But when someone dies during the stream, their good time turns into a living nightmare. So far there’s just a teaser, but it looks fun.

Speaking of creators coming to the big screen, Steven Bartlett’s “Diary of a CEO” (12.7 million followers on YouTube) is going to be the first-ever podcast released theatrically. This move from Regal Cinemas comes after the company premiered Dude Perfect’s “The Hero Tour” last month.

OpenAI and Meta are launching social platforms for AI 

They say three is a trend, and we’re almost there. Last Thursday, Meta announced Vibes, a new feed in the Meta AI app that lets users create and share AI-generated videos. Not to be outdone, on Tuesday OpenAI unveiled the Sora app, which is basically the same thing but with a different AI model (the app came along with the improved Sora 2 model for better text-to-video generation). Is this something people want? Is this something even these companies’ employees want? It remains unclear. But AI-ahoy, I guess.

Syracuse University invests in the creator economy

You know you’ve made it when you finally come to academia. That happened this week with the launch of Syracuse University’s Center for the Creator Economy, which is being described as the first academic center of its kind on a U.S. college campus. The center will be devoted to research, education and thought leadership about the creator landscape. It also may be the first college program where the students know more than the professors.

By the Numbers

IShowSpeed’s marathon brought in over 118 million views

This week marked the conclusion of IShowSpeed’s (44.6 million subscribers on YouTube) 35-day 24/7 livestream across America, and it seems like it was a success. Based on YouTube views, the stream scored over 118 million views. Unsurprisingly, its most popular day was when MrBeast pretended to arrest IShowSpeed as a prank. From the celebrity cameos to his use of an AI VTuber while he was sleeping, IShowSpeed’s trek may be one of the most interesting works of 2025 performance art. 

YouTube leapfrogs Disney to become the company spending the most on content behind Comcast

According to a report by KPMG, YouTube spent an estimated $32 billion on content in 2024, putting it right behind Comcast’s $37 billion. That number isn’t just massive. It marks the first time that YouTube’s estimated content spend was more than Disney’s, which came in at $28 billion last year. 

Annual influencer marketing budgets soared

CreatorIQ’s annual check-in found that between 2024 to 2025, the annual influencer marketing budgets of surveyed participants increased by 171%. Additionally, 80% of surveyed organizations with 1,000 employees or more reported a year-over-year increase in their investment in influencer marketing. Brand respondents spent an average of $2.9 million in the space, while agencies averaged $4.4 million.

Movers and Shakers

Deestroying signs with CAA, while Brooke and Jess sign with UTA

After working as a correspondent on YouTube’s NFL game earlier this season, Deestroying (6.3 million subscribers on YouTube), aka Donald De La Haye, signed with CAA in all areas. Deestroying will also be part of YouTube’s upcoming creator flag football game in London alongside Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson and Adam W.

Brooke Blewitt and Jess Qualter, also known as Brooke and Jess, signed with UTA’s London roster across digital, theater and scripted. Known for their dance routines, the duo have 4.75 million followers on TikTok.

The McCartys will debut their first live special for Halloween backed by Viral Nation

The YouTube family with over 16 million subscribers will debut “A Spooky Special” on Oct. 4 at 1 p.m. PT. The special promises to be interactive for their fans and is backed by Viral Nation, Wind Sun Sky Entertainment and Kiswe.

Doing Things debuts “Juice Box Jury,” hosted by Trey Kennedy

Doing Things, the company behind “Recess Therapy” is doubling down on its kid-focused content. Hosted by comedian Trey Kennedy (4.1 million followers on TikTok), “Juice Box Jury” will ask a panel of children hard-hitting questions about everything from their favorite movies to their marriage advice. The silly show premieres today with new episodes on Thursdays across YouTube Shorts, Instagram and TikTok.

Who to Watch

Mychal Threets

Did you know that “Reading Rainbow” is getting a reboot? It is thanks to Kidzuko, Sony Pictures Television’s YouTube channel for children’s entertainment. Mychal Threets, a librarian with 900,000 followers on Instagram who extols the joys of reading, will lead this new version and follow in the footsteps of LeVar Burton.

Several big names are planned to drop in for this reboot including “The Bear” star Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and celebs like Gabrielle Union, Adam DeVine, Chrissy Teigen and John Legend will read books for the show. Right now, there’s only a teaser for this reboot, but keep an eye on this space. A beloved kids’ classic meeting modern children where they are could be a literary success.

Bonus Content

• Go Inside Dhar Mann’s 125,000-Square-Foot Creator Production Hub (via TheWrap)
• OWM Lets Creators Trade Influence for Equity (via Axios)
• From Khan Academy to Skibidi Toilet: The Inside Story of How YouTube’s Creators Saved the Platform (via Fast Company)

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.

The post Creatorverse: U.S. Ad Spend Is Down, But Not for Creators appeared first on TheWrap.

The internet has a long history of launching animated TV shows. Pendleton Ward’s “Adventure Time” first gained its cult following on YouTube, and “Rick and Morty” started on Dan Harmon’s Channel 101. Even Adult Swim’s upcoming “Haha, You Clowns” started as a series of YouTube videos from Joe Cappa. 

But Glitch Productions, the company behind “The Amazing Digital Circus,” is flipping that well-worn roadmap on its head.

Co-founder and CEO Kevin Lerdwichagul reached out to Dana Terrace, the former creator of Disney Channel’s “The Owl House,” on social media with a tempting offer: Do you want to make whatever you want? Immediately, Terrace was interested. That DM led to “Knights of Guinevere,” Glitch Productions’ first 2D animated series, which amassed 10 million views in its first five days. It’s the sort of quality and audience reach you would expect from a major studio, yet it’s on YouTube.

Created by Terrace, Zach Marcus and John Bailey Owen, “Knights of Guinevere” is a stunningly crafted thriller that combines rich characters with killer action scenes. It’s a show so well fleshed out, it would feel at home on any major network. But what makes “Knights of Guinevere” remarkable is Terrace herself. The creator of Disney Channel’s “The Owl House,” this marks Terrace’s first move from a traditional Hollywood studio to the digital space.

And so far it’s been working out. Production for the series took a little over a year — a quick timeline for animation. 

“[‘Knights of Guinevere’] felt more genuine to my own tastes and interests. In a weird way, it was easier,” she said. Though there is someone who watches the show to make sure it tracks from an entertainment perspective, Terrace’s work with the independent studio is free of headache-inducing creative notes. “It feels like a collaborative student film, where we’re all just passionately working together on this one thing.”

The project hasn’t just afforded her creative flexibility. Terrace is currently a full-time Glitch employee with health insurance — a relief for any creative. She is also directly involved in crafting merch for her show, which was available ahead of its launch. Unlike traditional networks, which sometimes require several successful seasons before investing in merchandise,profits from Glitch merchandise directly help fund the creation of new episodes. 

Terrace doesn’t yet know if her show will be picked up. But the overwhelming positive response and high viewer count for “Knights of Guinevere” is giving her hope. 

“I was not bracing for this much love and positivity,” she said. “I’ve just been been glowing all week.”

Now onto the rest.

