Good morning, and welcome to 2023. What are your goals for this year? Maybe it’s to reach 100k subs or upload a Short every day. Hit reply and share your creator resolutions—we’d love to hear them! Here’s to a productive, creative, fun year.

–Hannah Doyle

Coffeezilla Investigates Logan Paul

YouTuber Coffeezilla (aka Stephen Findeisen) is taking on Logan Paul.

Coffeezilla just released a three-part video series accusing Paul of hiring fraudulent developers, leaving debts unpaid, and sharing misleading information about his defunct blockchain game, CryptoZoo.

Context: Paul started promoting CryptoZoo in August 2021 as a game in which players could earn cryptocurrency. CryptoZoo never officially launched, but fans and investors were still able to buy CryptoZoo tokens and game items—even though the game lacked the infrastructure for those buyers to cash out or keep track of their purchases.

Tl;dr: Paul made big promises, failed to deliver, and remained quiet about it until Coffeezilla’s recent allegations, including interviews with investors who said they lost thousands from the alleged scam project.

And Paul’s response? He said he’ll address it in today’s Impaulsive episode and that “all bad actors will be exposed, explained, and held fully accountable.” He also took to Discord to address concerns.

Both creators offered to have each other on their podcasts, but so far neither has accepted.

Our Take

On Coffeezilla: In the six years Coffeezilla has been on YouTube, he’s become what he calls an “internet investigator,” most recently focused on taking down potentially fraudulent crypto and web3 projects (and succeeding in some cases) and exposing other creators like Nelk, IShowSpeed, and Trainwreck.

Although he’s no Benoit Blanc, Coffeezilla is creating a culture of accountability on YouTube, especially re: web3—a corner of the creator space rife with scams. We see work like Coffeezilla’s as a necessary gut check for creators who might not think twice about the projects they promote.

On Paul: Getting into business with the wrong partners can be a career-ending mistake. And with a following as big as Paul’s, the stakes are high.

Andrew Callaghan's Doc Premieres on HBO

The Channel 5 host is taking his gonzo-style journalism to streaming platforms with his new documentary This Place Rules, which was released on HBO Max over the weekend.

The film covers the events leading up to the January 6 Capitol riot—and takes small but important departures from Callaghan’s usual content.

Narrative: The documentary plays out like an extended version of one of his Channel 5 episodes, going deeper into interviews with light narration.

Production: The film is made with his usual three-person crew, but it counts comedy duo Tim and Eric, actor Jonah Hill, and A24 as producers.

Reception: Unlike his independent docs like The Hoff Twins, This Place Rules has gotten a proper press rollout, including interviews with Variety, Esquire, and that viral CNN showdown. Reviews have been favorable, with a 97% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Our Take

Callaghan’s brought his fringe-style, Patreon-supported videos to the national stage, elevating citizen journalism to a new level. His doc lays the groundwork for creators to start telling stories of their own, with or without traditional media credentials. Who’s to say Coffeezilla in our top story can’t be next to get a streaming deal?

Technoblade's Channel Lives On

Nearly six months after the gaming creator’s passing, Technoblade’s dad made the first posthumous upload to his channel with 10 Million Subs Elbow Reveal, a fan compilation video of old Technoblade clips.

It immediately landed on the trending page and has amassed almost 9 million views.

Zoom out: Technoblade was among the biggest and most beloved Minecraft creators. After his death, many fans took to saying “Technoblade Never Dies.”

…and maybe his channel won’t. His dad wrote in the video description, “I've dipped my toe into the fan community, and found the welcome to be warm. I've got some more things planned for you guys. Stay tuned.”

Our Take

One concept creators are always considering is legacy—how can their work live on after they stop making videos? Technoblade provides an extreme example. His impact grows through his community and thoughtfully built brand, even if he’s not around to see it.

🔥 Creator Moves

• Gotham Chess is looking for a Spanish language translator to help with captions, voiceover, and dubbing. Send a resume and portfolio to [email protected].

• LostNUnbound is hiring a video editor to help with NBA videos and basketball challenges.

• LaurenZside is hiring a YouTube Shorts strategist. Must be familiar with the gaming space.

🔥 Press Worthy

• Blippi spinoff lands on HBO Max.

• QTCinderella brings cooking competitions to streaming.

• Socksfor1 is revamping his channel.

• How TikTok influenced the economy in 2022.

• YouTube’s new ad guidelines are negatively impacting some creators.

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