Good morning. Over 85,000 people tuned in this weekend to watch the World Chess Championship live on YouTube. China’s Ding Liren came out on top…an achievement the 30-year-old said he’d been training for since he was four. That means Liren started playing chess before most of us could tie our shoes.

— Hannah Doyle & Nate Graber-Lipperman

BuzzFeed Looks to Hire Independent Creators

Last week, BuzzFeed announced a strategic pivot that’ll see the media company hire independent creators to produce entertainment content. This shift follows a round of layoffs at BuzzFeed and the recent shuttering of its News division.

Context: BuzzFeed has been a hub for creator-driven content since it was founded in 2006.

• It incubated the careers of video talent including the Try Guys, Quinta Brunson, and Safiya Nygaard, all of whom worked exclusively for the brand before pursuing independent careers.

• BuzzFeed popularized the UGC-driven Community page, where creators could self-publish lists and articles on BuzzFeed. Work was creator-initiated and done for free.

This time around, things are different: BuzzFeed plans to partner with outside creators to commission content and bring in brand deals.

• “It's kind of turning our model inside out," BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti told Axios. "Especially for video content, where we used to have a cult of people internally making all the videos."

FYI: Buzzfeed will also continue to build on its AI integrations through list-style articles and chatbots.

BTW: BuzzFeed’s classification of independent creators has been up for debate, as some have pointed out that journalists—many of whom the company recently laid off—might be interpreted as creators, too.

Creator Business Profiles: The Podcasters Who Built an Advertising Agency

Boutique advertising agency Adalyst Media connects over a dozen women-focused podcasts to brand partners like Etsy and Pampers. Now one year in, their creator lineup has passed 30 million ad impressions.

The TL;DR of Adalyst’s business:

• Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables, the duo behind popular parenting podcast What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood, started Adalyst in 2022.

• Adalyst makes the most of existing content libraries by implementing dynamically inserted ads—so podcast episodes from as far back as 2016 can stay fresh for advertisers.

• They told the Press their competitive advantage is balancing vulnerable, evergreen storytelling with comedy in a desirable advertising niche—parenting and family content.

How they’re differentiating themselves from other creator ad agencies: As creators themselves, Wilson and Ables are trusted voices in a commonly-overlooked niche.

FYI: In 2019, Forbes estimated that the millennial parenting market (including apps, products, and services that cater to new parents) was worth $46 billion.

Sponsored by Fiverr

How This Creator Grew His Video Production YouTube Channel

Steve Wright started his channel, Learn Online Video, to help aspiring artists master the art of video production. His easy-to-follow tutorials and helpful editing tips allowed him to quickly grow a following—now at over 1.2 million subscribers.

In his videos, he’s often showing off visual effects, advanced editing techniques, and elaborate shoots. To keep up with the scale of his operation, Steve turns to Fiverr to find talented freelance specialists to help on his projects (i.e. turning him into a superhero).

As part of the Fiverr influencer program, Steve earns income and Fiverr credits when he showcases the brand in his content. He then can use those credits to help find freelance talent to scale his creator business. “It is truly amazing to work with a brand that can bring these creative visions to life with a level of freedom that is truly impressive," Wright said.

Learn more about Fiverr’s influencer program and apply here.

Podcasts Come to YouTube Music

YouTube Music officially launched podcast integrations to U.S. users last week and plans to expand the program globally.

What’s new: Users can now seamlessly switch between audio and video versions of podcasts on YouTube Music.

• Any podcast uploaded to YouTube can be accessed on YouTube Music on demand.

• The YouTube Music app now has a dedicated podcast tab where users can browse through shows that were once limited to the main YouTube app.

Big picture: This makes YouTube Music look and sound a little more like Spotify, where podcasts and music are side by side. The two platforms have been keeping a close eye on each other, with Spotify focusing more on creators and building a revenue strategy similar to YouTube’s.

👀 Creator Moves

• Mark Rober is hiring a part-time thumbnail artist for his Crunch Labs and Mark Rober YouTube channels.

• Airrack is looking for a business development coordinator to drive brand partnerships.

• Arcade Media is hiring for full-time video editor and videographer positions.

🔥 Press Worthy

• Instagram adds a UGC feature to Shops.

• RackaRacka is set to produce another movie.

• Logan Paul and KSI’s PRIME is releasing a new flavor.

• TimTheTatman, Ninja, Nickmercs, SypherPK, and CouRage partner to make a video game.

• What it’s like to edit for Kelly Wakasa.

• Hank and John Green launch a soap company that donates its profits to reduce maternal and childhood mortality in Sierra Leone.

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