Kayla Cobb
Senior Reporter
kayla.cobb@thewrap.com

What’s New

Creator videos are now on Disney+, and “Subway Takes” is on Tubi

Right now, you can find 11 creator videos on Disney+ all connected to “Lilo & Stitch.” This is thanks to a partnership between Disney and pocket.watch, the kids’ media company that’s found a niche in bringing creator content to streamers. Neither company would confirm to TheWrap if more videos are to come, but if the first wave of Creator Collection is well-watched, it seems likely.

Less surprising is the fact that the public transit-based interview show “Subway Takes” is now on Tubi. It’s a good fit. Tubi wants more creator content; “Subway Takes” has been called the TikTok version of “The Tonight Show.” Congrats to Kareem Rahma.

MrBeast made $450 million in sales last year, and that’s still not enough

A report from Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw broke down the realities of Beast Industries, the holding company owned by Jimmy Donaldson, aka MrBeast, and unveiled some really interesting insights. For example, did you know Beast employs over a dozen people who make thumbnails? But the article’s biggest takeaway is that, despite MrBeast’s YouTube and snacking dominance, his company is “hemorrhaging money” and has been losing money for the past three years. Turns out making high-quality viral videos on the reg eats up a lot of cash.

Donaldson and his team have often been transparent about how expensive their work is, but it’s always interesting to see it spelled out. That may be one of the reasons why MrBeast has been cozying up more with traditional media. He, Salish Matter and Smosh will all be part of the cast of “Angry Birds 3,” and former NBC unscripted TV head Corie Henson has been tapped as president of Beast Industry Studios.

YouTube is bringing back banned accounts

After banning accounts for posting misinformation about COVID-19 and the 2020 election, YouTube said on Tuesday that it plans to reinstate some of those accounts. Alphabet made this decision following an investigation led by Republicans that questioned whether Biden pressured tech companies to censure certain content. 

When I spoke to YouTube’s execs last week, we touched on moderation, specifically when it comes to live streaming. But this is just another example of tech companies relaxing their moderation standards under this administration.

Up and Coming

“Mythical Evening 2025: Sloshed In Space” will premiere in October

The R-rated spinoff of Rhett & Link’s “Good Mythical Morning” returns for its fifth year on Oct. 23. It will be available for a limited time on demand. With over 19 million followers, “Good Mythical Morning” has been called the most-watched daily show on the internet. The duo’s annual special lets them embrace their sillier and more adventurous side, this time in space.

Track Star launched a podcast hosted by Jack Coyne

The company behind the music trivia game show on TikTok (over 564,000 followers) launched a podcast on Wednesday. Hosted by co-creator Jack Coyne, the weekly podcast plans to have interviews from major names like Seth MacFarlane, John C. Reilly, Jon Batiste, Mark Ronson and Linkin Park all about how music has shaped their lives.

Speaking of podcasts, Raptive, the media company for creators, launched its own podcast “Ctrl Alt Ask” also on Wednesday. This one is an advice show for creators hosted by Stephanie Woodin. Also, “Heavyweight” returned today. Hosted by Jonathan Goldstein, the emotional deep dive podcast is one of the few survivors of Gimlet’s boom of narrative podcasts.

Improv show “Make Some Noise” returns in October

If you don’t actively watch Dropout.tv, chances are high their content has appeared in your feed. You know those videos where comedians riff on prompts like “Jimmy Kimmel the court jester is definitely going to be beheaded by the king after this set”? That’s them. And one of their biggest shows — “Make Some Noise” — will return with Season 4 on Oct. 13. Ben Schwartz, Lisa Gilroy and Paul F. Tompkins are all set to make appearances. 

Movers and Shakers

Jay Renshaw is considering moving “The Chit Show” off social media

Conversations are ongoing, but they’re happening. After the finale of the viral TikTok comedy with over 2.2 million followers, Renshaw broke down that final episode with me, explained how his series brought in two A-listers and whether the series will remain on social media or move to a bigger platform.

Roblox taps a former Airbnb exec to lead its creator ecosystem

Vlad Loktev, who has experience at Airbnb and Zynga, has been named the company’s Chief Creator Ecosystem Officer and will start on Sept. 29. Loktev will be responsible for improving the day-to-day experience for Roblox creators as well as spearheading new tools. And since Roblox is in a bit of a PR crisis right now, that’s not going to be an easy gig.

Kamala Harris joins Substack

Former vice president Kamala Harris is now on Substack. The politician’s first post was an excerpt from her upcoming book, “107 Days.” You know who else is new to Substack this week? Former Deputy Editor at The Verge, Alex Heath. The tech journalist announced that he’s going independent and started with an interview with Mark Zuckerberg.

Who to Watch

RocketJump

After (rocket) jumping from YouTube to Hollywood, VFX creator Freddie Wong is back on YouTube. This week, Wong relaunched his channel after being away from it for five years. If you need an internet refresher, Wong created the webseries “Video Game High School” before creating “RocketJump: The Show” and “Dimension 404” for Hulu. 

In his return, Wong highlighted how he accidentally burned most of his Hollywood bridges over “The Witcher” and teases his upcoming action movie. It’s an interesting watch in case you need another reminder about how brutal the Hollywood machine can be.

Bonus Content

• She Fought the Far Right Online for Years. Now She Wants to Do It in Congress (via Wired)
• The Top Creators of 2025 (via Mashable)
• How Podcasts (and Plastic Surgery) Are Shaping Male Beauty Standard (via GQ)

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.

The post Creatorverse: Why a Disney Showrunner Took Her Latest Project to YouTube appeared first on TheWrap.

When it comes to social media platforms, no one celebrates creators like YouTube. But during this year’s Made on YouTube event on Tuesday in New York, the company really put its development money where its mouth is, further cementing its status as the go-to home for creators.

The platform announced more than 30 new tools for creators. Some of these tools, like the implementation of Veo 3 for Shorts, felt like a move to get more people familiar with Google’s AI model. But most of them seemed as though they were specifically designed to make the YouTube editing process easier and optimize creators’ profits. 

Some of the biggest game changers for creators are:

• Dynamic ads, which will let creators remove a sponsorship once a deal is complete and resell the slot to another brand.
• A/B testing for YouTube titles.
• Auto timestamps for product tags, which will use AI to tag eligible items mentioned in videos.
• AI editing tools for both YouTube and Shorts.
• A likeness detection tool that uses AI to let monetized creators know when their content is being used without their approval.
• Ask Studio.

That last one could be a massive disrupter. With Ask Studio, creators can talk to YouTube’s AI chatbot about their channels, asking it to pull analytics about their viewers’ average watch time, drop off points and more. 

Even the event’s Q-and-A section felt like a flex. When asked by Molly Burke (2 million subscribers on YouTube), a blind content creator, if the platform will be implementing AI to expand its audio descriptions, CEO Neal Mohan said, “I think that the technology allows for us to be able to build those types of capabilities. So that’s a wonderful idea.” 

The fact that many of these newly announced tools were previously pitched by creators proves that YouTube isn’t just blindly developing; the company is listening to creators. It all begs the question: If YouTube has all these tools specifically designed to make creators’ lives easier and if it’s putting in the time to actually listen to creator concerns, why would your digital home base be anywhere else?

Already when I talk to creators about platform prioritization and diversification, they point to YouTube as the company that provides them with the most support and financial consistency. With all of these new tools, that high opinion among creators is likely only going to soar. Everyone else, watch out. YouTube is making an aggressive bid for the future of entertainment, and it’s doing so by enabling creators the most.

