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, our roundup is a little bit sweet and a little bit spicy.
Creator commotion
Nick DiGiovanni went all Willy Wonka to grab a Guinness World Record. The culinary creator made the world’s largest chocolate bar and donated the delicious result to children in Ecuador. Somewhere, Amaury Guichon just got a new idea for a super-sized chocolate creation.
MrBeast is Napoleon now. In 1798, the French Emperor marched his troops through Egypt after winning the Battle of the Pyramids. In 2024, MrBeast rented out the Pyramids as part of a new video. Is Jimmy Donaldson the great conqueror of his day? Times certainly have changed.
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YouTube’s health content shelves are turning professionals into trusted creators. YouTube’s alliance with healthcare providers is making it easier for viewers to find accurate medical information on the platform. Those shelves are starting to show up in greater numbers, so be on the lookout.
Agency dealings
CAA signs Haminations. 23-year-old college dropout Bryson Rasmussen animates his life to share silly stories with more than seven million subscribers. CAA will help Rasmussed expand his career, which now includes a game company called Wombo Combo.
Jynxzi gets new representation via Brillstein. In 2024, the Rainbow Six Siege star earned more streaming watch time than any other creator not named Kai Cenat. As he starts to move beyond gaming, he’ll work with Brillstein to unlock the next phase of his career.
MrBallen is making deals with creators he inspired. Storyteller Dougie Corrado credits MrBallen for setting him on his current path. Now, Corrado has joined forces with the Ballen Management team while also teaming up with UTA.
Politics as usual
The ACLU thinks the U.S. TikTok ban is a bad idea. The American Civil Liberties Union urged the U.S. Supreme Court to block the law that would force either a ban or divestiture of TikTok. Here at Tubefilter, we agree with the ACLU’s logic, but it’s time for the highest court in the land to make the final call.
Right-wing YouTubers are wrapped up in South Korea’s political chaos. Before President Yoon Suk Yeol attempted to rule via martial law, he courted right-wing influencers on YouTube and parroted their misleading rhetoric. Hm, I’m getting this strange feeling of deja vu.
Mexico’s outgoing president left a power vacuum in the nation’s creator community. During Andrés Manuel López Obrador‘s tenure in office, he became one of the most popular world leaders on YouTube, and many other creators filed in behind him. Now that he has left his post, the situation is a bit trickier for those creators. The right-wing pundits lining up behind Donald Trump might want to take notes.
Events and happenings
Hololive creators crushed it at the VTuber Awards (but couldn’t show up to accept their trophies). Nine of the 22 trophies at the 2024 VTuber Awards went to streamers who are affiliated with Hololive, but differing laws between the U.S. and Japan (where Hololive is based) made it difficult for those creators to celebrate their wins. There’s always next year.
The Black Creator Academy is supporting up-and-comers in the Toronto area. As part of the program, Black youth in the Greater Toronto Area will get access to tools and support they can use to break into the $250 billion creator economy. Select participants will be eligible for $10,000 grants upon completion of the coursework.
CaseOh wins streamer category at The Game Awards. The creator known for Agar.io jokes and other bits of silliness had an effusive reaction when his name was called during The Game Awards. That’s right: CaseOh was absolutely cheesing.
The internet is a strange place
How hot are ‘Hot Ones’ sauces, anyway? A lab test shared on the Howtown channel found that most of the sauces on Hot Ones do not rank as high on the Scoville scale as advertised. The exception is Da Bomb, which has been proven to be spicy enough to make many celebrities wriggle in their seats.
The Hawk Tuah memecoin rug pull has taken another turn. After Hailey Welch was accused of operating a pump-and-dump scheme related to a new cryptocurrency, some of the buyers who allegedly fell for the swindle are now filing a lawsuit. The whole Hawk Tuah saga is going to be really complicated to explain to people a few years from now.
A 75-day skateboarding odyssey had a happy ending. Jason Van Porppal raised awareness for his favorite sport by riding all the way from Los Angeles to New York. Along the way, he donated 100 skateboards to new and experienced riders. That’s both super rad and totally tubular.
