Good morning. Mark Rober casually unveiled his “Willy Wonka Factory for engineering” that he’s been working on for the last year and a half. I’m not even gonna think about what I’ve accomplished in that amount of time.

–Hannah Doyle

YouTube Artist Kicks Off Painting Collaboration Series

Art creator Ten Hundred recently started the second season of his popular painting series, The Biggest Art Collab on YouTube, where he paints a small part of a large canvas and passes it on to another creator to add their part until the painting is complete. Each artist uploades their own video documenting the process. 

Last year, he started the project not knowing how many would participate or how long it would take. 

It ended up taking a full year to complete, with eight participating YouTube artists from around the world, including DokeTV from Slovakia and Nerdforge in Norway. 

The final painting sold for $12,050, with proceeds going to charity.

Season 1 By the Numbers

261,000 → how many views Ten Hundred’s kick-off video received.

20x → how many more views the collaboration series generated than the first video, with 11 videos in total.

1 million+ → how many views Jazza's collaboration video received, as the most-viewed video of the series.

The second season comes with new stakes, this time with two canvases. One canvas is taking a similar route to last year and the other has to go to another creator with a smaller following than theirs.

Our Take

This type of series could only happen on social platforms with digital creators, where viewers follow channel to channel to watch the project unfold. 

We think season two is a great opportunity for a brand to become a character in the series by sponsoring each creator who takes part. With their new format, the creators would choose not only who gets to contribute to the painting but who gets the brand sponsorship.

Netflix Announces Squid Game Reality Show

The streaming platform is starting production on its 10-episode show Squid Game: The Challenge. Billed as “the biggest Netflix show ever”, it will have 456 contestants compete in a series of games, with the winner getting $4.56 million. 

The concept is reminiscent of MrBeast’s IRL Squid Game, which cost the YouTuber nearly $4 million to create last year. It’s one of the most-watched videos on YouTube, currently sitting at over 258 million views.

The Netflix reality show announcement comes after its approval for a second season of the original Squid Game. 

Release dates haven’t been set for either show. 

If you’d like to participate in the reality show, you can sign up for casting here (the more creators, the better). 

Our Take

The streaming network should bring MrBeast into the fold to help with the show’s creation—not just because he did it first but because he’d bring with him a large audience excited to watch and a unique perspective on what makes good entertainment regardless of where it comes out. 

Sponsored by Jellysmack

Jellysmack Is Ready to Go Bigger at VidCon 2022

VidCon 2022 is right around the corner and Jellysmack has a premium lineup planned to make this year’s event one to remember.

Here are some highlights:

• Colin & Samir will be moderating a panel on how to make your content work harder for you.

• Jellysmack President, Sean Atkins, will be doing a fireside chat discussing the evolution of the creator economy and the power of short-form content.

• Creators Charlotte Dobre and Niki Demar of sister duo Niki & Gabi will join a panel moderated by Jellysmack to dive into the benefits of going multi-platform.

Plus, you can stop by the Jellysmack Booth on the Industry Track to meet the team and talk about how to get the most out of your content.

Go here to learn more about Jellysmack’s plans for VidCon 2022.

Dixie D’Amelio Releases First Album

Her debut pop album “a letter to me”, made in collaboration with the creators behind BTS’ song “Butter”, dropped last Friday. It has 15 songs and runs 38 minutes. It also includes older singles like “Be Happy” and “Wild”.

The TikToker with 57 million followers told Variety that she won’t use the platform to market the album because she wants to “be respected”, and plans to tour with Nickelodeon-born boy band Big Time Rush this summer.

Our Take

Dixie’s TikTok presence is an obvious advantage that is worth leaning into as she grows her music career. Her start as a TikTok creator will always travel with her but over time, if her songs are good, respect will come. 

🔥 Press Worthy

• YouTube opens applications for its 2023 Black Voices program.

• JiDion throws out the first pitch at an Astros game.

• Expel cancels his Twitch contract.

• The Creative Companion newsletter is your weekly guide to becoming a professional creator.*

• YouTube introduces a “corrections” feature.

• Rick Shields walks 150 miles for charity.

*This is sponsored advertising content.