Now onto the rest.

Kayla Cobb
Senior Reporter
kayla.cobb@thewrap.com

What’s New

TikTok gets another extension

But this time the end may actually be in sight. The fourth (!!!) deadline for TikTok to either be banned in the United States or be sold to U.S. investors is set for Dec. 16. However, on Tuesday the Wall Street Journal reported that an investor consortium that includes Oracle, Silver Lake and Andreessen Horowitz is seriously considering buying the app. Trump has also made promising statements to reporters, so maybe this saga will finally come to an end.

Webtoon gets a massive boost thanks to Disney

Following the news that Disney plans to acquire a 2% equity interest in the creator-focused comics platform, stock in Webtoon rose as much as 90% to $28 per share. This investment would increase the partnership between the two companies, making Webtoon the home of Disney’s comic assets. And since Disney owns Marvel, that could be massive. 

Speaking of Webtoon, “Covenant once given” is the official winner of the company’s 2025 Webcomic Legends competition and the winner of its $150,000 grand prize. Read all about how these contests are helping indie artists achieve their dreams.

In recent years, Webtoon has served as a pipeline for several hit anime shows like “Tower of God” and “True Beauty.” Disney’s interest in this area is timely given the theatrical success of “Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle” this past weekend. 

Discord, Reddit, Twitch and Valve CEOs are being called into Congress after Charlie Kirk’s murder

The CEOs of Discord, Reddit, Twitch and Valve are being asked to testify about the “radicalization of online forum users.” The committee hearing will take place on Oct. 8, and the goal is to prevent future violence after Kirk’s assassination. As more details come out about Kirk’s shooter, it seems he was part of some pretty dark corners of the internet.

Platform Updates

Fortnite creators will soon be able to sell in-game items

Starting in December, creators of the massively popular online game will be able to sell items directly from the islands they’ve built. Fortnite will launch tools later on that will allow this. To promote this update, the game will be upping the value of its V-bucks. Typically, creators earn 50% of the value of the in-game currency. But from December throughout 2026, creators will earn 100% (for those not on Fortnite, 100 V-bucks translates to about $0.80). This all seems to be part of Fortnite’s strategy to invest more in creators. 

Snap unveils new operating system tied to 5th generation of Snap Spectacles

Snap OS 2.0 will include a faster browser as well as a new home screen with widgets and bookmarks and an updated toolbar. Snap Spectacle users will be able to speak or type a website URL, refresh a page, look at their history and resize windows. This update comes as the battle over wearables heats up with Meta aggressively pushing its smart glass lineup with partners like Ray-Ban.

Google’s Discover page will let you follow specific publishers and creators

That’s a big deal considering that Google is still the king of search. Users will now be able to follow certain creators or publications, which ensures that more content from those sources will appear first on search results. 

Speaking of Google, do you know who’s feuding with the platform right now? Reddit. The self-described heart of the internet wants more users and money from Google in exchange for Google using Reddit’s data to feed its AI algorithm. This is according to a Bloomberg report, which dove into the next content-sharing agreement between the two companies.

Movers and Shakers

Buzzfeed hosts a YouTube reunion

Want to feel old? Buzzfeed, a company that developed the blueprints for many modern creators and influencers, hosted a 10-year reunion livestream. Check it out to see cameos from people like Kelsey Impicciche, Amanda Castrillo and more.

Kai Cenat is now the second most-followed streamer on Twitch

Cenat took over Ninja’s spot, the video game streamer who has held onto the slot for quite some time. He hit the milestone during his third and final Mafiathon. The No. 1 Twitch streamer remains the esports commentator Ibai.

Charli and Dixie D’Amelio launch a Roblox game

Say hello to “Dress Up BFF,” a dress-up game that features characters from their “Squeaky & Roy” animated franchise. “Dress Up BFF” is debuting during a controversial time for Roblox, which is facing multiple lawsuits about safety regulations for children.

Who to Watch

DUST

Life is weird and surreal right now, so why not dive into some sci-fi? DUST (nearly 3.7 million YouTube subscribers) offers a curated collection of sci-fi shorts. The channel alongside its horror sibling ALTER (nearly 3.7 million YouTube subscribers) have been showcasing experimental films from indie artists for the past six years. It’s like David Fincher’s “Love, Death and Robots” but far more robust. 

Try to escape our current madness by diving into theirs. In the age of AI, might I suggest “Best Friend“ by Nicholas Olivieri, Shen Yi, Juliana De Lucca, Varun Nair and David Feliu?

Bonus Content

• Global Politics Happens on Discord Now (via Garbage Day)
• Charlie Kirk and Tyler Robinson Came from the Same Warped Online Worlds (via The New Yorker)
• OpenAI’s Teen Safety Features Will Walk a Thin Line (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.

The post Creatorverse: YouTube Is Making an Aggressive Bid to Be Creator Home Base appeared first on TheWrap.

When Digital Brand Architects first launched as an influencer management shop in 2010, no one took it seriously. 

“Year one, people laughed at us,” Raina Penchansky, the partner, co-founder and CEO of DBA told me last night. We were surrounded by smiling influencers and creators holding cocktails as they celebrated the company’s 15th anniversary. People aren’t laughing anymore.

DBA is a great example of how much the creator economy has transformed in the past decade and a half. The management agency now represents big names like Patrick Starrr (4.8 million YouTube subscribers), Aimee Song (7.2 million Instagram followers) and The Home Edit (6.4 million Instagram followers). Through its acquisition by UTA in 2019 — an early investor in the creator economy — the agency can cater to almost any way their talent wants to expand, whether that involves touring, book deals or deals with traditional film and television. 

The expertise of a well-established agency can be transformative to creators. That was the case with Matt Newman, a hair stylist who has 3 million followers on TikTok and 1.7 million followers on Instagram. Newman started posting on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic when his work came to a halt.

“I sort of fell into it,” Newman told me. 

Newman met his current agent through his social media friends and used her as a resource while he was working with his previous team. After that team “dropped the ball” on a dream partnership, Newman moved to DBA. Within six months, that partnership became a reality. Now he’s moving forward on a big idea that’s still under wraps but that he’s confident will revolutionize the hair industry. 

“I used to walk around Manhattan with a backpack full of curling irons to earn $30 a blow dry for 10 girls a day,” Newman said. “With social media, you keep posting, let all the creativity flow and the opportunities that are fit for you can come back at you.”

Though Penchansky has seen the industry drastically evolve over the past 15 years, she still thinks we’re just scratching the surface of what the creator economy will become. 

“You’ll see more niche creators as the space expands and expands … And I think you’re going to see longform content on YouTube really become more significant. But then I also think you’re going to see even shorter content,” she said. “These are genuine people who are creating a connection. That is the future.”

Now onto the rest.

Kayla Cobb
Senior Reporter
kayla.cobb@thewrap.com

What’s New

AI has been scraping YouTube videos, and how-to creators should be worried

This comes from an Atlantic investigation that found tech companies downloaded more than 15.8 million videos from more than 2 million channels to train their AI models — all without those creators’ permission, of course. This practice also goes against YouTube’s terms of service. Nearly 1 million of them were how-to videos, an insight that indicates this cottage industry of experienced professionals teaching their followers may be at risk

Vimeo will be acquired for $1.4 billion by Bending Spoons

The European software company plans to take the video platform company private once the deal closes. A spinoff of CollegeHumor, Vimeo started as a haven for indie filmmakers. But over the years it’s had a hard time keeping up with YouTube. Just last week, its CEO Philip Moyer announced it was laying off 10% of its employees.

