Happy Friday. Kylie Jenner started a TikTok series called Kylie in the Kar. All I’ll say is...Colin and Samir were out here filming in the car in 2019, the true trailblazers they are.

–Hannah Doyle

Is This the Future of Creator Businesses?

Imagine if the face of every consumer brand were a creator. Like Cassie Ho for Outdoor Voices, Mandy Lee for Stitch Fix, or MKBHD for Belkin tech accessories.

That’s the future MrBeast’s manager Reed Duchscher aims to engineer with his newly minted firm Night Capital. It's launching with $100 million from tech investment firm TCG. 

The ambition: Buy DTC companies and pair them with creators who can expertly build communities around the merchandise. The creators get equity in the companies they represent and the companies get a spokesperson with powerful built-in distribution.

It’s pairing content with ecommerce, a formula we’ve seen before with Barstool Sports, Food52, and Hello Sunshine (which are all recipients of TCG investment as well).

The allure for creators: earning equity in a consumer company, which can be orders of magnitude more valuable than the income most creators generate on social platforms. This setup has the potential to become a large revenue stream—if the products creators promote sell well, of course.

Our Take

Many creators don’t set out to be consumer goods companies when they start—like nail art creator Cristine Rotenberg, who started making how-to videos on nail art designs and now has a polish company Holo Taco.

This could provide a way for creators to do what they do best (entertain and build community) without dipping into complex and often costly operations and manufacturing logistics. But becoming the “MrBeast of X” doesn’t have to be the end game for every creator—and shouldn’t. Creating content to help or entertain people is a justified end in itself.

TikTok Creators Infiltrate NYFW

Our thoughts are with every cobblestone street in downtown Manhattan rn.

New York Fashion Week always brings its own flavor of chaos, but that chaos has been magnified this year thanks to TikTok—not because of an increased creator presence (though there’s that, too) but because of the intel TikTokers are sharing on the app.

Many have promoted “hacks” to gain entry to exclusive NYFW presentations, including lists of PR emails to pester for tickets—a tactic that’s exasperated PR operators. 

One publicist told journalist Delia Cai, “At regular shows, you would have four or five checking in, and that’s okay, but what happens if 20% of them are not even on the list? You still have to check them one by one…. Runway shows are 15, 20 minutes. It’s a very high-stress situation.”

Our Take

TikTok creators’ obsession with New York and its characteristic events is a symptom of the larger effects TikTok is having around the globe: Secrets are harder to keep today because of creators’ democratization efforts. Even travel creators today have to be more careful of their geotags in an effort to preserve natural sites their audiences might soon flood. As “insider” information becomes more accessible, it seems privacy is the new celebrity.

Sponsored by Jellysmack

6 Ways Creators Can Build a Loyal Audience

More and more creators are entering the space every day. Brands and consumers are overwhelmed with choices. With the endless supply of content, fostering a loyal and engaged audience has become more essential, but also more challenging.

Our friends at Jellysmack have put together their top six social media tips to building a loyal audience in today’s landscape, including:

• Why consistency is key

• Building a team to beat burnout

• Driving engagement within your community

Check out the full post here and subscribe to their blog to get these insights in your inbox.

Andrew Callaghan Inks Deal With HBO

The Channel 5 creator received institutional media backing this week with the acquisition of his documentary about the January 6 insurrection.

HBO will air the currently untitled film, which Callaghan is producing with A24 and an impressive roster of other producers, including the comedy duo Tim and Eric and actor Jonah Hill.

Our Take

Callaghan has been doing independent street journalism since 2019, but that hasn’t stopped critics from questioning his legitimacy. This deal is rich with credibility and signals more opportunities ahead. We could see Callaghan doing his own show similar to How To with John Wilson, or even pivoting to a Bill Mahr-type figure. Sky’s the limit.

🔥 Press Worthy

• Casey Neistat moves back to NYC.

• Quinta Brunson wins an Emmy for Outstanding Writing on Abbott Elementary.

• TikTok launches a BeReal clone, TikTok Now.

• Stop working with dozens of tools to manage your creator business. Norby is the all-in-one solution.*

• Barstool Sports launches a platform that connects NIL athletes to advertisers.

• Ali Abdaal collaborates with dbrand.

• Cody Ko launches a running channel.

*This is sponsored advertising content.