Good morning. According to a recent MKBHD video, ChatGPT only took two months to get to 100 million users...that's seven months quicker than TikTok and 28 months quicker than Instagram. And those millions of AI users are creative—we recently saw a creator turn a static image into a motion picture using AI on Reels. What's the craziest way you've seen a creator use generative AI?

— Hannah Doyle & Nate Graber-Lipperman

TikTok Launches 'Creativity Program'

TikTok’s new “Creativity Program” (the next phase of its Creator Fund) is now live in beta testing—and it could change both the experience for creators on TikTok and the ways the app contends in a growing competitive field.

What to know: TikTok this week confirmed several details of the long-awaited program and unveiled a few others, like…

• The beta will initially be available to creators in the U.S., France, and Brazil by invite only.

• Those already enrolled in the Creator Fund can switch to the Creativity Program once it’s out of beta in the coming months.

• Creators in the program will see an updated dashboard with video eligibility as well as estimated revenue and video performance metrics. 

And one of the biggest changes: Videos must be longer than one minute in order to start earning.

Two major takeaways from the Creativity Program rollout: 

1. The competition is heating up. To stay competitive as short-form video monetization improves on other platforms like YouTube and Snapchat, TikTok has to continue to entice creators. As Hank Green notes, TikTok’s new rule that videos have to be over a minute to qualify for the Creativity Program means those videos can’t easily be repurposed on Shorts in particular.

2. TikTok has a new definition of “high-quality” content. This Creator Fund refresh, which is effectively saying longer content = better content, marks a change in priorities. As such, monetized TikTok creators will face a heavier-lift process in order to keep cashing in.

Theorist Media Launches a New Channel

The Style Theorists, a new fashion-focused channel from gaming creator MatPat and his team at Theorist Media, pulled in over 600,000 subs and 1.5 million views within 24 hours of its launch on YouTube this Sunday. By Tuesday, it had more than doubled both of those stats.

How did The Style Theorists do it?

1. By generating hype. Over the last two months, the Theorist Media team buried six easter eggs across its three other Theorist channels suggesting a new project. Fans have been speculating about a new Theorist channel for years (and had devised plenty of theories as to what the new channel might cover).

2. By batch releasing. The Style Theorists uploaded five videos at launch to allow fans to binge almost three hours of content off the bat. That created a stickier experience that hooked many early viewers.

3. By engaging in smart PR. MatPat teased the channel on Anthony Padilla’s talk show three weeks ago.

Context: MatPat started The Game Theorists in 2009 and has since grown a community of over 33 million across four channels. He and his wife, Stephanie, started digital production company Theorist Media to manage the collection of channels, which now includes The Style Theorists.

Big picture: The Style Theorists is Theorist Media’s first launch since its December acquisition by start-up Lunar X—which MatPat said helped expedite the rollout of the new channel. 

Snoop Dogg Signs Exclusive Music Catalog Deal with TikTok

The rapper/mogul has released the catalog of Death Row Records, which includes songs from artists like Tupac Shakur and Dr. Dre, exclusively through TikTok’s distribution and marketing service, SoundOn.

FYI: Snoop acquired the Death Row catalog last year and quickly pulled it from streaming services. This partnership is the first-ever catalog reissue to be released exclusively through TikTok’s SoundOn.

Context: Snoop said that, due to popular demand, he will put the music back on streaming services after the exclusivity window with TikTok ends this month.  

🔥 Press Worthy

• Karl Jacobs will film a live Banter podcast at VidCon with Sapnap and GeorgeNotFound.

• Matty Benedetto launches an Unnecessary Inventions card game at Barnes & Noble.

• Simone Giertz's craft refurb becomes a creativity reboot.

• TwitchCon will be hosted in Paris and Las Vegas this year.

• Justin B. McBride builds a custom SUV for actor Orlando Bloom.

• Emma Chamberlain hard launches her relationship with Role Model via a GQ profile.

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