News Creator Corps wants to teach influencers how to be journalists

During an era filled with news deserts, a nonprofit from Rachel Lobdell and Jay Rosen is trying to help creators stymie the spread of misinformation. The organization announced an eight-week fellowship program this week, which will teach 20 creators important journalistic skills like how to read a lawsuit and decipher a study.

Chosen creators will get a $5,000 stipend to support their work. Though the organization is considering audience size as it selects its creators, News Creator Corps is more focused on creators who are interested in sharing information with their communities. Creators will be chosen on Oct. 8. Sign up here.

Platform Updates

Meta is adding Community Notes to Facebook, Instagram and Threads

Basically, Meta is crowdsourcing fact-checking. Once a user applies and is accepted as a Community Notes user, they will be able to put a note on a post that they believe is inaccurate or misleading. That note can include background information or their own insights. Other users will also be able to rate the helpfulness of notes, which Meta will track. So far, over 70,000 contributors have written over 15,000 notes.

Roblox is entering its TikTok era with Roblox Moments

Moments, which launched in Beta last Friday, lets users capture, edit and share their Roblox gameplay moments. These shortform videos can then be watched on the Roblox app by other users.

That’s not the only major development the gaming platform unveiled last week. Roblox also announced new text-to-speech and speech-to-text functionality, real-time voice chat translation and a partnership with the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC). That last part is especially noteworthy considering the growing concerns around the platform’s young fan base.

YouTube rolls out multi-language dubbing to all creators

Soon, every YouTube video can be accessible to anyone around the world. The platform will be expanding its multi-language dubbing option to millions of creators around the world in the coming weeks. This is a massive deal as entertainment becomes more globalized. YouTube found that, on average, creators who upload multi-language audio tracks saw that over 25% of their watch time came from viewers who didn’t watch in the creator’s primary language.

Movers and Shakers

Patreon taps a Verizon and TikTok veteran

Lina Renzina has been named Patreon’s head of top creator management. Previously, she worked as Verizon’s head of creator strategy and marketing, and before that she served as TikTok’s global content partnerships lead for three years.

TikTok and Twitch streamer Vanillamace signs with UTA

The creator, who has 4.3 million followers on TikTok and 546,000 followers on Twitch, has partnered with the agency for all representation.

Who to Watch

Keith Lee

This one is near and dear to my heart. Keith Lee — the TikTok influencer with over 17 million followers known for his unfailingly honest food reviews — has a Season 2 of his show “The Reheat.” Lee blew up by visiting local struggling restaurants and fairly assessing their food, and in “Reheat,” he visits some of the places that blew up after his review. Lee is one of the few good parts of the internet, which is why it sucks that his latest show is nearly impossible to find. Find it on Microsoft’s YouTube Shorts page, TikTok page, Instagram or its microsite.

Creator Power

What good is a newsletter without a shameless plug? This week, I spoke to “Challenge Accepted” host Michelle Khare along with Adobe’s Jared Carneson, Meta’s Megan Bycel and Smosh’s Alessandra Catanese about how creators came to be the future of entertainment, the importance of brand partnerships and platform diversification and how AI may impact the industry’s future. Check out these serious smarties here.  

Bonus Content

• Hasan Piker Will Never Run for Office (via Wired)
• Kids Content Creators Are Repackaging Their Videos for Streaming — and Reaping the Rewards  (via TheWrap)
• Andy Roddick Has a New Title: ‘YouTube Guy’ (via New York Times)

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.

The post Creatorverse: Creator Talent Agencies, Once Mocked, Are Now the Future appeared first on TheWrap.

“I don’t know if I would have believed you,” the host and creator of “Challenge Accepted” said on TheWrap’s roundtable, “Creator Power: The Business of Influence presented by Adobe.”

“I think that is just indicative of how quickly the industry has changed and matured and also how much I personally am inspired by other creators who have spun their opportunities into reinvesting in themselves, their own IP and their own ownership, rather than taking it elsewhere,” Khare said.

At a time when traditional media companies are consolidating and scrambling to find growth, user-generated content and the creator space is seeing a surge of interest and investment. The creator economy — defined as everything from ads pulled in from YouTube content to merchandising and marketing partnerships — is expected to grow to $480 billion by 2027, according to Goldman Sachs.

Khare, who has won two Streamy Awards and has over 5.2 million subscribers on YouTube, is living proof about how much the creator ecosystem has evolved. Earlier this year, she was one of three channels YouTube backed in its quest to secure creators an Emmy nomination. It’s a shift that reflects both how the industry at large has started to embrace creators and how creators themselves have evolved to become more entrepreneurial.

“They’re modern media companies,” Jared Carneson, global head of social at Adobe, said. “They have circulation that rivals traditional media companies. They have more watch time and eyeballs on them than Hollywood blockbusters.”

To further that point, Khare noted that her content sits alongside traditional shows on the home pages of connected televisions, signaling that this content goes beyond something quick you watch on your phone.

“We’re seeing massively increased viewership on living room and television devices,” Khare said. “YouTubers are technically creating TV shows, and viewers are technically choosing them over other shows. I love that because — to me — it’s reflective of a democracy of content creation. Whereas historically, in traditional Hollywood, it has been, ‘Does a room of suits believe in my idea?’ or ‘Does this casting director like my self tape?’ and ‘Are they paying attention when they’re watching it?’ Now it feels like a far more direct relationship to the audience.”

And everyone is taking notice.

‘Natural extension’

Alessandra Catanese, the CEO of the comedy-centered production company Smosh, told TheWrap that it’s not just Hollywood that’s taking creators more seriously as of late. It’s also advertisers and companies that specialize in merchandising and franchising.

“Creators are building businesses off of the products that are genuine to them. It’s not just selling themselves or the content they create but being able to find natural extensions of themselves as well,” Catanese explained. “That’s just a natural evolution in a capitalist economy.”

Nowhere is that acceptance more apparent than in the living room. In August, YouTube broke yet another Nielsen viewership record, beating The Walt Disney Company as the media distributor responsible for the most overall TV watch time. YouTube accounted for 13.4% of all TV usage during the month compared to Disney’s 9.4%. It’s now not uncommon to see the YouTube app living next to tiles for major streamers like Netflix, Hulu and Apple TV+.

That democratization of content and audience attention is only expected to continue. YouTube breaks a Nielsen viewership record so often, it now hardly feels like news.

As a result, creators are seeing a rush of viewers watching from the comfort of their living rooms.

Impact of AI

As audiences move more toward creator-generated content, the rise of artificial intelligence has allowed creators to tackle more ambitious projects.

The influencer economy has always required creators to wear multiple hats — talent, writer, editor and producer, just to name a few of the most common roles. But with the rise of AI tools, time-consuming tasks like sound clarification or adding in captions can be automated.

