Each week, we handpick a selection of stories to give you a snapshot of trends, updates, business moves, and more from around the creator industry. This week, the creator of an animated smash hit is getting choosy about platforms while a man known for dispensing emotional damage is getting his close-up.
Creator commotion
The creator of The Amazing Digital Circus has thoughts about YouTube censorship. In a tweet, Gooseworx claimed that YouTube’s stringent guidelines are requiring some edits that aren’t necessary in the Netflix version of TADC. Those issues are one reason why Gooseworx sought distribution from a major streaming service in the first place.
A YouTube guitarist shreds with metal masters. Mastodon (the Georgia-based metal band, not the decentralized X alternative) invited Ben Eller to play with them at a festival in the Dominican Republic. Shredders like Eller have been tearing it up on YouTube for years, and Mastodon’s move is a tip-of-the-hat to that community.
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MrBeast shows off “grandpa” looks at Paris Fashion Week. For the record, I think the internet is being a little too harsh about Jimmy Donaldson’s styled outfits. He’s sharply dressed in his Parisian looks — but fashion might not come as easily to him as YouTube does.
Pop culture minute
The doctor is in, and his name is Steven He. The funnyman who riffs on Asian cultural stereotypes has been cast in the lead role in Doctor, Doctor, an indie comedy film that will premiere later this month on Apple TV and Prime Video. The actors who He beat for the role will just have to live with the emotional damage.
KSI heads to BET in the U.K. The Sidemen member is one of the first guests booked for Now You Know, a new interview series airing on BET UK. The show will be produced by Pangaea Group, which also chronicled KSI in the doc The Sidemen Story.
Alex Cooper is going Overboard for Love. The Call Her Daddy host is teaming with Hulu to launch a dating show set on a seafaring vessel. It’s the first unscripted series coming out of Cooper’s Unwell Network, which has primarily focused on podcasts thus far.
The biz
Alix Earle invests in margaritas. Not to be outdone, the creator who allegedly tussled with Alex Cooper at Unwell is also expanding her business ventures. With her stake in SipMARGS, Earle is hoping that margaritas are to the summer of 2025 as espresso drinks were to the summer of 2024.
Mikayla Nogueira launches makeup brand. The beauty star has sold out products whenever she has released them. Her future cosmetic efforts will be consolidated under Point of View Beauty, which will debut its direct-to-consumer collection on March 26.
Sacheu Beauty owner gets $15 million Series A. Creator Sarah Cheung helped spread Sacheu to the masses after working with Gloss Ventures to launch the makeup brand in 2020. Now Gloss is looking full after getting an eight-digit injection of VC funding.
Platform headlines
Krafton wants to make PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds the next big creator network. The pioneering battle royale game has lost much of its market share to rivals like Fortnite, but that’s not stopping it from imitating the next phase of Fortnite‘s development. If you want to stay ahead of upcoming PUBG buzz, check it out.
YouTube Shows are shaping up. A feature that was quietly announced during the last Made On YouTube presentation is starting to take form. The creators who are pitching their content at upfront presentations will want to check out the serialized collections YouTube plans to launch.
T-Pain is on LinkedIn. Look at that dapper profile photo. Forget “Buy U A Drank” — it’s “Endorse Ur Skills” time.
The internet is a strange place
Norme stood still for 38 hours. The streamer who loves to push the limits of his body has found another painful way to set a new world record. He didn’t flinch for more than a day and a half even as passersby relentlessly trolled him. The guy would make a pretty good Orpheus, since he’s an expert when it comes to not turning around.
A streamer wants to drop out of school to attend Kai Cenat’s “college.” Apparently, Corey2U has nothing more to learn at Georgia State. The knowledge he seeks can only be found at the streamer school Cenat plans to open.
A college football coach has a new team rule: no TikTok dances. Fine, Rich Rodriguez. If you’re not going to let players cut loose by busting out dances after they score touchdowns, they’ll have to keep busy by taking loudly about your disastrous tenure at the University of Michigan.
