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, a creator’s high school sports career resurfaces, a Minecraft star opts for a rebrand, and a streaming star shows love for his cat.
Creator commotion
MrBeast’s Aaron Judge collab reminded viewers about his high school baseball career. Did you know that MrBeast used to be a slugger? His fans are rediscovering his MaxPreps profile from his time at Greenville Christian Academy. Even though he hit .424 during his high school career, he gave up the game to pursue a career as a creator. The man just loves YouTube that much.
Socks creates Minecraft in real life. The YouTuber with 1.4 million subscribers turned his backyard into a blocky playland complete with a Technoblade tribute. I did Minecraft in real life once, but it was just called “camping.”
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Speaking of Minecraft…Dream is rebranding. The man who led the Dream SMP — which saw its popularity spike during the height of the pandemic — wants to start a “new chapter.” His plan is to debut the new Dream at the start of May. No word on whether Minecraft will still be involved.
The biz
CaseOh’s Starforge Systems build paid tribute to his cat. The popular streamer got the chance to design a product line for the OTK-affiliated systems integration firm Starforge. He chose to introduce the KITTY bundle, and if you have a feline friend of your own, you’ll probably think that this product is the cat’s meow.
Jynxzi accidentally leaked his (substantial) monthly earnings. The streamer who rose to fame playing Rainbow Six: Siege inadvertently revealed that he pulls in more than $450,000 per month from sources like subscriptions and ad revenue. It’s embarrassing to flash that data on screen, but with that amount of income, I don’t feel too bad for him.
Is a viral sweet treat causing a worldwide pistachio shortage? Some sources say yes, others say no. The only thing we can say with complete certainty is that TikTok is obsessed with the brown-and-green confection known as “Dubai chocolate.”
Pop culture minute
The Liver King is the subject of a new Netflix docuseries. The bodybuilder’s unusual diet and alleged fabrications will go under the microscope in Untold: The Liver King, a program due to hit Netflix on May 13. You do not need to be on a raw meat diet in order to watch.
Dylan Mulvaney wrote a book. The transgender TikTok star describes herself as a “late bloomer,” and she will use that point-of-view to explore her personal girlhood in the memoir Paper Doll. The book just came out, but it’s already a New York Times bestseller.
Tefi Pessoa is getting into business with The Cut. New York Magazine‘s pop outlet has looked to TikTok to find its next cultural commentator. Pessoa, a host, creator, and comedian, will begin her Cut collab with an advice column before launching a podcast due out this summer.
Agency dealings
Jesser signs with CAA. The talent agency will provide the prominent basketball creator with representation in all areas. Jesser continues to rake in brand deals hand over fist, including a recent team-up with PowerAde.
Fixated absorbs clients through acquisitions. The digital entertainment company already reps creators like the Botez sisters and Sketch. Now, by acquiring management firms CAMP Talent and Moondust Management, Fixated will be able to onboard prominent clients like Jason Nash, Catarina Mello, Heath Hussar, and Lee Asher.
Platform headlines
TikTok adds alt text on still images. Lengthening descriptions on image posts will provide more flexibility and new creative options for TikTokers. The change also encourages posts with more keywords in them, which helps TikTok secure its status as a legitimate search engine.
YouTube brings AI summaries to some types of travel content. If you search for things to do in San Francisco, for example, YouTube will provide you with a video carousel filled with AI-influenced suggestions. Google is clearly content with the growth of AI overviews in its search business and is eager to expand those summaries to other platforms.
The internet is a strange place
The internet is obsessed with a theory that links Trisha Paytas to the Pope. The social media star’s first pregnancy coincided with the death of Queen Elizabeth II, and her third child is due to arrive shortly after the death of Pope Francis. The idea that her children are cosmically linked to world leaders is so silly, but we could all use a little levity these days — especially the Catholics.
The third most-watched YouTube video of the week is deeply weird AI slop. A channel called ChengyuMovies uploaded a bizarre AI-generated video in which a pug rescues a baby from a plane crash and lives with it on a deserted island. Somehow, that video has more than 400 million views. I guess the human creators of YouTube are all doing it wrong.
