Brrr

A Very Happy Friday, Publish Press readers. If you didn’t already know, I’m a huge fan of games. That’s why I was hyped when one of my favorite streamers, Ludwig Ahgren, dropped a new episode of his Jeopardy-inspired game show featuring Noel Miller, Cody Ko, and Hasan Piker. Spoiler Warning: All three did very poorly, but there’s something so entertaining about watching my favorite creators struggle with questions they definitely should know the answers to...

 - Max Lowenthal

In Today’s Issue 💬

→ Why TikTok’s Dylan Lemay is launching his own ice cream shop

→ How Dr. Disrespect is turning creators into game builders

→ Breaking down MKBHD’s new podcast deal with Vox Media

Ice Cream Creator to Open Shop in NYC

Dylan Lamey is making TikTok’s coldest content...literally. Over the last year and a half, Lamey has amassed over 10 million followers on TikTok and another 1.6 million subscribers on YouTube by filming himself working at Coldstone Creamery.

While Lamey officially left his job at the ice cream shop earlier this spring, he still shares his relatable story-driven ice cream content daily. His most popular video on YouTube has 82 million views, is 26 seconds long, and features Lemay mixing Skittles into a watermelon sorbet.

We All Scream for Ice Cream

Now Lamey is banding together with other emerging creators to open his own ice cream shop in New York City in the Spring of 2022. In an interview with The Publish Press, Lamey mentioned that the idea came to him after the owner of a Coldstone offered to sell him their franchise. Lamey turned down the offer in favor of something that he could build from the ground up, and thus his new venture was born.

Lamey envisions the shop to be a central hub for his community and fellow creators, he told The Publish Press. Inspired by MrBeast, Lamey wants to collaborate with up-and-coming creators to make content and launch exclusive partnerships that will attract fans to the store for unique events.

Our Take

Only in the age of TikTok & Shorts could someone gain 10 million followers in under a year. Lemay’s upcoming ice cream shop is a testament to the power of short-form content to accelerate a creator’s career path. Last year he was an employee, next year he’ll be the employer.

Dr. Disrespect to Launch Creator-Centric Game Studio

Earlier this week, popular gaming streamer Dr. Disrespect announced that he’s building his own game studio for “mega-influencers to build the games of their dreams.” First rising to prominence on Twitch thanks to his witty and bombastic on-stream persona, Disrespect regularly pulls in 20,000+ viewers for his streams and boasts over 3.4 million YouTube subscribers.

Disrespect is no stranger to making games - he helped make levels for Call of Duty before blowing up as a gaming creator back in 2010. The new studio will be a joint venture between The Doc and start-up Boom.tv, an esports production company that he co-founded, which has hosted tournaments for some of the industry’s best, like Ninja and 100 Thieves founder Nadeshot.

Our Take

Gaming content is successful because it builds deep connections with viewers - watching someone play a game feels like you’re hanging out next to them on the couch. This type of connection will help streamers build games that their fans will actually want to play.

MKBHD’s Waveform Podcast is joining Vox 

Waveform, the tech podcast from the mind of Marques Brownlee, announced earlier this week that it would be joining the Vox Media Podcast Network starting early next month. As part of the deal, Vox plans to help Brownlee and his co-host Andrew Manganelli with everything ops-related, including distribution, sponsorships, and growth. The show will be Marques’s second project with Vox, following his work as the host of Emmy-nominated tech series, Retro Tech.

Our Take

For many creators, audio content is quicker and easier to produce than video. When you’re an established creator like Marques, launching a podcast can open up new sources of revenue and bring in a whole new audience of potential fans.

🔥 In Other News

• xQc, one of Twitch’s top streamers, got into copyright trouble for streaming the Olympics

• Bella Poarch just dropped a new music video

• Emma Chamberlain is taking a break from making content

• KSI is coming to Roblox

• Salesforce (yes, the software company) is launching a streaming service