“It’s hard to master a single tool, never mind master a suite of tools, to be able to do all of that stuff effectively. It’s exciting to see AI coming in and helping close that gap,” Carneson said. When it comes to Adobe designing its AI-driven tools, one of the main goals is to give users more access to these projects and to decrease the barrier to entry.

“There is no storytelling that isn’t human centered,” Carneson added. “AI is a great optimizer. It’s a great augmenter of things. But it is a tool.”

That’s also a goal of Meta, the company behind social media power players Facebook and Instagram. “With all of our apps — everything that we’re building, the products inside, the features inside of our current apps and the new apps — it’s all towards AI,” Megan Bycel, the head of public figures and creator partnerships in North America at Meta, said.

Meta, in particular has been very outspoken about its embrace of AI as well as its desire to create a “superintelligence” lab. The company has bet big on AI, and in July said operating expenses would range between $113 billion and $118 billion, with much of that believed to be dedicated to the technology.

“AI is only going to become more and more prevalent in our day-to-day, in our world, inside and outside of Meta,” Bycel said, paraphrasing something that was recently said to her by a member of Meta’s senior leadership team. “Every single day, challenge yourself to try to use AI in some way, shape or form because then you’ll just get more and more comfortable with the idea.”

As for Catanese and Khare — the two panelists who are more directly involved with content creation — both expressed interest in using AI but emphasized that the emerging technology should never replace human artists or professionals.

“Smosh has a bit of a purist take on this where we’re not fully anti-AI, but we don’t support the notion that AI could replace creatives,” Catanese said. “That was an early assumption with AI, like, ‘We’re going to use AI to create X, Y and Z, or to replace these jobs.’ I think even the audience is really seeing and feeling allergic to that.”

Smosh only considers using AI tools as a way to support roles that already exist. “We’re very people first, not just creator first,” Catanese said.

As for Khare, she likened AI’s potential impact on entertainment to the evolution of “Survivor.” The CBS reality show first premiered in 2000. Over the years, the camerawork and storytelling has evolved and become more sophisticated, but the main conceit of the show has never changed.

“It’s a story about a group of humans stranded on an island and trying to survive their way to winning the competition,” Khare said. “That is how I view the progression of documentary in this new era of technology. At the end of the day with ‘Challenge Accepted,’ we’re focused on telling human stories and elevating that truth and that reality to our audience as much as we possibly can.”

Watch the full roundtable in the video above.

The post Creators Get Bigger Star Treatment Across Entertainment — and Brands Are Noticing appeared first on TheWrap.

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.

The post Creatorverse: Creators as Entrepreneurs Are Driving the Industry’s Rise appeared first on TheWrap.

Since I launched Creatorverse, I’ve taken dozens of meetings with leaders in the creator space who have all told me the same thing: Smaller influencers are in. 

Generally, the creator marketplace can be broken down into four categories:

• Megainfluencers, who have followings in the millions.
• Macroinfluencers, whose followings are roughly between 100,000 and a million.
• Microinfluencers, whose followings are between 10,000 and 100,000.
• Nanoinfluencers, whose followings are under 10,000.

Whereas brands used to almost exclusively focus on that top tier (think MrBeast and Charli D’Amelio), brands are now expressing more interest in macro and microinfluencers, meaning paydays for those creators. This shift has happened as brands have started to prioritize high engagement rates over large followings.

Many of these smaller creators are seen as experts in their own niche communities and, as such, can more directly influence the buying habits of their followers. A good example of this is Mrs. Space Cadet, a TikToker and self-described “struggle runner” with over 940,000 followers who often reviews shorts based on how likely they are to be “gobbled” by her thighs. I’ve purchased one pair solely based on her recommendation. 

Community specificity also allows brands to partner with creators who solidly fit the overall vibe of their brand rather than trying to force a campaign onto a bigger creator. Then there’s the allure of getting in on the ground floor. Who doesn’t want to partner with the next Addison Rae or Nick DiGiovanni?

The numbers back this up. Only one in four consumers said that a creator having a large following or being followed by one of their friends swayed them to follow that creator, a cross-platform study conducted by Alter Agents and commissioned by Whalar found. Instead, the biggest reason why consumers followed a creator was because of relatability.

Even platforms have noticed this shift. This week, YouTube’s hype program — an offering that encourages users to boost new content posted by creators with under 500,000 subscribers — rolled out globally in 39 countries, including the U.S. This program was developed after YouTube surveyed over 2,500 viewers and found over 75% of respondents and over 80% of Gen Z wanted to help small and mid-sized creators grow their followings. 

And YouTube has been putting its money where its mouth is. The platform’s upcoming NFL game in Brazil includes several flashy creators like Deestroying and IShowSpeed, but the game is also tapping smaller creators like Tom Grossi, Kay Adams and Peter Overzet. 

So if you’re thinking about becoming a creator, go for it. This pond is filled with big fish but the smaller guppies are getting fed too. Now, onto the rest.

Kayla Cobb
Senior Reporter
kayla.cobb@thewrap.com

P.S. I’m hosting a livestream roundtable, “Creator Power: The Business of Influence, Presented by Adobe” at noon PT, on Sept. 9, with some killer panelists from Adobe, Meta and Smosh as well as creator and “Challenge Accepted” guru Michelle Kare. Save your spot today!

What’s New

“Good Hang with Amy Poehler” hosted its first live show

Need more proof podcasts are the new late night shows? Amy Poehler’s Spotify show hosted its very first live show on Wednesday at the Gramercy Theatre, complete with a recreation of her set and a live audience. It was all part of a paid partnership with Walmart. Look out, late night.

Speaking of podcasts, TMG Studios, the podcasting company founded by YouTube comedian Noel Miller, added five new shows to its lineup. Miller told TheWrap about why he didn’t look at follower counts when it came to his new lineup.

Bluesky goes dark in Mississippi over age verification concerns

If you’re in Mississippi and looking for an X replacement, good luck. Bluesky blocked all IP addresses from the state last Friday rather than risk breaking its strict, recently passed age verification laws. The law requires all social media platforms to ID and track all users under the age of 18 while requiring every user to share personal information to verify their age or risk a $10,000 fine per violation. That overhaul isn’t possible with Bluesky’s limited resources and infrastructure.

The TikTok deadline may be delayed … yet again

Trump told reporters that he’s considering extending TikTok’s deadline to sell “a little bit longer.” For those keeping track at home, this would mark Trump’s fourth extension for the social media app, but the President also assured the press TikTok has “buyers.” Elsewhere in the world, TikTok plans to lay off hundreds of U.K. workers as it turns to AI to moderate its content.

The AI Revolution

YouTube is secretly editing people’s videos using AI

YouTube’s tweaks have been small and have consisted of things like smoothing out skin and ironing out wrinkles in clothing. But some users are disturbed by the AI-looking aftermath.  

Rene Ritchie, YouTube’s creator liaison, confirmed the changes were happening and that they’re part of an experiment on “select YouTube Shorts,” explaining it’s intended to improve video quality and experience.

Meta is partnering with Midjourney for image and video generation

The company’s Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang naturally announced the news on Threads. It’s unclear how exactly this partnership will impact the platform, but Meta’s platforms aren’t the only ones using AI for its content. This is likely a play to be more competitive with Google’s Veo video generation tool.

