Good morning. In honor of its 20th anniversary, Imogen Heap released a remaster of the melancholic classic that introduced “mmm whatcha say” into everyone’s vernacular: “Hide and Seek.”
Which begs the question: Where is the remaster of SNL’s equally classic “Dear Sister” digital short using the song to remake that scene from The O.C.?
Why Top Creators Are Ditching Management
Zack Honarvar (left) pivoted his management company to a branded content studio, Good Story, as more creators are no longer seeking external management / Photography by Garrett Lobaugh, Good Story
In the last year, top creators like MrBeast, the Ha Sisters, and PrestonPlayz have parted ways with their management firms to bring business operations in-house.
Context: In a traditional talent management setup, creators have managers who help grow their businesses (typically in exchange for ~20% commission) and agents who help with sales (typically taking about 10%).
We spoke with two managers who are introducing a new model—going deeper on business operations—to understand how the creator representation norm is shifting.
Case study 1: Sales and brand development. Zack Honarvar, who has worked with creators like Airrack and Yes Theory, recently pivoted his management company to a branded content outfit called Good Story Studios. He’s looking to work with creators exclusively on sales and brand partnerships instead of supporting every aspect of their businesses.
“We’re targeting YouTube-first creators that operate more like media companies,” Honarvar told us.
“It’s for those who don’t want to manage their own internal sales team and comp structures but also don't want to work with a management company that represents 300 creators where it feels like a black box and you don't know what’s going on.”
Case study 2: Franchise and equity. Eyal Baumel, who works with creators like Like Nastya and MrBeast, recently launched a creator franchise building company, Flywheel.
“There is a real need for creators to work with people who can help them with their business beyond brand deals—that’s where I saw a big opportunity on the venture side with licensing and distribution,” Baumel told us.
“I realized most needs [creators] have aren’t being solved with traditional management or agencies.”
One of Flywheel’s clients is family creator Rebecca Zamolo, who recently launched a fertility supplement brand, Molo, available in Walmart.
“More of these creators are becoming real franchises, and we want to keep building and capitalize on this opportunity—whether it’s something smaller like a distribution deal with Roku, or building something like a venture that can have a lot of equity value,” Baumel said.
Big picture: Creator management has never been one-size-fits all. But it’s worth noting that creators with management make 3x more than creators without, according to a NeoReach report.
As more creators look to build businesses outside their YouTube channels, though, management operators are retrofitting their offerings to meet creators’ shifting needs.
Do you have management? If so, in what capacity?
How Creators Are Benefitting From Labubu Mania
After two years in development, AmandaRachLee releases her blind boxes the "Lil Doodle Friends" / AmandaRachLee
Swarms of customers are knocking down doors of toy stores to get their hands on Labubus—the demonic-yet-cutesy blind box items you’ve probably seen everywhere. Labubus have made their manufacturer, Pop Mart, more valuable than Mattel, Hasbro, and Sanrio combined.
With the rise in popularity of blind box toys, creators are jumping on board:
Stationery creator AmandaRachLee released a collection of blind boxes in late May based on her original artwork of her “Lil Doodle Friends.” In less than two months, she sold out of the entire first collection. A second is in the works now.
After the success of his first blind box challenge, designer Johann Banta dared himself to make 80 fish-themed toys by hand in one week. He sold out of all boxes in two days, launched a preorder for 80 more toys, and sold those out as well.
Zoom out: This is not the first time creators have grown their businesses beside big moments in the cultural zeitgeist. During last year’s Stanley Cup craze, Trisha Paytas released limited edition tumblers for her podcast Just Trish, and Graeme Barrett’s Divorced Dads trading cards are selling more on eBay than on his website.
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YouTube Ad Revenue Jumps 10%
YouTube made $9.8 billion in ad revenue this last quarter / Illustration by Moy Zhong
According to Nielsen, YouTube is the most watched streaming platform. But how does that translate to revenue for the platform?
YouTube made $9.8 billion in ad revenue last quarter, according to parent company Alphabet. That’s an increase of 10% from the same time last year.
Big picture: On the earnings call Wednesday, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said YouTube Shorts now sees more than 200 billion daily views. Pichai also attributes the company-wide growth to AI advancements and increases in Cloud products and services, he said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.
🔥 Press Worthy
Animation creator Vivziepop partners with Atlantic Records to release vinyls of the Hellaverse soundtrack.
Lifestyle creator Kelly Wakasa embarks on a worldwide hitchhiking journey to raise $100K for the American Cancer Society.
Critical Role’s new animated series, The Mighty Nein, will premiere exclusively on Prime Video on November 19.
Join us September 4 for Press Publish NYC—a one-day event for the creator economy. P.S. We’re announcing speakers next week.
TikTok will go dark in September if China doesn’t approve its US sale, according to a Trump administration official.
YouTube Shorts releases a new feature that turns pictures into video.
📚 Thank You for Pressing Publish
The content we’re looking forward to reading, watching, and listening to this weekend.
Read: Laura Pitcher asserts that “AI is transforming the way we communicate in love,” from GPT-crafted breakup texts to AI therapists.
Watch: Filmmaker creator Jonah Feingold released his first YouTube-exclusive feature film, Good To See You—about two friends who run into each other in Central Park but can’t remember how they met.
Listen: Songwriting Hall of Fame inductee Rodney Jerkins executive produced a new album with rapper Jon Keith, Grow Wings.
