Good morning. Big news from HQ today: We’re hiring a general manager to join our team and oversee operations here at Publish. Scroll down to learn more, and if you’re interested—or know someone who might be—find the link to apply below.

— Hannah Doyle & Nate Graber-Lipperman

Rhett and Link Release the First Episode of ‘Wonderhole’

Veteran comedy creators Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal released the first episode of their new TV-inspired series Wonderhole last week, combining docu-comedy with narrative storytelling and celebrity cameos.

The response? Generally positive reviews. Some top comments from viewers on YouTube→

• “Honestly, I'm speechless. I'm literally leaving a comment for the algorithm because I want more of this weird, abstract art version of YouTube.”

• “It’s always so nice to see them let out the great creative side they have without being encapsulated in a format.”

• “This feels like a culmination of your entire careers in that it’s goofy, referential, self-indulgent AND a genre-bending, electrifying feat of independent media!”

How they got here: Known for their popular daily talk show Good Mythical Morning, Rhett and Link spent a decade-plus pitching traditional Hollywood studios on film and television projects…with little success.

• In February, the duo announced plans to create new projects in-house and self-distribute them on YouTube moving forward, starting with the six-episode first season of Wonderhole.

• “[What] we’ve cultivated works for us…it doesn’t fit a mold we’ve ever seen before,” McLaughlin told us earlier this year.

Zoom out: Rhett and Link told The Hollywood Reporter that they don’t believe Wonderhole currently makes “a lot of financial sense.” But they produced the series “completely independently” with “no network notes,” and they plan to roll out new episodes over the next five weeks.

“We see it as an investment, an investment in ourselves, in our creative ideas and our team…[and] that YouTube is a place where we can make the thing that we want to make for the audience that wants to see it,” McLaughlin said.

Hank Green Wants to Opt Out of Google’s AI Training

Last week, creator Hank Green uploaded a video expressing his frustration with creators’ lack of control over generative AI platforms scraping YouTube content to train their models.

Context: Media companies including Time Inc. and Dotdash Meredith have struck deals to allow AI platforms to train their models on the media companies’ content for a price. Green said in the video that he feels “ripped off” because his content is being used to train AI, but he’s not being paid for it.

Keep in mind: Google hasn’t explicitly admitted that it uses YouTube videos to train its Gemini AI, but Green said that Reddit’s recent content licensing deal with Google implies that it’s possible.

Green’s solution? YouTube should update its terms of service to include an “opt-out” feature for creators to decide whether their content can be used to train AI. Green is collecting creator input to see how many creators agree.

“Every YouTuber should be given the chance to opt out,” Green said. “We didn’t agree to a license that allows for using our property in this way, but YouTube is as far as I can tell acting as if we did.” 

Looking ahead: In two years, the EU will require generative AI companies to disclose their training data. However, Proof News reporter Annie Gilbertson told us that the cat is already out of the bag—generative AI tools can’t un-learn what they’ve already scraped through. “I think what creators will ask themselves is do I fight this or do I ask for a check,” Gilbertson said.

Are Creators Still Using Threads?

The ephemeral nature of Stories is coming to Meta’s text-based platform, Threads. 

Last week, Meta confirmed to TechCrunch that it’s testing a feature that lets users post text that will delete after 24 hours.

Backstory: Meta launched Threads last summer as an X competitor. So far, the platform has 175 million monthly users (according to X CEO Elon Musk, X has 600 million monthly active users). Despite slow growth, Threads has retained creators who have moved from X to post exclusively on the platform, like tech creator Matt Navarra and journalist and podcast creator Taylor Lorenz. 

👀 Creator Moves

We’re hiring a general manager to help lead Publish and drive our growth. From newsletters and events to job boards and print zines, we’re building a community of creators interested in learning about the future of our industry.

The ideal candidate has a passion for the creator economy and a proven track record in media operations and editorial oversight. You can apply here.

Looking to bring on new team members? You can post opportunities on our (free) job board here.

🔥 Press Worthy

• TikTok rolls out a new custom AI voice feature for text-to-speech audio.

• DougDoug raises over $500,000 for his annual fundraiser supporting the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

• Dropout is launching a cooking competition show, Gastronauts.

• Cocomelon is releasing its first live-action show, Melon Patch Classroom.

• Samantha “Rivers” Rivera Treviño wins Esports Awards’ Streamer of the Year.