Perplexity is giving publishers a cut of their revenue

The free-to-use, AI-powered search engine will pay publishers for news articles that the company uses to answer user questions. The revenue pool for the company is currently set at $42.5 million, though Perplexity expects to increase that amount over time. 

That wasn’t the only major win for publishers in the war against AI this week. A group of book authors reached a settlement with the AI company Anthropic after suing the company for copyright infringement. Ultimately, a judge ruled that the AI company was able to use these authors’ work under the fair use provision as long as the company purchased the work legally. Since Anthropic went the illegally downloaded route, the law was not on their side, hence the settlement.

Movers and Shakers

Juju ‘Straw Hat Goofy’ Green joins iHeartMedia

Also known as “TikTok’s movie guy,” Green has over 3.6 million followers on the platform. He will now serve as a key entertainment contributor for iHeartMedia, providing listeners with weekly movie updates, reviews and recommendations. This continues the trend of more brands bringing creators in house.

Viral Nation is shaking up its C-suite

The leading global social media marketing and creator agency that works with companies like Audible, A24 and Microsoft announced several changeups this week. Moving forward, Nicholas Spiro will be the company’s chief commercial officer, and Brandon Lentino will be its chief creative officer. On the executive vice president level, Alice de Vries will head go-to-market and marketing. Finally, Justin Tweed will be the VP of revenue, and Nicolas Doyen will be the VP of product and data strategy.

Kaya Yurieff departs The Information

One of the best in the biz is taking some time off. After four and a half years, Yurieff is leaving the company to travel for a bit. She’s best known for spearheading the publication’s Creator Economy newsletter. Be on the lookout for where she lands next.

Who to Watch

IShowSpeed

Darren Watkins Jr., aka IShowSpeed, is taking Ryan Trahan’s trip across the USA and turning it up about 10 levels. For his latest project, Watkins will be touring at least 25 states in America. The catch? He will be live streaming 24/7 for 35 days straight. It all starts today. 

Earlier this summer, Watkins launched and completed his second Europe tour. But this marks the first time Watkins will film himself continuously during one of these tours. Twenty-four hour streams are nothing new to the world of social media. Kai Cenat, who frequently collaborates with Watkins, is known for them. But this is one of the most ambitious and longest of these streams ever attempted.

Bonus Content

• 25 Most Influential Creators of 2025 (via Rolling Stone)
• How a 9-Year-Old TikToker Helped Turn a Joke Into Arizona Beverages’ Next Drink (via The Wall Street Journal)
• A Dark Money Group Is Secretly Funding High-Profile Democratic Influencers (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.

The post Creatorverse: For Brands, Large Followings Are Out and Engagement Is In appeared first on TheWrap.

So about that TikTok ban … it really looks like it’s not going to happen, right? That’s what many of the app’s users seem to think, especially after this week.

If you need a refresher, Trump first proposed the TikTok ban all the way back in 2020. But it wasn’t until 2024 that the House of Representatives, Senate and Biden passed a bill requiring ByteDance to either sell the app to U.S. investors or face a country-wide ban.

That first deadline was for Jan. 19. Then it was delayed. And delayed again. And delayed again. Now the deadline is set for Sept. 17, less than a month away.

Though TikTok hasn’t said anything officially, there are three major reasons why people think a sale may actually happen this time: 

• The White House made a TikTok account this week. Why would you make an account for a platform you’re about to axe?
• TikTok announced an update to its Community Guidelines last Friday that will take effect on Sept. 13. Kinda weird to go to all that legal trouble for something that’s about to go away.
• There have been a flurry of reports about potential buyers and replacement apps.

But as this saga has dragged on, TikTokers just seem tired of this back-and-forth and are increasingly asking for this to end, even if it means losing their beloved app. That’s the sentiment Lisa Remillard, a journalist with over 3.8 million TikTok followers who’s covered the ban since 2020, told me.

“Once it does change or go away, there’s going to be a lot of shock that it’s actually happening,” she said.

Their frustration may also be impacting TikTok’s numbers. Though the company didn’t respond when asked for comment, both Sensor Tower, a market intelligence firm, and Later, a social media scheduling company, found there was a slight dip in U.S. daily active users around key moments in the ban. Sensor Tower also found that daily time spent on the app in the U.S. dropped almost 13% from 2023 to 2025 (Though TikTok’s increased ad load may be a factor there). 

Looking ahead to September, there are two major questions to keep in mind:

• If TikTok is banned, where will users go next? Given the hatred TikTok users have for Reels, YouTube Shorts seems like a likelier option.
• If TikTok survives, will users accept its new owners? That doesn’t seem likely based on my feed.

No matter how it shakes out, it seems like we’re closer than ever to an actual answer. Now, onto the rest.

Kayla Cobb
Senior Reporter
kayla.cobb@thewrap.com

P.S. Looking to go deeper on the creator economy? I’ll be moderating “Creator Power: The Business of Influence, presented by Adobe.” Save your spot here.

What’s New

Taylor Swift pushed “New Heights” to … new heights

Or at least to the top of YouTube’s podcasting chart. The podcast hosted by Travis and Jason Kelce was No. 1 during the week of Aug. 11 to 17. “New Heights” has performed well in the past; according to Edison Research, it had the 10th largest audience in the second quarter. But the Swifties really took it to the next level. In the week since the episode was posted, Swift’s two-hour interview has amassed over 20 million views (Joe Rogen’s interview with Donald Trump still holds the YouTube podcast viewership record with 59 million views).

Roblox is about to be flooded with lawsuits tied to its child endangerment problem

It’s been a hard month for Roblox. After debuting its new age verification system, Wired revealed that the gaming platform with a massive underage fanbase is about to be flooded with lawsuits claiming the platform facilitated sexual exploitation and grooming. The number of suspected child sexual exploitation cases Roblox itself reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) jumped 3,455% from 2019 to 2024. 

That’s not all. Roblox user and YouTuber Schlep — known for targeting alleged predators on Roblox — was banned from the platform and sent a cease and desist letter. Roblox Co-Founder Matt Kaufman seemed to address Schelp’s ban in a recent post that discussed “vigilante groups” and the “slow approach” the company used to understand their actions. Adding to the drama, last Friday “To Catch a Predator” host Chris Hansen announced he’s working on a Roblox documentary with Schlep.

YouTube drafts Deestroying, Kay Adams and Peter Overzet for its NFL game, and Netflix bets on Mark Rober

Pay attention to the Chiefs vs. Chargers game on Sept. 5. YouTube’s first-ever exclusive game could be the template for live sports to come. In addition to announcing several well known commentators like Rich Eisen, YouTube also announced that creators Deestroying (aka Donald De La Haye), Kay Adams and Peter Overzet would be covering the game. 

Netflix also increased its bet on creators this week, announcing a competition show with former NASA engineer Mark Rober, who has 70.5 million subscribers on YouTube. The currently unnamed show will be EPed by Jimmy Kimmel and scheduled for 2026.

Platform Updates

ESPN is launching its own TikTok knockoff

Get ready for Verts. Described as a swipe-able and personalized shortform vertical video feed, the offering will feature highlights, reactions and user-generated content. It’s all part of ESPN’s new app, which launched today. The streaming service will cost $29.99 per month for the Unlimited plan and $11.99 per month for the Select plan.

Webtoon is pivoting to video to attract Gen Z

The user-generated comic and manga creation hub will be adapting 14 English-language comics into episodic videos designed for vertical scrolling. More episodes and titles are expected to be added throughout the year, and the hope is this new initiative will attract more Gen Z viewers. The company has about 150 million users across its comic hub and its user-generated writing platform Wattpad.

TikTok is betting on college and tennis

In a move reminiscent of Facebook’s early days, TikTok introduced Campus Verification, an option that lets college students connect to their classmates after they confirm their school enrollment. The platform also announced a global content partnership with the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Fans and athletes will be able to connect through a Tennis Creator Network, which will give TikTokers access to ATP events, and select creators will also be sent to the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, Italy. So far, TikTok interest in #tennis has grown 30% in 2025 and accounts for 1.8 million posts.

Who to Watch

Jam

Jam was one of three creators who were featured during a panel about film accounts that drive audiences to theaters at this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival. But the reason I’m highlighting her (j_watches) over Meg Hughes and Indigo Stafford is because of the breadth of her recommendations. Buzzy new theatrical films, underrated indie fare, forgotten Netflix shows, Chinese short dramas — Jam reviews them all, lending the same degree of respect to all different forms of art.

Bonus Content

• He Sold His Likeness. Now His Avatar Is Shilling Supplements on TikTok. (via The New York Times)
• What’s Behind the TikTok Accounts Using AI-Generated Versions of Real Latino Journalists? (via NBC News)
• Hank Green’s Focus Friend App Is Climbing the App Store Charts — And It’s Extremely Cute (via TechCrunch)

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.

The post Creatorverse: The White House Joining TikTok Means It’s Safe, Right? appeared first on TheWrap.

“Why shoot for just half an audience all the time? You know, why not try to get the whole? I mean, I like to bring people into the big picture,” he told David Trulio of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute in an interview posted July 22.

But in lamenting the anti-Trump sentiments coming from the likes of Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart and Jimmy Kimmel, the former “The Tonight Show” host and his recipe to Make Late-Night Great Again reveals an obliviousness to how the world has changed when it comes to media and politics: more content chasing a highly fragmented audience that increasingly finds news and entertainment within their own ideological silos.

To be fair, Leno wasn’t directly addressing CBS’ cancellation of “The Late Show” when he made his widely circulated comments, since the interview was conducted prior to that decision. Leno was nevertheless cheered by the right when the remarks surfaced, on programs such as “Fox & Friends” and “The Five,” for telling Trulio that comics “wind up cozying too much to one side or the other.”

The assertion that late-night comedy has become too political also received a robust workout on Fox News this month, after Jimmy Fallon hosted Fox’s resident jester Greg Gutfeld on Aug. 7, for a light-hearted segment devoid of politics. Ever since, Gutfeld and his colleagues used that appearance to celebrate Fallon, bash the other late-night hosts and gloat about “Late Show’s” demise.

For the more than two decades that Leno hosted “The Tonight Show,” keeping your personal politics a mystery was considered a smart move as broadcast TV dominated viewership. It’s a tightrope act his predecessor, Johnny Carson, also walked for his 30 years on late-night television.

During Barack Obama’s presidency, however, the political climate changed, while broadcasting’s power gradually faded. By the time Donald Trump entered politics a decade ago, the major networks were shrinking into more of a niche business.

Leno’s perspective ignores the reality that media has gotten far more fragmented, with everything from TikTok to social media feeds and streaming services competing against traditional broadcast and cable networks. In this era where reaching any audience is the goal, doing so by sacrificing the “other half” is a perfectly smart strategy.

Put another way: Leno’s “down the middle” formula expired not long after he left “The Tonight Show,” and going after a segment of the audience with a distinct spin is a perfectly viable business model.

It’s equally hard to blithely accept Trump and his acolytes decrying political polarization in late-night TV when his actions have done so much to divide American society, in many ways forcing people to choose sides.

In the pre-Trump era, comedians had seen the value — or sense of civic duty — in tackling key issues, but Trump’s unprecedented grab for power, including dispatching National Guard troops to Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., has altered the calculus in terms of what comics can overlook if they have any desire to address the political moment.

As for the commercial rationale for taking a stand, just ask Fox News and the highly opinionated Gutfeld, who has understandably crowed about his ratings topping Colbert and the rest of the late-night comedy field. (The achievement does warrant an asterisk, since “Gutfeld!” has the advantage of coming on at 10 p.m. ET, when more people are generally up and watching.)

The irony is those praising Leno’s comments on Fox regularly sacrifice a big chunk of the audience too, just as their counterparts at MSNBC do. Nor should it be lost that the least-watched major cable news network, CNN, seeks to straddle the elusive middle as Leno counseled.

Leno didn’t respond to a request for comment.

The most vanilla-flavored current late-night host, Leno’s successor Jimmy Fallon, attracts fewer viewers than Colbert, with the two averaging 2.4 million and 1.2 million viewers, respectively, during second-quarter 2025. But on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, Fallon’s concerted effort to create viral content with his celebrity guests has resulted in numbers that have dominated the competition.

That would be the same Jimmy Fallon who treats politics gingerly, revels in silly viral videos and who memorably drew the ire of the left in 2016 by yukking it up with Trump during his first presidential run and playfully tousling his hair.

Fast-forward to 2025, and Fallon is the subject of Gutfeld’s continued praise for having the “guts” to book him as a guest. “Greg’s ‘Tonight Show’ Appearance Triggers the Left” read the chyron on Gutfeld’s show, though even he admitted the griping amounted to a handful of tweets assembled as clickbait stories.

Like his Fox colleagues, Gutfeld’s criticism of Colbert and Kimmel for adopting a political point of view overlooks the many who have thrived commercially by doing precisely that.

“The Five’s” resident one-on-four liberal, Jessica Tarlov, was shouted down as usual when she said, “We are in a very different political time than when Leno was doing this,” with Gutfeld insisting his show is a success because of “the arrogance and ego” of liberal comedians, which explained why people watched him.

The words Gutfeld conveniently omitted are “like-minded people,” which underscores where Leno gets it wrong: Shooting for “half an audience” makes sense, because trying to please everybody risks leaving you in a comedy no-man’s land that pleases nobody. And while it’s slightly misleading to lump “Gutfeld!” in with traditional late-night comedy — it’s basically just a Fox panel show with extra jokes — the host and his fawning guests notably made a point last week of attributing his success, in part, to appealing to those turned off by anti-Trump humor elsewhere.

To the extent Gutfeld’s argument is that his show has flourished as a reaction to Colbert and Kimmel’s liberal tilt, Jon Stewart would agree. On his “The Weekly Show” podcast, Stewart noted that Gutfeld is “not popular because he’s a both-sides guy,” while calling out the hypocrisy of those who support Gutfeld mixing comedy and politics while decrying what Colbert does, saying they are “trying to police and create rules that they would never follow.”

It’s worth noting the late-night personality that Colbert, Kimmel and their contemporaries most admired wasn’t Leno, but his rival David Letterman, whose political material became much more pointed and partisan in his later years on CBS, before handing the keys to Colbert in 2015.

Asked by The Hollywood Reporter about Leno’s remarks, HBO’s John Oliver began by saying he would “take a hard pass on taking comedic advice from Jay Leno,” before expounding on why his bigger-tent theory doesn’t work: “Comedy can’t be for everyone. It’s inherently subjective.” Oliver added that it’s “completely legitimate” to play to a broad audience or a narrow one, “because I don’t think comedy is prescriptive in that way. It’s just what people want.”

Plenty of people still want what Colbert, Kimmel and Stewart have to offer, at least by today’s standards, and many of them are insanely loyal. It’s another matter whether that justifies continuing to produce those programs, which lack the shelf-life and repeatability that’s conducive to streaming — bottom-line factors that CBS cited as its rationale for dropping “The Late Show,” even if many remain skeptical that was the only reason.

Then again, despite Gutfeld’s endorsement of Fallon, even his innocuous brand of comedy has irked Trump, who said in July that Fallon and Kimmel have “absolutely no talent” and would soon be dropped as well. That’s because for all the defenses used to explain Trump’s more outlandish pronouncements, the president clearly has no sense of humor about jokes made at his expense.

So memo to Leno: If you were hosting “The Tonight Show” now the way you did 20 years ago, guess what? You’d occupy a shrinking center that would deprive you of loyal viewers, and Trump and his supporters would still call you a no-talent hack while urging NBC to fire you, too.

The post Memo to Jay Leno: Your Late-Night Comedy Formula Expired a Decade Ago appeared first on TheWrap.

It’s no secret that YouTube, a major platform for creators, has a kids problem. Even though viewers aged two to 11 years old make up about 17% of YouTube’s audience, the platform has been called “impossible to monitor” by some parents, and for good reason. YouTube estimates that a staggering 20 million videos are uploaded to the platform every day.

But starting Wednesday, YouTube has taken its children’s safety precautions a step further, implementing an AI age verification tool in the U.S.

The new tool uses YouTube activity and how long the account has been active to determine the potential age of the user. If they’re deemed under 18 years old, YouTube will notify the user and put in safeguards to make the account more age appropriate. That means implementing non-personalized ads, limiting posting and implementing the platform’s digital well-being tools. Users who are incorrectly identified as under 18 will have to prove their age using a government ID, selfie or credit card.

YouTube is far from the first company to use AI to ramp up its age restrictions in the wake of the Online Safety Act being passed in the U.K., a law that requires websites and apps to verify users are over 18. Roblox has them for its unfiltered chat option. Both Bluesky and Discord are using facial recognition technology to confirm their users’ ages (That’s led to some tricksters using video game characters, like Norman Reedus in “Death Stranding 2,” to bypass the system).

For all their good intentions, these more invasive measures have left a sour taste for some. Albert Fox Cahn, an anti-surveillance advocate and lawyer, called facial surveillance and ID checks a “flawed” idea in The Atlantic. 

“A website with sensitive content arguably becomes less safe to use, because the stakes of a breach become much higher,” Cahn wrote.

Yet, specifically when it comes to YouTube, it’s difficult to think of better ways to protect kids from this virtual wild west. The company does offer the safeguarded YouTube Kids, one of the company’s youth products that roughly 100 million users interact with each month. But before this new age verification policy, there was very little preventing a kid from potentially seeing something they shouldn’t.

“Our first responsibility, always, is to create a safe experience for our youngest, most vulnerable users,” Katie Kurtz, global head of youth and learning for YouTube, told me last year. Here’s hoping this new measure works.

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 presented by Adobe,” at noon PT on Aug. 26. Sign up today here. 

What’s New

Alan Chikin Chow launches a new scripted show with Laneige

“Beauty and the Beat” is more than just a new shortform series. This partnership between Chow and the Korean beauty company Laneige marks a step towards the future as brands are trying to figure out how to monetize scripted content. Once the industry figures that out, Hollywood really needs to start watching its back.

Travel videos just got easier thanks to TikTok Go

Creators can now get hotel vouchers through the platform. It’s all part of TikTok Go, a new creator monetization program that lets local merchants, such as hotel and restaurant owners, either pay creators a commission or offer them vouchers for promoting their business. Creators have to be over 18 years old and have at least 1,000 followers to qualify. But it’s a big step in letting creators monetize services rather than just relying on products. For now, only hotel bookings are available in the U.S., but the program in Indonesia and Japan includes vouchers for restaurants and local experiences.

Tubi taps former TikTok head Kudzi Chikumbu as its VP of Creator Partnerships 

Do you know who in Hollywood really gets the creator space? Tubi. And the Fox-owned ad-supported streamer is betting even more on this industry by hiring TikTok’s former global head of creator marketing, Kudzi Chikumbu. The company also announced its adding several titles from MrBeast, CelinaSpookyBoo and more to its Tubi for Creators program. It’s a win-win. Tubi gets new desirable content for its 100 million monthly users, over half of which are millennials or Gen Z, and in turn these creators get to stand out from the YouTube pack.

By the Numbers

StubHub says creators, podcasters and authors sold nearly 500% more tickets this year

This is compared to sales in 2024 and continues the trend of creators turning their digital followings into real-life events. The most in-demand creator tours were a slew of podcasting favorites — Alex Cooper’s “Unwell” tour, the Crime Junkie’s podcast tour and Mel Robbins’ “Let Them” tour. Additionally, creator tour prices were about 40% less than traditional live events. That lower cost and the fact that creator tours are more likely to travel to areas often ignored by bigger artists are major reasons for the uptick.

YouTube has removed over 179 million videos from its platform in the past six years

That’s not all that a new report from Video Advertising Bureau found. YouTube also removed 139 million channels and 25 billion comments from its platform, all of which violate the company’s community guidelines. YouTube noted that some of the top reasons for removal are child safety issues, harassment and hateful or dangerous speech. Really puts into perspective just how massive YouTube is.

2025 may set a new record for mergers and acquisitions in the creator economy

In the first half of the year, 52 M&A deals were completed, a 73% increase compared to the first half of 2024 according to the advisory firm Quartermast Advisors. Publicis’ $150 million acquisition of Captiv8 was one of those big deals. As brutal as this landscape may seem, it’s another sign that the creator economy is maturing to become a media powerhouse rather than just a big number. But speaking of big numbers, an eMarketer report found that if all U.S. creators moved their brand deals to a single imaginary app, that app would be worth $10.5 billion and would be the fourth-largest social platform in the country based on brand investments.

Who to Watch

Areq

Little is known about the TikTok creator Areq other than they are a hell of a great editor. So far the creator’s “Creed” edit has amassed over 114 million views and nearly 15 million likes, and it’s easy to see why. It slaps.

Areq’s other edits are equally as impressive as the “Creed” one, and the creator has even sparked a TikTok trend of other creators editing shows and movies to LoVibe’s remix of Kendrick Lamar’s “untitled 05” (The “Snowfall” edit from farquaad.films is also remarkable). I’m not in the business of hiring editors, but if I was I would be sliding into some DMs, pronto. 

Bonus Content

• A Right-Wing Influencer Tried to Be a Tradwife. It Almost Broke Her (via The New York Times)
• Why Creators Are Building Hollywood-Style Studios to Make TV-Ready Content (via TheWrap)
• Nobody Wins on “Surrounded” (via The New Yorker)

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.

The post Creatorverse: YouTube Hopes AI Will Solve Its NSF-Kids Problem appeared first on TheWrap.